Israeli tennis player Oliel secures historic victory over Ukraine in Davis Cup

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Yshai Oliel, Israel’s top-ranked tennis player secured a historic 3-1 victory for Israel against Ukraine in the Davis Cup World Group 1, which took place in Larnaca, Cyprus. This was Israel's first victory over Ukraine since 1999, having lost all three previous match-ups.

Oliel defeated Ukraine’s number 2 player Oleg Ovcharenko in an uphill battle game where the Ukrainian player won the first set 6-0. However, with a combination of skill and fighting spirit, Oliel succeeded in winning the two subsequent sets 6-4, 6-4. Meanwhile, Israel’s No. 2 player, Daniel Cukierman, defeated Ukraine’s top player, Vitaly Sachko with scores of 6-2 and 6-2.

The two single-match victories gave Israel the 2-0 lead. During Saturday’s doubles match, Ukrainian players Olekseii Krutykh and Ilya Beloborodko defeated Cukierman and rookie Roy Stepanov 7-5, 7-6. The Ukrainian double-match victory reduced Israel’s lead to 2-1.

In the fourth tennis match, Oliel was initially going to face Vitaliy Sachko. However, the Ukrainian player felt unwell and was replaced by Oleksii Kravetich. The dramatic game lasted more than two and a half hours. Oliel won the first set 6-2, however, the Ukrainian athlete had a comeback and won the second set, 6-3. In the third and decisive set, Kravetich missed a match point at 5-1. Oliel eventually succeeded in winning the dramatic final set 7-6 and secured Israel’s historic victory.

The State of Israel’s first victory over Ukraine in 24 years means that it now has an opportunity to qualify for the Davis Cup Finals in 2025, which includes the world’s 32 highest-ranked nations in tennis.

While not being ranked among the top countries, Israel has had some success in tennis over the years.

In September 2023, Israel advanced to the Davis Cup playoffs after a surprising 3-2 victory against Japan, which was the favored team in the match. Oliel also played a leading role in last year’s victory over Japan. In the fifth and final game, Oliel faced Japanese star tennis player Shintaro Mochizuki, who was ranked 193rd worldwide, compared to Oliel’s 470th ranking at the time.

The Japanese player won the first set 6-2. However, Oliel equalized the score by winning the tight second set 7-5. In the third and final set, Oliel decisively defeated his Japanese opponent 6-0 and secured Israel’s victory.

Earlier in September, Israeli tennis player Guy Sasson won a bronze medal at the Paris Paralympics after defeating the Turkish player Ahmet Kaplan. The Israeli player dedicated his victory to the families of the Israeli hostages held by the terrorist organization Hamas in Gaza.

“It was a match full of emotion and full of energy, and I imagine that it will set in soon that I’m an Olympic medalist,” Sasson said after his victory. “If I managed to make people watching at home a little happy, especially the families of the fallen and the hostages, if this hope and this joy can give them a small smile on their faces, then I think we’ve done our part,” he added.

Israel’s national tennis team has participated in the international Davis World Cup since 1949. While Israel has never won the entire exclusive tournament, its best results so far were in 2009, when the nation successfully advanced to the semifinals after defeating Sweden 3-2 in a dramatic encounter in the Swedish city of Malmö.