BOLOGNA, Italy – Marcel Granollers and Pedro Martinez Portero combined to beat Tomas Machac and Jakub Mensik in the decisive doubles match to help Spain get past the Czech Republic and reach the Davis Cup semifinals with a 2-1 victory on Thursday.
Granollers and Martinez moved up in the absence of Carlos Alcaraz, the six-time Grand Slam champion who withdrew from the Spanish team due to a hamstring injury.
Spain, who had not reached the semi-finals since winning the last of its six Davis Cup titles in 2019, will next face No. 2 seed Germany, who defeated Argentina 2-1.
Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz outlasted Andres Molteni and Horacio Zeballos in a third-set tiebreak in the decisive doubles match that gave Germany victory in the quarterfinals.
Argentina was trying to win its 100th Davis Cup match.
The 20-year-old Mensik hit 20 aces on his way to beating veteran Pablo Carreño Busta 7-5, 6-4 to give the Czech team the lead. Jaume Munar then won his first Davis Cup singles match for Spain by beating No. 17 Jiri Lehecka 6-3, 6-4.
“I was pretty confident in my tennis,” Munar said. “It doesn’t matter who I have in front of me. I had a lot of confidence in myself and that’s the most important thing.”
The fourth-seeded Czechs attempted to return to the semi-finals for the first time since 2014.
In doubles, Krawietz and Puetz rallied to win 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (10), with both teams wasting match points.
Argentina aimed to reach the semi-finals for the first time since winning in 2016. Germany was a semi-finalist last year.
Top-ranked Italy, looking for a third straight title and fourth place in the overall standings, will face Belgium in the other semi-final. The Italians are without Jannik Sinner, number 2 in the world, who is resting.
The Davis Cup Finals in Bologna is the sixth edition of the renewed event in which a champion is crowned on a neutral site.
#Spain #Germany #advance #semifinals #Davis #Cup