Carlos Alcaraz, during his Davis Cup debut against Romania. /
The Finals are very close after the 2-0 from Spain to Romania on this Friday
The road to the seventh salad bowl began this Friday with a good step against Romania. The Spanish team did not experience any surprises against a rival, a priori, much inferior, and thanks to two perfect matches by Roberto Bautista and Carlos Alcaraz, the passage to the Davis Cup Finals in September is much closer. It will only take a win in one of the three games on Saturday to certify passage to the final phase of the tournament sponsored by Kosmos, the company of Barça footballer Gerard Piqué.
Bautista, Spanish number one, opened a cold day at Club Puente Romano in Marbella with a victory against number 721 in the ranking, Gabi Adrian Boitan, 6-3, 6-1. The inexperienced Romanian lasted just one hour and 8 minutes against a Bautista who acted as a roller and went over his weak opponent to get his ninth win in the competition. A special one, moreover, because returning to Marbella means returning to one of the most bitter scenarios for the memory of tennis player Castellón in the Davis Cup. On this track he fell in 2018 against Cameron Norrie, then 114 in the world, after having a 2-0 lead on the scoreboard against the British nationalized South African. That, in fact, has been the only time in his career that Bautista has lost after enjoying two sets in his favor.
The number 15 of the ranking got even this Friday and left the flat ground so that Alcaraz did not debut in the competition with an extra load of tension. The Murcian, who was denied by covid from making his debut in the last Finals in Madrid, was able to appear in Marbella. Although Davis is a treacherous competition, in which the position of the protagonists in the ATP list is usually left aside, Alcaraz is made of another paste. Marius Copil, with 26 Davis games and 18 wins behind him, was the victim (6-4 and 6-3) of an Alcaraz who tasted the honeys of a competition that has forged champions and from which he already is a participant
The Romanian number one, number 261 in the world although he became number 56, withstood the onslaught of his young opponent until the tenth game of the first set. Then came the first ‘break’ for Juan Carlos Ferrero’s pupil to give him an advantage on the scoreboard. Copil, 31, could not hold Alcaraz’s pace in the continuation. A second break by the tennis player from El Palmar in the fourth game of the second set accelerated the outcome in a first day that began with cold and clouds and ended with heat and sun. What cost Carlos the most was closing the result. He finally did it in the tenth set with a Marius backhand that went wide.
Wins in all competitions
At 18 years old, Alcaraz already has victories in all competitions and could jump back on the scene this Saturday, although it is most likely that the tie will not reach the fourth game alive. Spain should also be superior in doubles where, if there are no last-minute changes, Alejandro Davidovich and Pedro Martínez will play against Horia Tecau, who retired at the beginning of the year, and Nicolae Frunza. If the Spanish couple gets the third point, the duels between Bautista and Copil and Alcaraz and Boitan could not be played or disputed inventory benefit.
In case of victory, Spain will access the final phase of the Davis Cup, which will be divided into two time windows. First, it will be played in September, from 14 to 18, the group stage, in several different cities yet to be confirmed. And already in November, from 23 to 27, the knockout phase will be played, in the same venue, also to be confirmed.
Sergi Bruguera’s pupils would join the four already qualified teams. Serbia, as finalist of the last edition, Great Britain and Croatia, as guests, and Russia, as current champion. However, the International Tennis Federation has vetoed the presence of Russia due to the war in Ukraine, so if its decision is not changed, the Davis Cup will have another nation invited to replace the Russians.
