DAVIS CUP – After a year, the Czech tennis players once again advanced to the final tournament of the Davis Cup. In the qualifying match at home in Vendryni, they confirmed their role as favorites against the Israelis and won promotion in the fastest possible way. After Saturday’s singles wins, they also managed Sunday’s doubles, in which Tomáš Macháč (23) and Adam Pavlásek (29) scored points. They didn’t push hard for the win, Daniel Cukierman (28) and Edan Leshem (26) gave up on them after five games. Vít Kopřiva (26) scored his first victory in the competition when the situation was decided.
Czech youngsters laid a solid foundation for qualification success already in Saturday’s singles. Eighteen-year-old Jakub Menšík and twenty-two-year-old Jiří Lehečka defeated their opponents from the fifth world ranking, Yshaie Oliel and Daniel Cukierman, 6:1, 7:6, and captain Jaroslav Navrátil scored three match points.
Macháč/Pavlásek – Cukierman/Leshem 4:1 / stretch
This year’s Australian Open quarter-finalist in the men’s doubles Adam Pavlásek and his conqueror from Melbourne Tomáš Macháč converted the first one in Sunday’s doubles. The Czech pair was leading 4:1 over the duo of Daniel Cukierman and Edan Leshem 4:1 when their opponents gave up on them.
The reason was the injury of the twenty-eight-year-old Cukierman, who strained the thigh muscle on his right leg already in the third game while chasing a successful lob from Macháč. He had it bandaged, but he could not continue for long.
Unfortunately, the Israeli pair are forced to retire due to Daniel Cukierman sustaining an injury
We wish you a speedy recovery, Daniel! #DavisCup | @israel_tennis pic.twitter.com/imyouDLXUT
— Davis Cup (@DavisCup) February 4, 2024
“It’s not the way we wanted to win. But it’s part of the sport. We started with a great pace at the beginning, we broke them twice. Before the opponent got injured, we played great tennis and we’re happy that we won and are back in final,” said Pavlásek in a post-match interview on the court.
“We started really well. Adam in particular started great, he played the first game excellently. If he hadn’t played it so well, we probably wouldn’t have broken them, because I didn’t start so well. Then we played our best tennis. Then he got injured and it was so weird. We didn’t know if he could move and it’s probably a good thing he… coughed it up.” Macháč smiled.
Ticket secured ️
Czechia claims their place in the Davis Cup Group Stage Finals for a third time ✨#DavisCup | @jsmeceskytenis pic.twitter.com/WQSH267R51
— Davis Cup (@DavisCup) February 4, 2024
Nettles – Kimhi 3:6, 6:3, 11:9
The program in the sold-out hall for 1,300 spectators in Vendryn u Třinka was closed by one more singles match. Vít Kopřiva joined her instead of Lehečka and scored his first Davis Cup win at the second attempt.
While the year before on clay in Buenos Aires at a score of 0:3, he was not enough against the favored Federico Coria, this time he was the paper favorite in front of the home audience against the opponent from the fifth world hundred, Orel Kimhim, and after a turnaround he won 3:6, 6:3, 11:9.
The 26-year-old representative lost the first set, but in the second set he won an early break and equalized. He decided a super tie-break, in which Kopřiva reversed the unfavorable development from 1:4 and, after using the second match point, scored his first national team win.
“Playing in front of a full house in the Czech Republic is something unreal. I was lucky for the first time. Even though it was a tie, I made some nervous mistakes at the beginning and lost my serve. That cost me the first set. I picked up my game from the second, even though it was still far from perfect. The super tie-break was, as always, a lottery for a few balloons,” Kopřiva pointed out. “However, I will remember this victory. It is a Davis Cup win. I rank it very high, certainly in the top three,” added Kopřiva.
Again after a year for the final tournament
While the Israelis face a playoff to remain among the elite, the Czech tennis players will play the group stage of the final tournament again after a year from September 10 to 15. Last year in Valencia, they beat the Serbs and Koreans 3-0 in matches and were eliminated only in the November quarter-finals in Malaga against the Australians.
“I don’t want to say that beating Israel was an obligation. But it’s a weaker opponent. But anything can happen in tennis, so we’re happy that we managed the role of favorite and are back in the final group.” Pavlásek praised himself for the quick way to victory.
“I’m glad that we finished the match with a win. We were in the role of favorites and we fulfilled it. The whole week was fantastic. I was also surprised by the atmosphere today. Everyone cheered for the boys, including Víť, when the score was tied. I am very satisfied that all the boys took turns and all won,” captain Jaroslav Navrátil said at the press conference. .
The French and Belgians also advanced
The group stage at the end of the summer will be played in four different cities. and 16 countries will participate. The teams will be drawn into four groups and the top two from each group will advance to the quarter-finals in November.
Last year’s champions the Italians, the defeated finalists the Australians and, thanks to the wild card, the British and the Spanish were certain to participate among the elite sixteen. In addition to the Czechs, the Americans, Slovaks, Finns, Germans, Brazilians, Dutch, Canadians, French and Belgians also advanced from the qualification. Chile vs. Peru (1:1) and Argentina vs. Kazakhstan (2:1) are fighting for the last two promotion spots.
Complete Davis Cup Qualifying Results
Article originally published for Livesport News.
2024-02-04 18:56:15
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