The New Zealand Davis Cup player Michael Venus has beaten the fourth seed Guillame Rufin of France, in the first round at an ATP Challenger tennis tournamentat Samarkand in Uzbekistan.
Venus won 6-2 7-6 and will face a Lithuanian qualifier in the next round.
But Rubin Statham lost to Valery Rudnev of Russia in the first round 5-7 5-7 and he and Venus also lost narrowly in the doubles.
The Davis Cup captain and coach Marcel Vos is travelling with the players, as part of the preparation for the Asia/Oceania Group II final against Thailand, in that country, in mid-September.
