(Expands with the loss of Rafa Nadal according to the order of play)
MADRID, 5 (EUROPA PRESS)
Spain qualified this Friday for the semifinals of the ATP Cup that is being played in Melbourne (Australia) despite losing its second cross to Greece, before which it was enough a point, achieved by Pablo Carreño in the first game, and now it will look , still without Rafa Nadal, the final against Italy on a final day that left the elimination of Serbia, current champion.
After its extensive victory against Australia in the premiere last Tuesday, the ‘Armada’ only needed to secure a victory against the Greeks to be back in the penultimate round of the team competition and despite the new absence of Rafa Nadal, the tennis player Asturian fulfilled the predictions against Michail Pervolarakis.
The one from Gijón, who already left a solid image against Australian John Millman, gave no option to surprise against 462 in the world, which he beat in two sets 6-3, 6-4 and remove pressure from Roberto Bautista against Stefanos Tsitsipas, who ended the good streak of Castellón in the ATP Cup. Carreño and Marcel Granollers later withdrew from the insubstantial double against Markos Kalovelonis and Tsitsipas after the dispute in the first game.
Carreño started very strong and quickly broke down his rival to get a clear 5-0, losing only seven points. However, the Greek reacted from there and improved his performance on a track covered by the weather.
Pervolarakis made up the first set with three games in a row, but the Spanish did not hesitate and closed it in his second opportunity with his serve. In addition, he started the second set with a break to gain the advantage, although he found more resistance from his rival, who did not give more concessions with his serve. The one from Gijón either and that was enough to finish the game and give the ticket to the semifinals.
“I knew we needed this point. With this victory, we are in the semifinals, so it was very important for us. I tried to focus on myself, to try to play my best game. The beginning of the game I think was perfect and I played very well, but then he started to play better, to be aggressive and I tried to continue with my thing, “Carreño said after the victory.
Now without so much ‘pressure’, Roberto Bautista jumped onto the track to face the number one Hellenic and six in the world, Stefanos Tsitsipas, before whom he fell by a double 7-5, thus ending his winning streak in the ATP Cup that it stretched to seven wins in a row.
It was a hard-fought duel in which the Spaniard lacked some temper in the decisive measures of each set, especially the first one where, after barely losing five points with his serve, he conceded it when he was looking for ‘sudden death’ and losing the sleeve.
The one from Athens took advantage of this momentum to break early in the second, an advantage he maintained until he got 5-3 and served, and after the Spaniard saved three match points. The one from Castellón held on and with his first ‘break’ of the match equalized, but again lost the service when he tried to play his luck in the ‘tie-break’.
NADAL WILL NOT PLAY
This Saturday, Spain will seek to repeat last year’s final against Italy, the winner of Group C where they beat Austria (2-1) and France (2-1) and who compete with Marco Berrettini and Fabio Fognini in their singles.
According to the order of play revealed by the organization of the tournament, Rafa Nadal will not play due to the discomfort he has in the lower part of his back, so Carreño will open the tie against Fognini, whom he has won in his seven previous duels. Bautista will then play against Berrettini, who dominates him 3-1 and who is playing at a good level as shown by his victory against Dominic Thiem.
The other semifinal will be played by Germany and Russia. The German team eliminated in Group A the Serbia of Novak Djokovic, current champion and where ‘Nole’ traced Alexander Zverev (6-7, 6-2, 7-5) to decide a double where Hamburg and Jan -Lennard Struff could with the number one in the world and Nicola Cacic (7-6, 5-7, 10-7). For their part, Russians Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev dominated Group D with 2-1 wins over Argentina and Japan.
