Finland was crushingly superior against Portugal on the opening day of the World Cup qualifiers.
Otto Virtanen is fanning the victory of the opening match, and in Turkuhalli is playing Hunajata, hunajata! Jaakko Stenroos / AOP
- Finland’s number one player Emil Ruusuvuori gave Finland another victory on the opening day of the Davis Cup.
- The 24-year-old Ruusuvuori, who was in a phenomenal attack, beat up a man ten years older Joao Sousa nuri 6–2, 6–3.
- It was expected, when Ruusuvuuori’s ATP ranking is 55 and with Sousa, who is already in his prime, it has slipped to 245.
Friday’s big Finnish name was, however Otto Virtanen. Finland’s second-ranked player, ranked 166th in the world, dropped a real bombshell in the opening match when he knocked out Portugal’s number one bull, ranked 47th Nuno Borges 6–2, 6–1 by the breakdown.
With tape
Virtanen’s performance is put in the right light when you know his difficulties during the match. Last week, he had to end the challenger tour tournament in France with a forfeit loss due to a sprained ankle.
– It didn’t get to live much under the tape and didn’t really bother at all, Virtanen was happy after the victory.
However, it was up to the little one that the man could play at all.
– It was so close that I wouldn’t have played. Just confirmed last night. The tunings were improved, and then a good set was found. We did a lot of things right during the week to get to this situation.
According to Virtanen, the uncertain starting point was surprisingly mentally easy for him.
– When I was already a little prepared that I wouldn’t play, there was a feeling on the field that there was nothing to lose. More gas from game game, and we’ll see where it goes. Everything was positive and there was no pressure.
– I put speed on the ball and hit the corners. It felt good to play and that Borges was more uncomfortable on the court than I was.
Level for tour
Virtanen is known as a great national team player, but he has not been able to transfer the same energy to the challenger or ATP tours. His poor ATP ranking does not tell everything about the 22-year-old player’s abilities and potential.
– That’s a good question, Virtanen said, when a familiar topic came up at the press conference: how to bring Davis Cup level into individual matches.
– I try to do everything in the same way, but when you travel from one week to the next on a different continent and in different cities, that’s also a challenging point. These are cool moments when you get to play in front of the home crowd.
Ruusuvuori and the national team captain also answered the same question Jarkko Nieminen.
Emil Ruusuvuori enjoyed the encouragement of the record audience. Jaakko Stenroos / AOP
– All the ingredients are there, and I trust that little by little through experience it will start to be found, Ruusuvuori said about Virtanen’s ATP breakthrough.
– Consistency in all different conditions and against different opponents, Nieminen refused.
– The game on the worst day has to be improved, that’s clear. Usually, when you develop in training, in the long run it also comes to matches. Everyone can see what that guy is capable of at his best.
Audience record
On Friday, a new daily attendance record for Finnish tennis matches was set: 6,630. The record will not last long, as 7,500 tickets have already been sold in advance for Saturday.
– Yes, that encouragement, at least for me, brings an intensity that lasts the whole match – and I could clearly see from Otonki’s moves that it brought it to him as well. You can absorb energy from it, Ruusuvuori thanked the loud Suomi fans.
On Saturday, a doubles match will be played and, if necessary, two more singles matches.
The victory takes the world’s 16 best tennis countries to the final tournament of the World Cup, where Finland played for the first time last year, advancing sensationally all the way to the World Cup semi-finals.
TPS’s home hall, the Gatorade Center, is an excellent tennis arena. Jaakko Stenroos / AOP