![\"Isaac](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/382be2_fc9efcb3a6f44027a8c567e05ac89bcc~mv2.jpg\")
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Isaac Becroft, Jack Loutit, Artem Sitak (Captain), James Watt, Ajeet Rai and Finn Reynolds after the New Zealand Davis Cup win against Georgia in September PHOTO: TENNIS NZ<\/p>\n
A first for\u00a0Whang\u0101rei with New Zealand to host Bosnia & Herzegovina in a Davis Cup World Group I tie at McKay Stadium in Kensington 7-8 February 2026.<\/p>\n
The fixture follows New Zealand\u2019s recent victory over Georgia in Palmerston North in September, a result that secured promotion to World Group I. .<\/p>\n
Davis Cup is one of the world\u2019s oldest international sporting events and sees the best men\u2019s teams from more than 150 nations compete each year.<\/p>\n
Bosnia & Herzegovina could bring a competitive squad, led by world No. 57 Damir D\u017eumhur and Nerman Fati\u0107, currently ranked No. 212. New Zealand Davis Cup Captain Artem Sitak says the team is preparing thoroughly for the challenge.<\/p>\n
\u201cBosnia & Herzegovina have a strong team, so we expect a high standard of tennis across both days. Our players understand what is required at this level, and we will approach the tie with lots of good preparation and a clear focus on the task,\u201d said Sitak.<\/p>\n
The fixture is a big moment for Whang\u0101rei District Council, who see the value the event brings to the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re thrilled to welcome world-class tennis to Whang\u0101rei,\u201d says Council Community Services Group General Manager Victoria Harwood. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis event is an incredible opportunity to showcase Whang\u0101rei as an international host city, attract visitors, and inspire our young sportspeople. Our community can also look forward to activities that connect and engage locals, including school visits and a ball-kid programme.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMcKay Stadium will be transformed into a premier international tennis venue for the occasion, featuring tiered seating and a portable indoor court, with matches streamed to audiences around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tennis Northland\u2019s General Manager Brittany White echoed these sentiments, \u201cWe\u2019re excited to bring the Davis Cup to Whang\u0101rei. It\u2019s a huge opportunity for tennis in Northland, inspiring more people to get involved and helping grow the sport across the region,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
In addition to Tennis Northland, Sport Northland is providing significant support for the event through their management of McKay Stadium. Bringing Davis Cup tennis to Whang\u0101rei for the first time aligns well with objectives around connected partnerships with sporting codes and diversified use of venues.<\/p>\n
The New Zealand team will be named closer to the event and will feature players competing across the ATP Tour, the World Tennis Tour, and US collegiate programmes.<\/p>\n
The two-day format will feature two singles rubbers on day one, followed by doubles and reverse singles on day two.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Isaac Becroft, Jack Loutit, Artem Sitak (Captain), James Watt, Ajeet Rai and Finn Reynolds after the New Zealand…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":319781,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[442],"tags":[49,48,82,593],"class_list":["post-319780","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tennis","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-sports","tag-tennis"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/319780","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=319780"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/319780\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/319781"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=319780"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=319780"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=319780"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}