RAMAT HASHARON, October 27, 2016
The draw for the Europe/Africa Group I Davis Cup relegation play-off tie between Israel and Sweden, held on hard court from 28 to 30 October at the Canada Stadium in Ramat Hasharon, took place on Thursday.
Amir Weintraub and Elias Ymer will start with the first singles rubber, followed by Dudi Sela and Markus Eriksson.
“I have already played him (Weintraub) in Eilat some time ago and he beat me pretty easily at that time. But I think it’s gonna be a different match this time,” Ymer told during the press conference and added that he will hopefully do better on Friday. The 20-year-old has already had some time to adapt to the conditions.
“I came here on Sunday from Stockholm and have been practicing for a while. The courts are faster here.”
Elias captured his first ATP World Tour doubles title last week alongside his younger brother Mikael, lifting the trophies at the Stockholm Open.
“That was completely unexpected. My brother and me, we played doubles together just once many years ago when we were both juniors, so this title came so unexpectedly and gave me a lot of confidence.”
The youngster is Sweden’s number one player. Asked if he does feel any pressure, he told: “I know, but I’m focused on every practice and don’t think about that. It’s something I expected, of course. It’s a different pressure. Of course, it will be tough here, but I believe in our team.”
Markus Eriksson and Dudi Sela (photo: Brigitte Urban)
Markus Eriksson is the current world number 456. “It’s gonna be tough because he’s a top 100 player and very experienced. But I think I can rise my level and really play good tomorrow,” the 26-year-old from Gothenberg told about his first match.
Jonathan Erlich and Edam Leshem will take on Isak Arvidsson and Johan Brunstrom in the doubles rubber on Saturday, followed by the reverse singles on Sunday.
“The Israeli team has been around for a while, so we know them very well,” Swedish team captain Fredrik Rosengren stated. “Tonight we’re going to talk about how to beat them. The courts are fast but the conditions are fine.” He thanked for the hospitality and added that everything would be perfect here.
