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.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
RSS