Colombia Beats 2016 Champs Argentina To Reach Davis Cup Finals

COLOMBIA defeats ARGENTINA 3-1
Venue: Palacio de los Deportes, Bogotá, COL (clay - indoor)

Colombians Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah, the 2019 year-end No. 1 doubles team, won a tight doubles rubber on Saturday before Daniel Elahi Galan finished the job for the home country, defeating 2016 champions Argentina to reach the Davis Cup Finals.

Cabal and Farah broke a 1-1 split in the tie with a 6-3, 6-7(3), 7-5 victory against veterans Maximo Gonzalez and Horacio Zeballos to give Colombia the advantage. Gonzalez and Zeballos triumphed at 2019 Buenos Aires and reached another two ATP Tour finals together last year, and they put up a big battle against the Colombians. But Cabal and Farah did not face a break point in their victory, setting the stage for Galan.

The World No. 148 defeated Juan Ignacio Londero 6-3, 6-4 in 75 minutes to clinch the tie for his country. Galan also won his first singles rubber of the weekend on Friday, beating Santiago Giraldo.

CROATIA defeats INDIA 3-1
Venue: Dom Sportova, Zagreb, CRO (hard - indoor)

Forty-six-year-old Leander Paes and fellow Indian Rohan Bopanna won a thrilling doubles rubber on Saturday to keep their hopes alive, beating Croatia's Mate Pavic and Franko Skugor 6-3, 6-7(9), 7-5. But it was not enough.

Marin Cilic sealed the tie for his country, routing Sumit Nagal 6-0, 6-1 to give Croatia an insurmountable 3-1 lead. The tie's final rubber was not played. Cilic only lost eight service points in the match, breaking serve five times en route to a 56-minute victory. 

AUSTRALIA defeats BRAZIL 3-1
Venue: Memorial Drive Tennis Club, Adelaide, AUS (hard - outdoor)

Brazil put forth a valiant effort, wrestling the doubles point from Australia in Adelaide to begin play on Saturday. But John Millman refused to let down his country.

World No. 43 Millman clawed past Thiago Monteiro 6-7(6), 7-6(3), 7-6(3) to clinch Australia's 3-1 win in the tie. It was the second time Millman had to win a second-set tie-break to force a decider in two days, but the 30-year-old came through once again.

“It was something pretty special this weekend and I enjoyed every second of it," Millman told DavisCup.com. "It was so much fun, emotional roller-coaster, and so happy to get through and do it with these boys."

Earlier in the day, Marcelo Demoliner and Felipe Meligeni Rodrigues Alves beat James Duckworth and John Peers 5-7, 7-5, 7-6(6) to keep Brazil's hopes alive. 

AUSTRIA defeats URUGUAY 3-1
Venue: Steiermarkhalle Schwarzlsee, Graz I Premstätten, AUT (hard - indoor) 

Austrian doubles stalwarts Oliver Marach and Jurgen Melzer gave their country the edge against Uruguay to begin Saturday's action in front of their home fans, and in-form Dennis Novak finished off the visitors.

Marach and Melzer rallied past Ariel Behar and Pablo Cuevas 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 in two hours and five minutes, converting the only break point they earned in the third set. Then Novak, who is at a career-high World No. 85, came back to beat Cuevas 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Novak defeated both Cuevas brothers in singles this weekend, easing past Martin Cuevas on Friday.

ECUADOR defeats JAPAN 3-0
Venue: Bourbon Beans Dome, Miki, JPN (hard - indoor)

Ecuador was the first country to win its Davis Cup Qualifier, beating Japan 3-0. Gonzalo Escobar and Diego Hidalgo clinched the tie with a 7-6(3), 6-3 victory against 2017 Tokyo champions Ben Mclachlan/Yasutaka Uchiyama.

Ecuador sprinted to the lead on Friday when Emilio Gomez and Roberto Quiroz both secured singles triumphs. There were no fans in the crowd for this tie as a precautionary measure due to the coronavirus.

Reports on more ties to come...

from Tennis - ATP World Tour https://ift.tt/3cENmkq