Final in BolognaStruff loses: a false start for the German Davis Cup team
Jan-Lennard Struff lost his opening match in Bologna.
Luca Bruno/AP/dpa
The tennis players around Alexander Zverev wanted to achieve Germany’s first win in the team competition since 1993. However, in the quarter-finals, the DTB selection trailed 0-1. Zverev is under pressure.
Jan-Lennard Struff missed Germany’s lead in the quarter-final duel with Argentina in the Davis Cup final. The 35-year-old player from Warstein was narrowly defeated by Tomás Martín Etcheverry 6:7 (3:7), 6:7 (7:9) in the opening match.
Zverev is now under pressure
Alexander Zverev must win his next match against Francisco Cerundolo for the German team to still have a chance to reach the semifinals. In the event of a 1:1 result after both singles, doubles will decide whether to advance in best-of-three mode. Germany has been waiting for victory in the prestigious team competition for 32 years.
Struff started well in Hall 37 at the BolognaFiere exhibition centre, which has been converted into a tennis stadium, and managed a break in the first game. But Etcheverry bounced back – buoyed by the Argentinian fans – and had more courage in the two tiebreaks. For Struff, a frequent Davis Cup starter, it was his eleventh defeat in his 27th individual match in the competition.
Spain wins against the Czech Republic
Possible semifinal, Germany will meet the Spanish team on Saturday. The Iberians beat the Czech Republic 2-1 even without world number one Carlos Alcaraz, who had to cancel his start in Bologna at short notice due to a thigh problem.
Defending champions Italy had previously qualified for the semifinals thanks to a 2-0 win against Austria and Belgium thanks to a 2-0 win against France. Italy and Belgium will determine the first finalists on Friday.
