From the Editorial
La Jornada Newspaper
Sunday, February 4, 2024, p. a10
Rodrigo Pacheco saved the day for Mexico on the first day of activities in the Davis Cup series against a Denmark without Holger Rune. The man from the capital rescued a point for the hosts, after the defeat of Ernesto Escobedo in the first match of the day.
In his second participation as a national team, Pacheco, 18 years old, gave the surprise by beating August Holmgren, 292nd in the world, with sets of 7-6, 6-7 and 6-3 and equaling the series 1-1 .
The tennis player, who closed his youth cycle in first place in the ranking World Cup, gave the country a break in a qualifying round corresponding to the first round of the playoffs from World Group I.
Escobedo opened the series at the Hacienda San Javier Club, in Zapopan, Jalisco, and easily won the opening set; However, junior Elmer Moeller picked up the pace in the second set to end up winning with a double 6-2 in a duel lasting 2 hours and 20 minutes.
The constant distractions generated by the public took their toll on the Los Angeles native, who succumbed to a rival who grew as the minutes passed. Faced with repetitive failures, Moeller put pressure on Escobedo, managing to climb the scoreboard and seal the victory.
The tie will resume today. First it will be the turn of the doubles, where Mexico will have the presence of the experienced Miguel Ángel Reyes-Varela and Hans Hach, to later give entry again to the singles.
The winner of this series will keep alive their dream of reaching the World Group and their next match will be in the month of September. The Mexicans qualified for this round by beating China 3-1 last September.
The first thing you think about when talking about Denmark is Rune, I think he is the best player the Danes have ever had. It’s a shame that he didn’t come, said tricolor captain Leo Lavalle.
In other results, Canada secured its place in the group stage of the finals by beating Korea 3-1; Meanwhile, Serbia fell 4-0 to Slovakia, Germany defeated Hungary 3-2, while the Netherlands beat Switzerland 3-2. The United States was overwhelming by defeating Ukraine 4-0 and Poland beat Portugal 3-1. Brazil made history and will also be in the finals for the first time after defeating Sweden 3-1.
2024-02-04 08:50:00
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