Tim Puetz and Jan-Lennard Struff won a thrilling doubles clash yesterday to give Germany a 2-1 lead after the second day of their World Group Davis Cup tie against Australia in Brisbane.
The German duo silenced the big crowd at Pat Rafter Arena as they overcame John Peers and Matthew Ebden 6-4, 6-7 (1/7), 6-2, 6-7 (4/7), 6-4 in just over three-and-a-quarter hours.
The Germans made a late switch to their doubles team, bringing in Struff for Peter Gojowcyzk.
Photo: AFP
Struff played alongside Puetz in the World Group playoffs against Portugal last year, when they also won in five sets.
He also made the semi-finals of the Australian Open in doubles last month.
However, it was the lesser known Puetz who shone on a gloomy Brisbane afternoon.
The 30-year-old, who is ranked 140 in the world in doubles and 293 in singles, was the more solid of the German pairing, his beautifully disguised forehand constantly causing the Australians trouble.
“He’s in their team for a reason — they’re a world class team and we know to expect the best from them,” Ebden said.
German captain Michael Kohlmann said he had had a good feeling about the match once he knew Australia had not decided to bring Nick Kyrgios in for Ebden.
“In my mind they [Peers and Ebden] hadn’t played together before, or not a lot, and I knew my guys know each other pretty well,” he said. “In Davis Cup it’s not only about the tennis, it’s also about how you put your emotions together, how you connect.”
“And in this I had a feeling that my guys would connect better together,” Kohlmann said.
The tie will now hinge on today’s first reverse singles between Kyrgios and world No. 5 Alexander Zverev.
“We are in a good position, 2-1 up, but we know it’s not all over,” Kohlmann said. “I think that if Nick, is on, if he’s feeling it, he’s tough to play for everyone, not just Sascha [Zverev].”
“If he’s serving like he did on Friday [when he blasted 21 aces past Struff] he’s a tough opponent for everyone. I guess that Nick is not orthodox, not a rhythm player. That makes it difficult for Sascha,” Kohlmann said. “But tomorrow is a different circumstance — Sascha doesn’t have the pressure to deliver at 1-2.”
“Being 2-1 up might change the mental game and the mental game right now is pretty big,” he added.
If Kyrgios can level the tie, the decider will likely be between Struff, the world No. 58, and 18-year-old Alex de Minaur, ranked 81 places below the German.
De Minaur pushed Zverev for almost four hours in Friday’s first singles match, but Australian captain Lleyton Hewitt said he had no intention of replacing him with Brisbane’s John Millman, who always plays well on his home court.
“We’re a long way from beaten,” Hewitt said. “Tomorrow’s going to be a big day, but the boys are looking forward to it.”
Meanwhile, Hurgry’s Timea Babos beat China’s Yafan Wang 6-3, 6-4 at the WTA International, Taiwan Open Women’s Singles semi-final yesterday, while Ukrainian Kateryna Kozlova beat Germany’s Sabine Lisicki 7-5, 6-4.
Omar Marmoush’s stunning long-range strike on Tuesday upstaged Kevin de Bruyne on the Manchester City great’s Etihad farewell. Marmoush let fly from about 30m to put City ahead in their 3-1 win against AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League. The victory moved Pep Guardiola’s team up to third in the standings and left qualification for the UEFA Champions League in their own hands heading into the last round of the season. “It’s really important. To be in the Champions League after what happened [this season] will be really nice,” the City manager said. De Bruyne was making his final home appearance for City before
TIGHT FINISH: Napoli only needed to do the same as or better than Inter, who won their game against Como 2-0 on the same day, leaving Napoli with a one-point lead The two players who Antonio Conte wanted more than any others secured Napoli their second Serie A title in three years on Friday. Scott McTominay scored with an acrobatic bicycle kick before halftime and Romelu Lukaku doubled the lead with a solo goal after the break in the decisive 2-0 home win over Cagliari. Conte became the first coach to win the Italian championship with three different teams. “Everyone contributed to this — but the coach most of all,” Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo said. “Napoli needed him to get back on top. He’s phenomenal.” Comparing it to his three Serie A titles won
The journey of Taiwan’s badminton mixed doubles duo Ye Hong-wei and Nicole Chan at the Malaysia Masters in Kuala Lumpur came to an end in the semi-finals yesterday after they suffered a 2-0 loss to China’s Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping. Ye, 25, and Chan, 20, teamed up last year and are currently ranked No. 23 in the world. The Taiwanese shuttlers took on China’s second seeds in the mixed doubles event, but proved no match for Feng and Huang, losing the match 10-21, 7-21. In the first half of the first game, the pairings were neck and neck at 6-7 until Ye
SSC Napoli coach Antonio Conte has dragged the team back from disaster and restored them to the top of Italian Serie A, but his future at the Scudetto winners is in doubt even after a triumphant season. The fiery 55-year-old has exceeded preseason expectations and bolstered his reputation as a serial winner by guiding Napoli to their fourth Scudetto, and second in three seasons. However, he might well be on his way in the summer after just one season at the helm as his charged relationship with Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis has simmered throughout the campaign. Conte has said
RSS