04/01/2024 15:57hs.
Although its format has changed many times in recent years, the Davis cup It remains one of the most important tournaments in the world of tennis. For this reason, it is not surprising that Guillermo Coria has summoned the best he had at his disposal to face Kazakhstan in the playoffs of the 2024 edition, which will be played between February 3 and 4 in Rosario.
This Thursday, the Magician announced the list of tennis players who will participate in the series, which included a player who did not participate in the last edition. The captain of the Argentine team chose Francisco Cerúndolo (No. 21), Sebastián Báez (No. 28), Tomás Etcheverry (No. 30), Máximo González (No. 13 in doubles) and Horacio Zeballos (No. 5 in doubles)the latter being called to be legally available for the next Olympic Games.
In the last edition, the 38-year-old doubles player decided not to participate in the Davis so he could focus on his professional career with his partner, the Spanish Marcel Granollers. However, by wanting to participate in the Paris Olympics, The player was forced to make his return because the regulations specify that players who do not represent their country in this competition in previous years They will not be able to be at the Olympic event.
“For this series we called Zeballos for two reasons. Firstly, because he needs to play a series to meet the organization’s requirement and be eligible for the Olympic Games. In this way, the three doubles players (the other is Molteni) will have the same chances of being in Paris. Beyond that, Horacio obviously deserves it because he is 5th in the world, he has been having incredible results, with a Masters final, and they know Machi a lot,” Coria explained in statements to the press team of the Argentine Tennis Association ( AAT).
The Argentine team for the Davis Cup playoffs. (AAT Press)
As for the singles, Coria did not give any surprises. The three summoned are the three best ranked tennis players currently and all have experience in the Davis Cup: Cerúndolo has a 2-2 record, Báez 2-3 and Etcheverry won the only duel he played.
The Argentine team must win this series to advance to the Davis Cup Finals that will be played in September, in which there will be four zones with four countries each. From there the eight qualifiers will emerge for the grand final in November, where the champion will be crowned.
This will be the third time that Argentina will face Kazakhstan in the Davis Cup. The record is tied, with one victory for the national team (5-0, 2011 quarterfinals) and another for the Asian team (3-2 in the playoffs of the 2017 edition).
Cerúndolo stumbled in the first game of the season
Francisco Cerúndolo started his season but couldn’t do it the way he would have wanted. This Thursday, The Argentine debuted in the round of 16 of the ATP Hong Kong against the Spanish Roberto Bautista Agut and left after falling 7-5, 6-3 in 1h48m.
Fran stumbled in Hong Kong. (AFP)
Unfortunately for the 21st ranked player in the world, the match never gave him second chances. He offered just two break chances and the Spaniard consummated both. In addition, the experienced European saved the four break points that Fran had in his favor.
Therefore, although the match was even and the Argentine was precise with his serve, which allowed him to generate six aces and win 71 and 50% of the points with his first and second serves, respectively, the story ended up being defined by details . Now, Fran must set his sights on Adelaide and the Australian Open.
2024-01-04 15:57:29
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