Francisco Cerúndolo, 21 in the world, won this Saturday in three close sets against Vilius Gaubas, an 18-year-old junior who occupies box 476 and who should not have caused him so many problems.
Thus, the Argentine team has almost closed, with a score of 2-0, the Davis Cup series against Lithuania, which is played at the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis.
Sebastián Báez, for his part, with a great season on the circuit, also needed a third set to defeat Berankis, who at 33 years old is ranked 231 and is far from his best version, when he was 50th on the planet in 2016.
With those two victories, Argentina was close to winning the series and fulfilling its goal of returning to the 2024 Qualifiers, that is, to the stage prior to the group stage of the Finals, where the countries of the world’s tennis elite compete.
In this context, Argentina is in a position to close the series this Sunday from 11:00 with the doubles, the third point that the “top ten” Andrés Molteni (9) and Máximo González (10) will play, while the Lithuanians will oppose Edas Butvilas (532), 19 years old, and Tadas Babelis, an unranked tennis player who completes the European team, although he could be replaced by Berankis.
In the event of losing the doubles, Argentina will have another chance with the fourth point of the series that will feature the number one of each country, Cerúndolo for the Argentine team and Berankis for the Lithuanians.
While – if we reach the fifth point – the definition will be in the hands of Báez and Gaubas, although if the series is defined it is the captains’ power to change the formation and even agree not to play the last game.
This is how the “Wizard” sees it
Santa Fe Guillermo “Mago” Coria, Argentine Davis Cup captain, stressed today that the series against Lithuania “will leave many lessons for the boys,” beyond the final outcome.
“Luckily we have a team made up of tennis players with a lot of future, and doubles players with a lot of experience. This series will teach the kids a lot, regardless of whether they win or lose,” said the “Wizard” at the press conference that ended the day at the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club.
The 41-year-old from Santa Fe is leading his sixth series as captain against Lithuania and it could also be his last, since his contract with the Argentine Tennis Association (AAT) will expire at the end of the year and in the last few hours the rumor has grown that It would not be renewed, although that – for the moment – does not worry him.
“Davis is a very special tournament, it does not level downwards, but it gives possibilities to those with lower rankings,” analyzed Coria in reference to what was seen on the court, with the Lithuanians pushing the Argentines to the limit, who They needed three sets each to win.
“I suffered a lot for them, for Fran and Seba. This is their first series in the country with so many people in a stadium with a lot of history, in that scenario having to demonstrate what they have been doing throughout the year on the circuit is complicated,” Coria concluded.
2023-09-16 23:24:37
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