NZ Davis Cup tennis team named to face Japan
- 8 hours ago
- 2 min read
The five-player New Zealand Davis Cup tennis team has named to face Japan in the World Group I tie next month.
The team is Ajeet Rai, Finn Reynolds, Isaac Becroft, James Watt, and Anton Shepp. It is the same squad that secured victory in the World Group I Play-Off against Bosnia & Herzegovina in February.
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The tie will take place indoors at The Trusts Arena in Auckland 19 and 20 September
Watt and Reynolds recently teamed to reach their first ATP doubles final and are ranked 80 and 81 in the world. Watt also has a singles ranking of 877.
Shepp is up to 490 in singles after success in numerous events around the world while Becroft has improved to 872 and recently won the tile in Bali, the first of his career Rai is 222 in doubles.
Non-playing New Zealand captain Artem Sitak is confident the team can rise to any occasion, with the help of a lively home crowd.
“As this young team has grown together into the competition, we've really focused on building a positive team culture. That's at the heart of everything we do, from how we train, to how we approach big ties. It's a big part of why this team has been consistently able to rise to big occasions and defeat higher-ranked players.
Representing New Zealand on the international stage is a huge honour no matter the discipline, and that is not lost on this team. We know they'll give it their all against Japan, and we know the Auckland crowd will be incredibly supportive and loud," said Sitak.
Japan used three players in singles, all ranked between 100-200 in their home loss to Austria earlier this year.
