24sports.com.cy
With a remarkable victory, Stylianos Christodoulou ended the first day of the World Group 2 playoffs against Thailand's top-ranked player, securing a 2-1 set win at the Rod Laver Arena of the Australian Open.
This was a crucial success for our team, which now leads Thailand 2-0. To grasp the magnitude of this achievement, it’s important to note that today’s opponent, Kasidit Samrej, had taken two sets off Daniil Medvedev at the Australian Open, surprising many, including Medvedev, who praised Samrej's high level of play. The Thai player appeared to be playing at a completely different level, and all thought that defeat was inevitable. But Stylianos suddenly shifted gears, winning the second set 6-0. In the third, decisive set, he stayed at an even higher level, ultimately celebrating a historic win.
Of course, this victory wouldn’t have had the same impact without Menelaos Efstathiou’s impressive upset, clinching his match 2-1 in straight sets (2-6, 6-3, 6-2), putting us up 2-0. Now, the national team needs to win just one of the three remaining matches on Saturday to qualify for the next round of the playoffs. There, they’ll have the chance to challenge for their first-ever qualification to the second tier in the modern format of the competition.
Everyone at the Field Club tomorrow will be there, with the heart of Nicosia beating loudly for a sport that has brought us so much glory in the past through Markos Baghdatis and put us on the world map with his successes. First service tomorrow at 11:00 AM—don’t miss it!
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This article was translated from its original Greek.
