Shortly before midnight on Tuesday in Madrid’s La Caja Magica, Rafael Nadal punched the air as chants of “Rafa, Rafa” echoed around the arena and the Davis Cup finals burst into life.
After generally disappointing attendances so far at the glitzy new version of the 119-year-old competition, a sellout crowd at the cavernous 12,500-seat stadium roared the world No. 1 to a 6-3, 7-6 (9/7) win over Russia’s Karen Khachanov.
While the reaction to Nadal’s victory sounded like Spain had won the old trophy for a sixth time, it actually just leveled the Group B tie at 1-1.
Photo: AFP
The victory would come shortly before 2am, when veteran duo Feliciano Lopez and Marcel Granollers beat Khachanov and Andrey Rublev 6-4, 7-6 to clinch a 2-1 win.
With Russia beating defending champions Croatia 3-0 on Monday, there was some anxiety on the Spain bench when Rublev surged back to defeat Wimbledon semi-finalist Roberto Bautista Agut 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/0) and put them ahead.
That left 33-year-old Nadal with no margin for error against dangerous world No. 17 Khachanov, but if ever there is a man for a crisis, it is Nadal.
He had won his past 24 Davis Cup singles rubbers since losing on his debut in 2004 and was not about to stop now — not on home soil with his country depending on him.
Khachanov stretched him to the breaking point at times, especially in the second set, but the 19-time Grand Slam champion fought off a set point before claiming victory.
Afterward, he said that the new format, with ties consisting of three rubbers rather than the traditional five, made things dangerous for the favorite nations.
“The format makes things very difficult, because every mistake puts you in a position that you don’t want to be,” Nadal told reporters, anxiously peering at the TV to keep track of his compatriots playing doubles.
Canada’s tennis resurgence continued as they became the first nation through to the last eight after beating the US for the first time in 16 attempts.
Vasek Pospisil, ranked 150th in the world, edged youngster Reilly Opelka 7-6 (7/5) 7-6 (9/7) before Denis Shapovalov beat Taylor Fritz.
Canada’s second 2-1 win, having beaten Italy on Monday, sealed top spot in Group F.
“Right now, Canada is really in the best place it’s been in tennis history,” Pospisil said.
Canada could face Australia in the last eight after Nick Kyrgios returned from a two-month layoff to put his team on their way to a 3-0 win over Colombia in Group D.
Australia were yesterday to face Belgium in a group decider.
Top seeds France had a close shave as they beat Japan 2-1 — Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert winning the decisive doubles match 6-7 (7/4), 6-4, 7-5 against Ben McLachlan and Yasutaka Uchiyama.
However, there were no French fans there to watch it.
The Les Bleus supporters’ club has boycotted the event in protest at radical changes that have largely replaced the 10-month-long home-and-away knockout format with an 18-nation season-ender in a single city, played over seven hectic days.
“Actually, it was pretty special, because it was the first time I hear myself singing La Marseillaise,” Herbert said jokingly.
Argentina beat Chile 3-0 in Group C, while Kazakhstan edged the Netherlands 2-1 in Group E.
The six group winners and two best-placed runners-up progress to the quarter-finals.
‘DREAM’: The 5-0 victory was PSG’s first Champions League title, and the biggest final win by any team in the 70-year history of the top-flight European competition Paris Saint-Germain won the Champions League for the first time as Luis Enrique’s brilliant young side outclassed Inter on Saturday in the most one-sided final ever with teenager Desire Doue scoring twice in an astonishing 5-0 victory. Doue supplied the pass for Achraf Hakimi to give PSG an early lead and the 19-year-old went from provider to finisher as his deflected shot doubled the advantage in the 20th minute. Doue scored again just after the hour mark, ending any doubt about the outcome before Khvicha Kvaratskhelia ran away to get the fourth and substitute Senny Mayulu, another teenager, made it five. Inter were
FRUSTRATION: Alcaraz made several unforced errors over four sets against Bosnian Damir Dzumhur, who had never made it past the third round in a major competition Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz reached the fourth round of the French Open after laboring past Damir Dzumhur 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in the Friday night session. The second-seeded Spaniard had never before played Dzumhur, a 33-year-old Bosnian who had never been past the third round at any major tournament. “I suffered quite a lot today,” Alcaraz said. “The first two sets was under control, then he started to play more deeply and more aggressively. It was really difficult for me.” Dzumhur hurt his left knee in a fall in the second round, and had treatment on Friday on his right leg during the
The horn sounded on Wednesday night to signal a third straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final, as the Florida Panthers celebrated merely by hopping over the boards and several heading over to congratulate goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. It was a subdued celebration seemingly more befitting a regular-season win for the reigning Cup champs. “I remember a few years ago, it felt like such an accomplishment from where we were at one point,” forward Matthew Tkachuk said, adding: “It’s all business and we’ve got a bigger goal in mind.” The Panthers closed out the Carolina Hurricanes in five games, with a 5-3 victory in
STRONG CONNECTION: Although she has considered switching nationalities, Garland said that if it was not for Taiwan’s support throughout her career, she would not be in Paris British-Taiwanese player Joanna Garland on Tuesday became the first Taiwanese to clinch a victory in a main singles draw of the French Open since 2020 after she outlasted the US’ Katie Volynets in Paris. The world No. 175, Taiwan’s highest-ranked female player in singles, said she would rely on her self-belief as she prepares for her second-round match at the French Open after overcoming a serious injury to qualify for a maiden Grand Slam appearance. After navigating her way through the qualifiers last week, Garland secured her first win at the main draw of a Grand Slam by battling past world No.
RSS