Cyprus crush Bulgaria to beat the Davis Cup drop

THE CYPRUS national tennis team ensured they would remain in the Europe/Africa Zone Group II for another season after defeating Bulgaria 4-1 at the National Tennis Centre in Nicosia over the weekend.

Having failed to beat their opponents in all three of their previous meetings, Cyprus finally turned the tables on the Bulgarians, racing into a decisive 3-0 lead, without dropping a set.

Photos Kallias got the ball rolling on Friday, beating Ivaylo Traykov, before local superstar Marcos Baghdatis, currently ranked number 18 in the world, easily dispatched Yordan Kanev.

Baghdatis teamed up with Kallis the following day in the doubles, where they secured overall victory against Todor Enev and Ilia Kushev.

Baghdatis made it 4-0 on Sunday, before his brother Petros spoiled the perfect scoreline, going down to Kanev in the final dead rubber.

President of the Cyprus Tennis Federation, Philios Christodoulou, yesterday told the Mail: “I would like to offer my congratulations to our entire team on this achievement. Our players were much better and we fully deserved to win.”

He also praised the 6,000 fans who turned up over the three days. “My sincere thanks go to all the spectators, who were a fantastic help to the team.”

Marcos Baghdatis also stressed the role played by the fans: “I am so delighted to be playing in front of my home crowd. I would like to thank all the fans of Cyprus for their support not only during the Davis Cup matches, but throughout the years I’ve been competing.”

Baghdatis is already focused for his tour in Canada and the USA, with the most important event being the US Open.

“I played excellent tennis throughout the weekend. I enjoy being here, as my team and my friends make me feel great and we are all part of a big family together.

“I will now get prepared for the tour on hard court, in order to be ready for the big event in the US. I look forward to some big results in the States this summer,” Baghdatis added.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.