Germany edge in front ahead of Nadal-Zverev Davis Cup clash

Germany, France and Croatia are all well placed to reach the semi-finals of the Davis Cup after day three of the quarter-finals.

Published : Apr 07, 2018 23:22 IST

Spain will need Rafael Nadal to be on song on Sunday after they fell 2-1 behind to Germany in their Davis Cup quarter-final, while France and Croatia are also set for the last four.

Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez fought gallantly after losing the first two sets, drawing level in a marathon match of over four-and-a-half hours, but Tim Puetz and Jan-Lennard Struff eventually sealed a shock 6-3 6-4 3-6 6-7 (4-7) 7-5 victory.

Now world number one Nadal must beat world number four Alexander Zverev if Spain are to avoid defeat in the last eight.

The other two European match-ups are also 2-1 as it stands, as the French pair - boasting the ATP's ninth-ranked doubles player Nicolas Mahut alongside Pierre Hugues Herbert - raced to victory in straight sets, defeating Italy 6-4 6-3 6-1.

Fabio Fognini and Simone Bolelli were swiftly seen off, fading after holding their own early on and the former - ranked 20th - will have to beat 11th-ranked Lucas Pouille to keep Italy in the competition.

Croatia's Ivan Dodig and Nikola Mektic came from behind to beat Timur Khabibulin and Aleksandr Nedovyesov of Kazakhstan 6-7 (2-7) 6-4 6-4 6-2.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment