Two is Better! In the second game of the Davis Cup intermediate round at Rothenbaum in Hamburg, the German doubles provided the decisive point for the second time. With their competitive and dramatic 4: 6, 6: 2, 7: 6 (7: 5) win over Sander Gille/Joran Vliegen, Kevin Krawietz and Tim Pütz not only made the 2:1 Bibber-Zitter victory against Belgium perfect , but also the early qualification for the final tournament of the eight best teams in Malaga at the end of November. The weather can only be better there than at the “Rain Tree” …
At 9.52 p.m. there was finally the liberating cheering, the loud final act of a memorable tennis day. Late at night there were a maximum of 1500 spectators in the stadium, but they created a good atmosphere and celebrated the German duo, who had already guaranteed victory in the 2-1 win against France two days earlier.
Davis Cup in Hamburg: Germany beats Belgium
The final minutes – highly dramatic. In the tiebreak, the favorites Krawietz and Pütz were already 2:5 behind and looked like the sure losers, but with a furious race to catch up and five points in a row, they turned the hot match and let the stadium boil.
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The injured Alexander Zverev celebrated exuberantly. Euphoric but also very relieved, Oscar Otte cheered the 2:17 hour double thriller with a happy ending. The 29-year-old had already had the win and overall success against Belgium in the second singles against David Goffin, but missed two match points in the second set and finally lost 6: 3, 6: 7 (7: 9), 3: 6 . “The defeat runs deep,” confessed Otte. “It’s extremely annoying.”
In the opening singles, Jan-Lennard Struff put the German team in the lead. The number 132 in the world rankings struggled against Zizou Bergs to a 6: 4, 7: 6 (11: 9) victory, fended off five set points in the second round and used his third match point in the tie-break. “It was a very tough match,” said Struff and took a deep breath. “A drama at the end. The tiebreak was insane. It feels good to have won.”
Struff wins against Bergs, Otte loses to Goffin
The disgusting external conditions – constant rain on the roof, gusty winds that caused tension in the stands and shivering cold – had an impact on the game, according to Struff. “It was a bit colder and a bit slower.”
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The rainy weather and temperatures around 11 degrees ensured that there were only a maximum of 2000 spectators in the stadium. No weather that lures spontaneous people to the box office. However, those who were there got a lot on offer – and had fun.
On Sunday, Germany will meet the Australians, who have also already qualified for Malaga (November 22nd to 27th).
