Jack Loutit has won his opening David Cup tie match in Kingston (file photo). Photo: PHOTOTPSPORT
New Zealand and Jamaica are level after the first day of their Davis Cup tennis tie in the West Indies.
The New Zealanders got a way to a great start in the World Group II playoff in Kingston, with 20-year-old Aucklander Jack Loutit beating Jamaica's No. 1 Blaise Bicknell in Kingston.
Loutit, ranked 781st in the world, dropped the first set 3-6, but levelled with a 6-2 second set and was too strong in the final set, winning it 6-1.
However, the Jamaicans evened up the tie when Rowland Phillips beat KP Pannu 6-3 3-6 6-3.
New Zealand will need to win two of the three rubbers on Monday (NZ time) to earn a place in the World Group II tie in September and consign Jamaica to Group III.
The day will start with the doubles, with Finn Reynolds and Ajeet Rai expected to take on Bicknell and John Chin. The reverse singles follow, with team captains able to change their line-ups.
World group
Davis Cup heavyweights Australia and the United States eased through the first qualifying round on Saturday but Britain was knocked out as Japan hit back from 2-1 down to win 3-2.
Australia, whose 28 Davis Cup titles are only bettered by the 32 of the US, proved far too strong for Sweden as doubles pair Matthew Ebden and John Peers beat Filip Bergevi and Andre Goransson 6-7(7) 6-3 6-2 to seal the tie.
Singles wins for Alex de Minaur and Aleksandar Vukic had put Australia in control of the tie.
The US were 2-0 up against Taiwan after Friday's singles in Taipei City and sealed the tie when Olympic silver medallists Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram beat Ray Ho and Wu Tung-lin 6-4 7-6(4) to set up their first home tie in three years.
Mackenzie McDonald then beat Huang Tsung-hao 6-2 6-3 as the Americans' experience shone through and they won 4-0 without dropping serve even once in the tie.
"Fortunately we were able to finish the job in the first match. We took care of our serve really well," Krajicek said.
The US will play the Czech Republic in the second round in September after the European side beat South Korea in the doubles rubber to take a 3-0 lead.
- RNZ/Reutersnot sure if we repub?
