France is under pressure. At the end of the first day, the Blues are back to back with Slovakia (1-1), in the first round of qualifying for the Davis Cup, at the Portel. Sunday will be decisive.
Launched by a 6-4, 6-4 defeat by Alexandre Müller (49th in the world) against Alex Molcan (200th), the day ended on a more positive note when French No. 1 Arthur Rinderknech (31st) dominated 7-6 (7/1), 7-6 (8/6) the experienced Norbert Gombos (300th).
As French captain Paul-Henri Mathieu had anticipated before the match, the gap in ranking between the French players and their opponents was not felt in any way on Saturday.
Ranked 38th in the world in 2022, Alex Molcan imposed a permanent standoff from the baseline on Alexandre Müller, who was playing his first match in the blue jersey at the age of 29.
Broken at 4-4 in the first set, Müller lost seven games in a row to find himself trailing 6-4, 4-0.
If he came back from a break behind, the second was too much and Molcan thus won the first duel of this meeting which is played in the best of five matches – a doubles then two singles are scheduled for Sunday.
“I didn’t expect it to serve so well,” admitted Müller, regretting the slow playing conditions on the hard court at the Chaudron, a hall where basketball matches are traditionally played.
“No stress” on the Slovak side
“But it wasn’t particularly a bad match on my part,” qualified the right-hander. “It was he who managed to make the few little points that needed to be made at the right time,” said the loser.
“I don’t feel any stress when I play away” for Slovakia, Davis Cup finalist in 2005, Molcan reacted after his victory.
The Slovak kindly upset the Portel audience by thanking them for chanting “Allez Alex” (Müller, Editor’s note) throughout the game, encouragement which he appreciated as if it were addressed to him.
Rinderknech in difficulty
The second singles of the day was not fun either. Broken at the start of the match (2-1 for Gombos), Arthur Rinderknech recovered to lead 5-2, 30-40 and get a set point.
But Gombos held on to get back to 5-5 and in turn get a break point, dismissed by the Frenchman who then dominated the tie-break more calmly (7/1).
The fight resumed with a vengeance in the second set, once again concluded by a tie-break in which the Slovak had three equalizing points at one set everywhere.
Sunday will begin at 1:30 p.m. with the doubles match between the French pair Benjamin Bonzi/Pierre-Hugues Herbert and the Slovaks Milos Karol and Lukas Klein.
Arthur Rinderknech will then challenge Alex Molcan, before a possible decisive duel between Alexandre Müller and Norbert Gombos if the two teams are still tied.
The winner of the France-Slovakia match will earn their place in the second round of qualifying for the final phase, scheduled for September.
The loser will compete in a play-off to try to save their place in the group of the best nations in the world.
