El Peque won 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 and thanks to Sebastián Báez’s win, the national team is 2-0 up.
Argentina took an almost definitive 2-0 lead over the Czech Republic in the series of Davis Cup to the best of five points cheering on Buenos Airesthanks to the victory he achieved today in the first turn Sebastian Baez over Jiri Lehecka 7-6 (7-4) and 6-3, and then Diego Schwartzman in view of Thomas Macac by 2-6, 6-2 and 6-3.
The “Little” Schwartzman14 in the ATP world ranking, performed from lowest to highest against Machac (131) and won after two and a quarter hours of play, before some 2,000 people who came to the central court Guillermo Vilas, at the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club.
So the team captained by William “Magician” Coriain his debut in the function, was just one point away from winning the tie to reach the goal of qualifying for the Davis Finals year-end, something he has not achieved since 2019.
Argentina will have three chances to win the series this Saturday, first with the doubles point that the specialists will play from 11 Horacio Zeballos (5) and Máximo González (24) against the Czechs Zdenek Kolar (141) and Vit Kopriva (168).
If you don’t win the doubles, Argentina will try to get the missing point with the remaining singles, Schwartzman in view of Lehecka and later Baez versus Machacalthough these names can be changed up to an hour before the game, something that is usual when the series is defined.
The “Little” started his match too tied, perhaps absorbed by the responsibility of stretching the advantage after the excellent presentation of Baezand that cost him losing the set, started with a quick break against the first point, like this Machac took a 1-0 lead and then stretched to 3-1.
The Argentine knew his rival, in fact he beat him last year in the opening round of the Tokyo Olympicsbut still could not control it and thus gave up his serve again to go down 4-1.
The “Little” he didn’t bother with his serve and on top of that his best shot, the crosscourt backhand, didn’t hurt a tennis player like Machacwho sported a heavy forehand and a backhand of those that are seen only from time to time.
With three breaks against him and feelings similar to those he experienced in September of last year, also in Buenos Aires and in the series against Belaruswhen he lost with the youth Daniil Ostapenkov, Schwartzman gave up the set by a wide 6-2.
The Czech was in full growth, when he started the second set 1-0 with another break, and it was there that the public realized the moment of Schwartzman and began a fervent encouragement that reversed the tie.
“Ohh, let’s go, little one, let’s go, lay eggs, we won”, alternating with “And hit, Peque hit” strengthened the Argentine’s spirits, who changed his stern and concerned gesture, in addition to varying his tactics, since he played longer and returned better.
The public not only encouraged the “Little” but loudly celebrated every failure of the Czech, who acknowledged receipt, began to fail repeatedly, nervous and hesitant.
In this environment, after six consecutive games of the Czech, six consecutive games of Schwartzman to take the set 6-2 with a break of serve and celebrate it with a clenched fist and a loud shout, perhaps to let off steam and release the accumulated tension.
Schwartzman He was another tennis player in the third set, completely different from the one who started the match, with very aggressive tennis, precise returns and good choices when going up to the net or surprising with a drop.
It was not surprising then that the Argentine reached nine consecutive games to take a 3-0 lead in the game that was heading his way.
The Czech stopped making mistakes and won his next service game, thus ending the losing streak of games lost, and then broke the “Little” to let you know that he was in the game.
Then the public came into action again to sing louder than in the whole day and Schwartzman took momentum again to get the situation back on track.
The “Little” recovered the break (4-2), then stretched to 5-2 playing very deep and with good angles, until closing for 6-3 after a ball from Machac that remained on the net.
“I was lost for a moment, nothing came out of me, but I heard the incredible encouragement of the entire stadium and I thought I couldn’t fail. They really gave me the strength to come back, get into the game and win it, it was incredible what I experienced” , “Peque” confessed in his first words to the press, exultant after the success that left the team very close to victory.
