The third day of Davis Cup Europe Group III action in Chișinău was played under extremely challenging weather conditions. Heavy rain and thunderstorms swept across the National Tennis Center throughout the day, causing significant disruption to the schedule. Following the opening matches, play was suspended at approximately 11:00 a.m. and did not resume until around 5:00 p.m.
Despite the lengthy interruption, the organizers managed to complete virtually the entire day’s schedule.
Having already secured first place in Group B the day before, Team Moldova faced Kosovo in its final group-stage tie.
Snitari Delivers the Opening Point
Ilya Snitari
Doni Gashi
The tie began with Ilya Snitari taking on Doni Gashi.
The Moldovan player controlled the match from the very beginning and never allowed his opponent to establish any momentum. Solid baseline play and a low number of unforced errors helped Snitari secure a comfortable 6-3, 6-0 victory.
Moldova moved ahead 1-0.
Albot Confirms His Leadership
Radu Albot
Jasin Jakupi
In the second singles match, Radu Albot faced Jasin Jakupi.
The Moldovan No. 1 dominated the encounter and gave his opponent virtually no opportunities. Albot remained in complete control throughout the match and recorded an emphatic 6-3, 6-0 victory.
The result gave Moldova an unassailable 2-0 lead and secured the tie before the doubles match was required.
Rain Tests the Tournament
The weather became the major storyline of the day. Following the opening matches, play was suspended for nearly six hours.
Players were forced to leave the courts and wait for conditions to improve. Fortunately, the infrastructure of the National Tennis Center allowed participants to remain comfortable during the delay. The official tournament hotel is located only a few minutes’ walk from the courts, while players also have access to a restaurant, player lounge, fitness facilities, physiotherapy services and indoor courts for practice and warm-up.
Special credit must also be given to the tournament staff, who quickly covered the courts with protective sheets. The venue’s modern drainage system once again proved highly effective, allowing play to resume shortly after the rain had stopped.
Even such severe weather conditions could not prevent the organizers from completing the day’s program.
Group Stage Finished in First Place
As the outcome of the tie had already been decided after the two singles matches, the doubles match between Moldova and Kosovo was not played.
Team Moldova therefore completed the group stage with three victories from three ties.
On its way to first place in Group B, Andrei Chumac’s team defeated North Macedonia, Georgia and Kosovo, confirming its status as one of the tournament’s leading contenders for promotion.
Final Stage Participants Confirmed
In the other Group B tie, North Macedonia defeated Georgia 2-0 to secure second place.
Group A remained competitive until the final day. Latvia defeated Ireland 2-0 to finish first, while Montenegro secured second place with a 2-0 victory over Azerbaijan.
As a result, the four teams advancing to the decisive stage are:
🇲🇩 Moldova
🇱🇻 Latvia
🇲🇰 North Macedonia
🇲🇪 Montenegro
These teams will now compete for the three available promotion spots to Europe Group II in 2027.
Final Positions to Be Decided Tomorrow
Saturday will feature the decisive classification matches.
Group winners Moldova and Latvia will meet in the match for first place. Both teams have already secured promotion to Europe Group II and will compete at a higher level next season regardless of the result.
An equally important clash will see North Macedonia face Montenegro. The winner will claim the third and final promotion spot, while the losing team will remain in Group III.
After three days of competition, Team Moldova remains undefeated and has already achieved its primary objective of earning promotion to Europe Group II for the 2027 season.
The team led by Andrei Chumac now has the opportunity to finish the home tournament in first place and cap off one of the most successful weeks in Moldovan tennis history.
🇲🇩 Go Moldova!
Photos of the tournament are here.
