Turkmen tennis players have advanced to the quarterfinals at the ITF Masters World Team Championships, which is being held in Manavgat, Turkiye, the third-largest city in the province of Antalya. This achievement was made in the 30+ age category, where 12 teams are competing.
Turkmenistan is represented by the country's top player Yuriy Rogusskiy, Gurbanberdi Gurbanberdiyev, the bronze medalist of the 2024 Turkmenistan Cup, and former top players Aleksandr Ernepesov and Eziz Dovletov. The latter two were part of the national team that won the Davis Cup in the IV group of the Asia-Oceania zone in 2013. Mirali Gasanov, the head coach of the men's national team and the Ashgabat Tennis Academy, serves as the team captain. He is the only person in Turkmenistan to hold a PRO Level certificate, which allows him to work with professional players in any country in the world.
In the initial stage, participants were randomly divided into four groups, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the quarterfinals.
In the first match of Group "B," Turkmenistan lost to the strong British team 0:3. The British team later defeated Canada 3:0 and was the first to advance to the quarterfinals. The second spot was determined in a match between Turkmenistan and Canada, which was challenging for both teams.
In the first singles match, Aleksandr Ernepesov won against Jabrille Kabli 7:5, 6:3, putting Turkmenistan ahead 1:0. In the second match, Canada tied the score 1:1 after Nicolas Vincent defeated Yuriy Rogusskiy 7:6, 6:2. Thus, the winner had to be determined in the doubles match, where A. Ernepesov and Yu. Rogusskiy won a tiebreaker against J. Kabli and N. Vincent 6:4, 7:6(4).
Turkmenistan's team is participating in the prestigious ITF Masters World Team Championships for the first time, and it is very pleasing that they have reached the top eight teams in the world on their first attempt, marking a significant achievement in Turkmen tennis history.
Results from other groups include: Group "A" – Germany vs. Argentina 1:2, Germany vs. Portugal 2:1, Argentina vs. Portugal 3:0; Group "C" – USA vs. India 1:2, USA vs. South Africa 3:0, India vs. South Africa 3:0; Group "D" – Turkiye vs. Ireland 2:1, Turkiye vs. Sweden 2:1, Ireland vs. Sweden 0:3.
In the quarterfinals, the Turkmen tennis players will face opponents from India. Other matches for a spot in the semifinals include Argentina vs. Sweden, Germany vs. Turkiye, and the USA vs. the UK.
