Melios Efstathiou put up a huge fight against Oleksii Krutykh in a match lasting 2 hours and 30 minutes, one decided quite literally in the finer details.
Efstathiou found himself down a set, but did not give up. Showing a remarkable response and real fighting spirit, he turned the match around, dominated the second set and took it 6-1, levelling the contest.
He came out strong in the third set too, racing to a 2-0 lead, showing he was determined to complete the turnaround. The Ukrainian responded immediately, however, levelling at 2-2.
From there until 4-4, both players held serve, keeping the match wide open.
In the end, the only break of the entire third set came in the 10th game, this time against Cyprus. Krutykh made it 5-4 and then closed out the set 6-4, taking the match 2-1.
Efstathiou fought to the very last point. He overturned a difficult start, levelled the match, and came within a whisker of completing a major comeback.
The defeat came down to fine margins, but Efstathiou's effort, fighting spirit and response deserve special mention.
After day one, Ukraine leads 2-0.
The tie continues tomorrow, with the doubles opening the schedule.
