World No. 1 Rafael Nadal helped Spain pull even against Russia on Tuesday at the Davis Cup Finals in Madrid before countrymen Marcel Granollers and Feliciano Lopez teamed up to clinch the Group B round-robin win in the decisive doubles match.
Davis Cup Finals 2019 Result
The world No.1 defeated Russia’s Karen Khachanov by 6-3, 7-6 (9-7) to level the series.
On the other hand, Granollers and Lopez defeated recent Rolex Paris Masters runners-up Khachanov and Andrey Rublev 6-4, 7-6(5) to clinch a 2-1 win for Spain in a marathon series that ended close to 2 a.m. local time (0100 GMT) on Wednesday.
López said, “It was a difficult situation for us. We needed this win, otherwise, we could be close to being out of the tournament. Now we are in a good position to advance.”
Rafael Nadal sparks Spanish Comeback
In the revamped Davis Cup format debuting this year, teams play only two singles and one doubles in each tie, with the group winners advancing to the knockout stage along with the two best second-place finishers in the six groups.
Nadal said, “The format makes things very difficult because every mistake puts you in a position that you don’t want to be. And losing that first match, we were under pressure.”
He further added, “The atmosphere has been amazing. The only negative thing, in my opinion, is we are just starting the last match at 1 am. That makes big trouble for us, for the players and the people who come to the stadium because tomorrow is a workday.”
Canada enters quarter-finals
Spain can reach the quarter-finals on Wednesday by beating Croatia, who axed captain Zeljko Krajan two days before their opening tie and will be without injured talisman Marin Cilic.
Interestingly, Canada’s tennis resurgence continued as they became the first nation through to the last eight after beating the United States for the first time in 16 attempts.
Vasek Pospisil who is ranked 150th in the world, edged youngster Reilly Opelka 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (9-7) before Denis Shapovalov beat Taylor Fritz. The Canadians’ second 2-1 win by beating Italy on Monday, sealed top spot in Group F. He said, “Right now, Canada is really in the best place it’s been in tennis history.”
