The 125 thousand dollar Kazakhstan President’s Cup is a professional tournament but which is close to another ATP tournament such as the Kremlin Cup and the Saint Petersburg Cup which are held in Russia. The 2009 President’s Cup final will see a breathtaking match involving the competition’s top players and a concert to be given by Swedish pop star Doctor Alban.

Adil Burlibayev, vice-president, Kazakhstan Tennis Federation
“We are trying to make people interested in the tournament. It should be more than a sporting event, it should be a festival.”

The beginning of Matchday 3 was suspended due to technical reasons as the tennis courts were affected by pouring rain. The defending President’s cup tennis player, Kazakhstan’s Andrei Golubev advanced to the third round through an easy 6-2, 6-1 victory. Today, Golubev played against Romanian Petru Alejandru Luncanu. Meanwhile, Mikhail Kukushkin defeated Canadian Pierre-Ludovic Duclot 6-4, 6-2. The final is scheduled to take place on Sunday. Next week will also see the start of the Hopaman Cup featuring 6 countries.

Adil Burlibayev, vice-president, Kazakhstan Tennis Federation
“Thailand will arrive at the tournament with the same line-up that won the tournament last year. The winners of this competition will get a wild-card of a direct qualification for the tournament which is held in January in Australia. It is going to be a different tournament featuring such tennis giants as Russia, the USA, France and Italy.”