Kecmanovic and Latinovic Face Lithuania in Davis Cup Doubles

Miomir Kecmanovic had victory within reach in the third set of Saturday’s match against Edas Butvilas, and let it slip. The crowd at Cair Hall in Nis fell silent for a moment as the Lithuanian leveled at 5-5, before the more experienced Serbian did what is expected of a team’s top player: he took his second chance and put Serbia ahead against Lithuania.

Serving at 5-4 in the third set, Kecmanovic had a match point but failed to convert it. Butvilas, ranked No. 194 on the ATP list at the time, then leveled the score at 5-5. The Serb reached another match point and this time did not miss, closing it out 7-5 to give his team the first point of the World Group I tie. The final set scores read 7-5, 1-6, 7-5, after more than two hours of play.

In the second match of the opening day, Hamad Medjedovic faced no such trouble. He was in control from start to finish, beating Vilius Gaubas 6-4, 6-4, and giving Serbia a maximum possible 2-0 lead after the first day in Nis.

Serbia now needs just one more win to advance in a competition it has not reached the world’s top eight in since 2023. The winner of this tie stays in contention for a spot at the 2027 Davis Cup Finals.

Captain Viktor Troicki admitted after the first day that the Kecmanovic-Butvilas match gave him more nerves than he expected.

“The way it started, it ended up brilliantly. But joking aside, Keca also started brilliantly, then relaxed a bit, and in the end finished it off the way he should have. Hame played brilliantly, and I know he can always do better and more. I believe in him.”

That was how Troicki summed up a day in which one match proved far tougher than expected, while the other passed with almost no resistance.

The captain also commented on the stands at the Nis arena, which were not as full as the team had hoped. “The crowd disappointed me a bit in Nis. There weren’t as many people as we expected, and I hope everything improves tomorrow,” Troicki said.

Kecmanovic himself admitted after the match that Butvilas caused him more trouble than expected from a player ranked No. 194 on the ATP list.

“Experience pushed me toward the win. Butvilas was really inspired, he served brilliantly, and we simply didn’t expect him to hold that level of play for so long. But, I repeat, I’m very pleased because I gained experience from it.”

He also explained why he almost always plays the opening match for the national team.

“It’s not easy. I almost always play those opening matches. I try to bring in that difficult point, the first one, to relax the team, and since I’m the oldest, I’m glad I manage to bring everything to the right conclusion.”

Medjedovic was brief in his comments, though not in the impression he left on court. “I can’t remember feeling this good on court. I’d like to thank the captain and the team, because the preparations were phenomenal,” he said after his win over Gaubas.

The second day of the tie is played today, Sunday, September 20, opening with the doubles rubber at 1 PM in Cair. Serbia field Kecmanovic and Stefan Latinovic, while Lithuania send out Justas Trainauskas and Pijus Vaitiekunas. If Serbia take that point too, their progress is confirmed, since a 3-0 lead would be unreachable for Lithuania.

If the doubles match does not settle the tie, the reverse singles follow: Kecmanovic against Gaubas and Medjedovic against Butvilas. The fifth match is played only if the outcome is still undecided after four rubbers, meaning it won’t be needed if either side reaches 3-1 or 4-0. RTS 2 will broadcast the second day.

Ahead of the tie, we wrote about how Kecmanovic would take on Butvilas, and that story is now playing out just as we suspected, with Serbia one step from advancing. On Saturday, Kecmanovic once again showed his greatest value when a match starts to go wrong: a second match point rarely gets away from him. If Serbia settle the doubles today in Cair, progress to the next round will be sealed by early afternoon. If not, the test continues later the same day.