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Davis Cup|Spain, eliminated from the Davis Cup in Malaga at the first exchange

Spain moved on the wire in its debut in the Davis Cup in Malaga and ended up falling without a net against a Croatia that with a two to nil eliminated Sergi Bruguera’s men in their debut in the competition and met Australia in the semifinals of the Friday. The strength of Borna Coric ante Roberto Bautista in the first duel and the pressure that Pablo Carreño had against Marin Cilic they could with the Spanish, who say goodbye to Malagawhere they arrived with many doubts caused by the well-known absences of Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz.

In the decisive duel, Marin Cilic’s tremendous doubts with his serve led the match to a dramatic third set in which the Croatian ended up winning after coming back from a first set down. Despite the 15 double faults! of the Balkan player, his 20 direct kicks!! They allowed him to overcome Pablo Carreño (5-7, 6-3 and 7-6) who at times made the fans forget the absence of number 1 and number 2 in the world with memorable points that, in the end, were not enough.

The first game of the match was a reflection of what was at stake. It took Cilic up to 12 minutes to carry out a service plagued with errors (four double faults), in a dynamic that was repeated in the third game, which also solved it with difficulties against a Carreño psyched up on the capital importance of the match and who had already forced up to four break balls…

Cilic continued to fail, who with a bad drop gave up his serve and Spain took the lead with 3-2 and serve. Two good forehands gave the Croatian the option to break, and with another good return he managed to equalize at 3 as soon as he lost his serve.

followed the difficulties of the number 17 in the world with his servewho managed to defend with a good backhand volley into the net and another good serve that Carreño could not master, but the pitcher went to the source so much that the Asturian managed a new break, blank, thanks to another double fault from the Croatian ‘giant’the sixth.

The Spaniard, saving a break ball, maintained his serve, made it 7-5 on the scoreboard and raised the spirits of the fans even more, who wanted the decisive doubles.

Far from giving up, Marin Cilic continued in the match forcing a first break point after holding his serve and, with the same irregularity but effective with his forehand, he made it 2-1 at the start of the second set.

“Good”, Carreño recognized another right cross from his rival and boy was it. Cilic kept alternating winning points and with double faults that kept the number 13 in the world and the first Spanish racket in Davis always close in electronic.

However, again Cilic’s right cross and an inopportune double fault they gave the break to the Croatian, who this time was solid with his serve and put the 5-2 in his favor which gave him the advantage and, ultimately, the second set (3-6).

Cilic was with the arrow up at this point in the match, he achieved the break in the third game with a great parallel forehand, but the instability of the Croat’s serve and the help of the tape in a parallel hit allowed Carreño to put the ball back on. equality on the scoreboard and igniting Carpena even more, who exploded with madness when the Asturian saved a break point with a parallel backhand after the longest exchange of blows of the match. But not with those. Cilic achieved the break that, this time, he confirmed with his irregular service and made it 2-4.

But not everything was said yet. Pablo kept serving and accepted Cilic’s gift, another one, in the form of a double fault and a smooth second serve to which the Spaniard responded by putting the ball on the line. With an ace he closed his serve and added three consecutive games to tighten the situation even more.

In an ending not for the faint of heartCilic kept the 5-5, Pablo saved a 0-30, the Croatian did the same with his serve, stretching his almost two meters to rescue a ball that passed him and send the game to sudden death, in which an initial advantage de Carreño vanished, consummating the Spanish defeat that leaves him out of the Davis Cup in Malaga at the first exchange.

Bautista could not with Coric

The Davis Cup quarterfinal tie that is taking place this week in Malaga started in the worst possible way. Borna Coric exceeded Roberto Bautista in two sets (6-4 and 7-6) to give the first point and the advantage to his team on Wednesday afternoon.

The first set fell to the Croatian side after the first few games of equality, always with the feeling that, if it happened, the first break would fall in favor of Coric. He already had an option in the first Spanish serve and, with 3-3 on the scoreboard, the break finally came. After a long rally, two new break balls for the Croatian, to win the game after another intense duel from the bottom of the court that culminated with a volley from Bautista who went long. The afternoon began to go wrong for the tennis player from Castellón while the Croatian gained confidence. He closed with an ace the eighth game. Bautista took his service forward and, in the tenth game, a tremendous serve at 211km/h from Coric served him to set the first set point, which Bautista saved, brave, bringing Coric to the net and then volleying past him. The game turned into a balance, with another set point that the Spaniard saved, a break point that he could not finish and a subsequent shot at Bautista’s net that gave Coric a new set point that, this time, would convert.

The script didn’t change much at the beginning of the second moto. It reached 4-4 with Roberto Bautista giving everything to stay in the game and a solid, safe Coric, and without a hint of weakness with his serve. With a blank game at serve, the winner of this year’s Cincinnati Masters put the score at 5-5, which was close to a sudden death with more fear than illusion from the stands. Bautista secured the tie break with a scoreless game… Coric did the same and the match and the first point of the tie would be decided in the tie break. The Croatian took the lead thanks to a poorly touched backhand by Bautista, who could not get past Coric at the net or control his serve (14 direct aces in total at the end of the match) and precisely in this way, with a direct service, the The Croatian closed the set and the game, putting the Spanish team against the ropes at the first exchange.

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