The German men’s tennis team will have to make do without the best four singles players in the Davis Cup group phase in China. Nevertheless, the start was successful. “It makes us want more,” says a guarantor of success.
After the debates about the controversial awarding of Davis Cup matches to China, the German tennis men celebrated an opening success on their way to the finals. Even without top player Alexander Zverev, the heavily weakened team of team manager Michael Kohlmann won the group match in Zhuhai against Slovakia. Maximilian Marterer and Yannick Hanfmann led the Germans to victory, which was already certain after the two singles and the unassailable 2-0.
Malaga as a destination
“I’m very happy with this start to the week, it makes me want more,” Marterer said with relief. The Nuremberg player impressed with a 6:4, 7:5 win against Lukas Klein. Yannick Hanfmann then fought back from a set behind to win 3:6, 6:3, 7:6 (7:3) against Jozef Kovalik. After having to fend off a match point at 4:5 in the third set, he secured the decisive second point a short time later.
The first step towards becoming one of the two best teams in the group of four and reaching the quarter-finals in Malaga, Spain in November has been taken.
US Open finalists Tim Pütz and Kevin Krawietz, who had only arrived the evening before, were not under pressure to win the final doubles match thanks to their successful singles after their long journey. The fact that the ITF had awarded Germany’s Group C to China had caused considerable travel stress and sparked sharp criticism. “I think that the teams that are here now all agree that it is more or less nonsense to play here,” said team manager Kohlmann.
Marterer: “There could be a little surprise”
However, the extremely humid conditions in the hall did not affect the Germans on the court. On Thursday, the selection, which will have to make do without Zverev as well as Jan-Lennard Struff, Dominik Koepfer and Daniel Altmaier, will face Chile as their supposedly strongest opponent.
“We have all prepared very well. We feel comfortable with the conditions. I think there could be a small surprise on Thursday,” said Marterer. The USA will be the final group opponent on Saturday.
Hanfmann wins without his best tennis
Because the German top four in the individual world rankings are missing from the squad, Marterer and Hanfmann are the focus of attention. Both were nervous in the first of three group matches. Hanfmann was not at his best against Kovalik. He turned the game around nonetheless and was all the happier after the victory in 2 hours 17 minutes. “We have the second point, which is already a victory,” said the Karlsruher, who is the German number one in Zhuhai as the 96th in the world rankings.
Marterer got off to a perfect start with the break in the first game of the match against Klein. Thanks to strong service games, he successfully defended his lead until he won the set. In the second set, he remained calm even in the tight situations at the end of his own serve.
“I think I did quite well,” said the world number 104. “I hope I can carry this good form into the next matches. Then it can be a very successful week for us.”
Source: Stern
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