Finland lost the tennis Davis Cup semi-final played in Málaga to Australia in two straight games on Friday.
Emil Ruusuvuore’s defeat meant the end of the tournament in Finland. FINLAND TENNIS ASSOCIATION, Joonas Ojala
Recovered from a shoulder injury Emil Ruusuvuori suffered a loss to Alex de Minaur, 4–6, 3–6. The semi-final ended when Otto Virtanen had experienced the same fate in the first match of the evening. Alexei Popyrin took the match to Australia 7–6, 6–2. Doubles was no longer needed.
– The proposal came from Australia. We probably would have played it because there were so many Finnish fans there. Fortunately, we saw two decent singles, team captain Jarkko Nieminen told.
Despite the loss, the Finnish team went to thank their supporters.
– At first I felt empty, but then I got the feeling that we want to thank the Finns for their great encouragement. Starting with the Maamme song, it felt like we were playing on our home field, Nieminen said in the crowd of the Martín Carpena sports hall.
Finland’s captain Jarkko Nieminen sent his thanks to the spectators. FINLAND TENNIS ASSOCIATION, Joonas Ojala
According to Nieminen, after such a loss, you have to look at the big picture.
– Finnish tennis moved forward. Hopefully it will bring more enthusiasts to the sport.
After the introduction of the players, the Finnish Davis Cup team has brought a No war sign onto the court.
– We put it into use right after Russia attacked Ukraine. The war is still going on, and we are not going to forget the people who live there, Nieminen stated.
Ruusuvuori is going on vacation to Spain
The Finnish team has carried the No War sign in the Davis Cup this season. FINLAND TENNIS ASSOCIATION, Joonas Ojala
Rosuvuori said that the shoulder is fine, but it still lacks strength because the preparation was insufficient.
– Minaur was really good. I was able to challenge him from time to time, but the level of my game varied too much during the match, Ruusuvuori stated.
The Finnish team made the decision about Ruusuvuori’s participation in the semi-final only on Friday.
– It was a big deal that I got to play here. The Davis Cup tour has been a great experience. I still remember every trip and match.
Rusuvuori will take a well-deserved vacation in Spain.
– Back to Finland for Christmas.
Otto Virtanen admitted after the match that he couldn’t muster himself for the second round.
– It is possible that the match would have ended differently if I had managed to win the first set. Popyrin was able to play freely. For me, the match started as if from the beginning, Virtanen reflected.
Virtanes was offered the opportunity to take the first set, but he lost his set point, and Popyrin leveled the situation at 6–6. In the tie-break, Popyrin managed to break Virtanen’s pass twice, while Virtanen succeeded in breaking the pass only once.
– He passed accurately and I didn’t really know where the ball was going. The set win was one break away. I don’t think I pitched as well as I did against Canada on Tuesday.
Popyrin praised Virta
In the first set, according to the statistics, Virtanen led in many areas, but in the second set it seemed that there was a different personality on the field.
– I didn’t manage to find my own game. My hits weren’t as clean, so I didn’t manage to create the same pressure on him, Virtanen analyzed the second set.
Virtanen’s opponent, Popyrin, said that he was nervous when he entered the field.
– I had to calm myself down when I heard the Finns sing their national anthem. In the first set, Otto served well and played aggressively. He can challenge anyone with that game – or at least get into the top 100 on the ATP list, Popyrin praised.
Virtanen’s current ranking on the ATP list is 171. For comparison, Popyrin is ranked 40.