Spain’s Historic Comeback
In a thrilling display of resilience, Spain managed to overturn a 2-0 deficit against Denmark on Sunday, ultimately triumphing 3-2 to earn a spot in the Davis Cup Final 8. This win marked a historic comeback for the Spanish team, which was missing its star player, Carlos Alcaraz.
The match in Marbella saw Spain losing the first two rubbers, and even found itself trailing a set in the doubles match. However, Jaume Munar and Pedro Martinez rallied to defeat August Holmgren and Johannes Ingildsen with scores of 1-6, 6-3, 6-2, breathing life back into the Spanish campaign.
In a dramatic turn, Martinez faced a match point that could have sent Denmark through, but he clinched a hard-fought victory against Holger Rune, finishing with a scoreline of 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (3). This paved the way for Pablo Carreno Busta, who then secured the decisive win against Elmer Møller, concluding his match with a 6-2, 6-3 score and ensuring that Spain’s remarkable comeback was preserved.
Australia’s Struggle Against Belgium
Meanwhile, Australia’s quest for victory fell short in their match against Belgium, where they also found themselves battling back from 2-0 down. Alexander de Minaur attempted to force a final match after defeating Zizou Bergs 6-2, 7-5. This followed a tense doubles match that saw Rinky Hijikata and Jordan Thompson edge out Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen with a score of 6-7 (7), 6-3, 6-4.
However, Raphael Collignon, ranked 91st in the world, solidified Belgium’s win by defeating Aleksandar Vukic with a comeback of his own, 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-3.
US Defeated by Czechia
In related Davis Cup action, the United States faced defeat against Czechia on Saturday in Florida. After a tie score of 1-1 on the second day, the American duo of Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek managed to secure a narrow win in doubles against Tomas Machac and Jakub Mensik, finishing at 7-6 (6), 5-7, 6-4.
However, Jiri Lehecka evened the score with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 victory over the fifth-ranked Taylor Fritz. The Czechs ultimately sealed their win when Mensik cruised past Frances Tiafoe, winning decisively 6-1, 6-4.
Other Teams Progressing
In addition, teams from Argentina, Austria, and France also progressed to the finals in Bologna this weekend after securing victories against the Netherlands, Hungary, Croatia, and Japan, respectively. Meanwhile, defending champions Italy have confirmed their place in the final round set for November, having qualified as hosts.
