Davis Cup in Nis: Kecmanovic vs Butvilas Saturday

Dragoslav Pavlovic, the mayor of Nis, laughed at his own nerves while drawing balls at the Davis Cup lots ceremony. He admitted he was afraid he had mixed up a pair, but there was no mistake: on Friday, September 18, the city finally locked in the full schedule for the tie between Serbia and Lithuania, and now everyone knows exactly who takes the court and when.

According to the portal Glas juga, the draw itself was held at Cair Hall, even though earlier preview articles had named Nis City Hall at noon as the venue. Wherever the balls were actually drawn, the result is the same: Serbia and Lithuania are playing in Davis Cup World Group I, with the winner advancing to the 2027 Finals qualifiers and the loser dropping into the World Group I playoffs.

The schedule now looks like this:

• Saturday, September 19, 2pm: Miomir Kecmanovic vs Edas Butvilas
• right after: Hamad Medjedovic vs Vilius Gaubas
• Sunday, September 20, from 1pm: doubles, Kecmanovic and Stefan Latinovic vs Justas Trainauskas and Pijus Vaitiekunas
• after the doubles: Kecmanovic vs Gaubas, then Medjedovic vs Butvilas

If either team leads 3-1 or 4-0 after the first four matches, the fifth match is not played, meaning the tie could be settled before the final singles match is even on court.

Serbia’s squad in Nis is led by Kecmanovic, Medjedovic, Ognjen Milic, Branko Djuric and Latinovic, with Viktor Troicki as captain. Novak Djokovic, as we reported earlier this week, is not playing this tie. For Latinovic, this marks his first Davis Cup appearance, even though he was part of the wider squad in Nis last year without a place in the lineup.

Troicki takes a realistic view of the opponent ahead of the tie, but trusts his two top players.

Lithuania is a young and talented team, they have two promising players, but I believe in our team, because both Miomir and Hamad are more skilled and better than their opponents, team captain Viktor Troicki said at the draw in Nis.

Kecmanovic, who opens the entire tie on Saturday, admits the focus cannot slip for a single moment.

We’ve seen all kinds of upsets in the Davis Cup. It’s on me and Hamad to go out there fully focused and prove our quality on court, turning it into a win, Kecmanovic said.

Mayor Pavlovic is again counting on something Nis has had for years: a full, loud arena.

The Nis crowd has always been at an exceptional level. When Nis cheers, our national teams win, Pavlovic said at the draw in Nis.

Cair Hall has become one of the favorite stages of Serbian tennis in recent years, and organizers expect full stands again this weekend. A day ticket costs 500 dinars, sold through Tickets.rs and all of its sales points.

Lithuania’s biggest threat is Vilius Gaubas, currently ranked 119th in the world and, according to what the Serbian players said at the draw, the most promising member of the visiting team. Hamad Medjedovic, the only member of the current squad to have already faced Lithuanian players on Tour, says he isn’t underestimating his opponent on any surface.

He’s a lot better on clay, but he also plays very well on hard courts. It will be a demanding match, but we have to give our best, Medjedovic said.

There’s no room for easing up or counting matches in advance. Serbia arrives in Nis as the favorite on paper, but the Davis Cup is a competition where paper rarely means much once the first game is underway. The first serve goes up on Saturday at exactly 2pm at Cair Hall, and a day later, at 1pm, the doubles match could decide the entire tie before the last singles match is even played.