20 hours ago
Davis Cup Tennis Returns To Palmerston North This September
New Zealand's best mens tennis players will return to Palmerston North this September to take on Georgia in the Davis Cup.
The World Group II clash taking place on 13-14 September, will mark the second time in a row Fly Palmy Arena will host the World Cup of Tennis, following a sellout weekend last year where New Zealand suffered a narrow defeat to Luxembourg.
Despite the final result, the weekend delivered thrilling, high-quality tennis and a packed arena with an electric atmosphere, something Palmerston North Mayor Grant Smith hopes to see again.
'After the excitement of last year's event, we're proud to have the Davis Cup back this September. Palmy sports fans are the best in the country and I know they'll back the Kiwi team home against Georgia,' Smith said.
The New Zealand team is yet to be announced, but Davis Cup captain Artem Sitak is expected to lead a squad full of exciting homegrown talent. Sitak, who made his non-playing captaincy debut in Palmerston North last year, brings years of international experience and a deep connection to the Davis Cup environment as a former player.
'We've got unfinished business in Palmy. Last year the atmosphere was incredible, and we were so close, but this year I know we'll give even more and get the right result for the Manawatū fans,' Sitak said.
Tennis NZ CEO Julie Paterson says the return of Davis Cup tennis to Palmerston North is a sign of growing regional enthusiasm for the sport.
'Last year the local support was incredible. The energy from the crowd made it a special weekend for the team, and we're thrilled to be coming back to Palmerston North. Our team is determined to pick up the win this time around, ' Paterson said.
The matchup with Georgia marks a fresh chapter in the Davis Cup history books, with the teams never having faced each other previously.
Georgia has a strong squad of international players at their disposal. Nikoloz Basilashvili, currently ranked 128 in the world, has been as high as 16 before. However he has not played for the Georgian Davis Cup team since 2021. Other top Georgians include Saba Purtseladze (ranked 253) and Aleksandre Bakshi (ranked 554).
The New Zealand squad will be named in August, and will be drawn from players competing across the ATP, the World Tennis Tour professional circuit, and US collegiate tennis.
Day one features two singles matches, day two features the doubles match and reverse singles matches. Tickets are now on sale via
