Feb 3, 2024 at 3:38 PM Update: 7 days ago
The Dutch tennis players qualified for the Davis Cup Finals in Groningen on Saturday. Botic van de Zandschulp was too strong for the Swiss Marc-Andrea Hüsler in the all-deciding match: 5-7, 7-6 (5) and 6-3. As a result, the Dutch team won 3-2.
Van de Zandschulp needed 2 hours and 29 minutes to beat Hüsler. The Dutchman faltered in the first set and lost the set after a break.
In the second set, the Dutch number 69 in the world recovered. Hüsler (ATP-199) forced Van de Zandschulp to play a tiebreak, which he won with some difficulty: 7-6.
Van de Zandschulp took the confidence from the tiebreak into the third set. After a break lead, he finished it off with a volley on his first match point: 6-3. The Dutchman brought the audience in the Groningen Martiniplaza into ecstasy.
The Davis Cup Finals will be completed in September. The host cities for the group stage of the final round will only be announced later.
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Van de Zandschulp beats the Netherlands to the Davis Cup group stage
The Netherlands reached the quarter-finals in 2023
Leader Tallon Greekpoor managed to win two games against the Swiss in Groningen. Van de Zandschulp lost his singles match to Leandro Riedi (ATP-175) on Friday, but managed to keep his cool against Hüsler on Saturday. Dutch doubles players Wesley Koolhof and Jean Julien-Roijer lost to the Swiss duo in the doubles match.
The Netherlands also reached the final round of the Davis Cup Finals in 2022 and 2023. Both times the Dutch team survived the group stage, but captain Paul Haarhuis’ team was eliminated in the quarter-finals.
Davis Cup results (3-2)
Friday February 2:
- Greek track (ATP-29)-Hüsler (ATP-199): 7-6 (3) a 7-6 (3)
- Van de Zandschulp (ATP-63)-It dilutes (ATP-175): 4-6 and 6-7 (3)
Saturday February 3:
- Koolhof (ATP-7)/Rojer (ATP-19)-Riidi/Hüsler: 6-7 (5) in 6-7 (2)
- Greek track-Riedi: 7-6(6) and 7-6 (3)
- From the Zandschulp-Husler: 5-7, 7-6 (5) at 6-3
Beeld: Getty Images
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TennisDavis CupJean-Julien RojerDavis Cup teamWesley Koolhof