Posted in: 15/09/2022 – 08:06Last updated: 15/09/2022 – 08:04
Paris (AFP) – Spain, without its two stars, Carlos Alcaras, ranked first in the world and Rafael Nadal III, defeated Serbia, deprived of the services of its star Novak Djokovic, 3-0 in the first round of the second group competition in the Davis Cup tennis competition, while Italy beat Croatia, runner-up for the 2021 edition. With the same result.
Alcaras, crowned Sunday with the US Open title, the last of the four Grand Slams, which enabled him to become the youngest world number one in history, attracted the attention of everyone in Valencia in front of his fans, but Spanish captain Sergei Bruguera decided to rest the 19-year-old, so he involved Albert Ramos-Vinolas (40th world) and Roberto Bautista (21st world) for the singles matches once morest Laszlo Dijri (66th world) and Miomir Keczmanovic (33th world).
Serbia, which reached the semi-finals of the last edition, fought back a lot in the singles matches and lost with difficulty, as Diri fell to Ramos-Vinolas 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 5-7, and Kichmanovic once morest Bautista Agut 6-7 (5-7) and 6- 7 (5-7), before the Spaniards Marcel Granollers and Pedro Martins settled the doubles match once morest Nikola Kacic and Dusan Lajovic 6-7 (5-7), 6-2, 6-2.
Spain topped the group once morest Canada, who beat South Korea 2-1 on Tuesday.
In the first group in Bologna, Italy, which is absent from Yannick Sener, ranked 11th in the world, beat Croatia, runner-up in the last edition, 3-0.
Lorenzo Mozetti beat Borna Goyo 6-4, 6-2, Matteo Berrettini beat Borna Coric 6-7 (4-7), 6-2, 6-1, Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini beat Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic 3-6, 7-5, 7- 6 (7-3).
Italy grabbed the top of the group from Sweden, which opened the competition on Tuesday, beating Argentina 2-1.
In the third in Hamburg, Germany, whose star Alexander Zverev, fifth in the world, is absent, won a 2-1 victory over France.
Jan-Lennard Struff gave Germany the lead by beating Benjamin Ponzi 6-4, 2-6, 7-5, and Adrian Mannarino leveled by beating Oscar Otte 6-4, 6-3, but Tim Puits and Kevin Kravitz won the doubles match once morest Nicolas Mahut and Artur Rinderknech 6- 2, 3-6, 7-6 (7-1).
Australia beat Belgium 3-0 on Tuesday in the same group.
In the fourth in Glasgow, the United States beat Britain 2-1.
The United States advanced when Tommy Powell beat Dan Evans 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, and Britain responded with a victory for Cameron Nouri over Taylor Fritz 2-6, 7-6 (7-2), 7-5, you have the last word for the American pair Rajiv Ram and Jack Sock beat Andy Murray and Joe Salisbury 5-7, 6-4, 7-5.
The United States followed the Netherlands to the lead following the latter beat Kazakhstan by the same score on Tuesday.
The first and second places in the groups will qualify for the playoffs (quarter, semi-final and final) scheduled in Malaga, Spain, from November 22 to 27.
In order to avoid the process of entering into complicated calculations to determine the best runner-up, the number of teams participating in the group stage was reduced from 18 in the last edition to 16 this year, divided into four groups.
© 2022 AFP
