The German tennis pros reached the final tournament of the Davis Cup in November in Malaga early in Hamburg, even without the injured Alexander Zverev. The hosts also won their second intermediate round match 2-1 against Belgium.
Kevin Krawietz from Coburg and Frankfurt’s Tim Pütz scored the decisive second point on Friday in doubles with 4: 6, 6: 2, 7: 6 (7: 5) against Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen. The German double caught up a 2:5 deficit in the tie-break in the third set. Around 2,000 spectators watched the match at Hamburg’s Rothenbaum.
“It was such a rollercoaster ride with all the matches. It was a difficult situation. We didn’t play at the highest level, but in the end what counts is that we won,” said Pütz. And Krawietz said: “I have no idea how we won that. The whole team always believed. That helps enormously when you’re pushed again and again.”
Just like on Wednesday against France, Jan-Lennard Struff from Warstein had given his team a 6-4, 7-5 (11-9) lead against Zizou Bergs. Oscar Otte from Cologne then lost to David Goffin 6:3, 6:7 (7:9), 3:6.
Fixtures and results Davis Cup in Hamburg
Tuesday: Belgium 0-3 Australia
Wednesday: France 1-2 Germany
Thursday: France 1-2 Australia
Friday: Germany 2-1 Belgium
Saturday: France – Belgium
Sunday: Germany – Australia
always from 2 p.m
In the last encounter on Sunday against the Australians, who have already qualified, it’s all about winning the group.
Struff has nerves of steel, not Otte
In the first single, both Struff and Bergs started nervously, in the first five games there were only breaks. The Warsteiner caught himself first and finally used his fourth set point. In the second round, Struff fended off a total of five set balls before the 32-year-old converted his third match ball to 6: 4, 7: 6 (11: 9) in the tie-break.
Otte got off to a good start and had the preliminary decision on the racket. However, he missed two match points in the tie-break of the second round and finally had to admit defeat to Goffin 6:3, 6:7 (7:9), 3:6. “The defeat is pretty deep and extremely annoying,” said Otte. Ultimately, however, he was able to celebrate with his teammates.
