BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) Mikhail Kukushkin beat Viktor Troicki 7-5, 6-2, 6-4 as Kazakhstan tied Serbia 1-1 after the first day of their Davis Cup first-round tie on Friday.
Kukuskhin, who dominated Troicki throughout the match, says his victory could pave the way for a surprise win against the 2010 champion.
Top-ranked Novak Djokovic won the first point for Serbia by defeating Aleksandr Nedovyesov 6-1, 6-2, 6-3.
Djokovic, who overcame eye infections to play then seemed bothered by a sore shoulder, faced only one break point - in the third set.
''I lost some of the momentum in the third set, but it was enough to win the match,'' Djokovic said.
Djokovic and Nenad Zimonjic are slated to play in Saturday's doubles against Andrey Golubev and Nedovyesov.