Germany saves 3 match points and beats Argentina to return to Davis Cup semi-finals – Tennis Now

By Richard Pagliaro Thursday, November 20, 2025
Photo credit: Davis Cup Facebook

At around 1 a.m. on the courtside clock, the German team finally saw the dawn of victory.

Tim Putz The forehand hit the baseline, winning the fifth match point for the German team, and finally defeated the Argentine team 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(10) Andres Molteni and Horacio Zeballos Germany eventually defeated Argentina 2-1 to win the Davis Cup.

Puitz and Partners Kevin Kravitz Germany showed grit and grit to save three match points in a dazzling, dramatic decider today at Bologna’s Super Tennis Arena to send Germany into Saturday’s Davis Cup semi-finals against Spain.

The German pair recovered match point at 6-7, 7-8 and 9-10 in the decisive decider before Puerts’ audacious forehand ended the showdown. Although none of the four players initially realized the game was over because the rest of the crowd was so loud they weren’t sure if anyone was shouting.

earlier, Marcel Granollers and Pedro Martinez is a heroic terminator Thomas Machak and Jakub Mencik Spain advanced to the Davis Cup semifinals for the first time since 2019 with a thrilling 2-1 victory over the Czech Republic, 7-6(8), 7-6(8).

Thomas Martin Echeverri Today’s final quarter-final opener beat Germany Jan-Leonard Straff 7-6(3) 7-6(7) Argentina leads 1-0.

In a first-attack tennis match, Echeverri more than doubled Straff’s serve count – 23 to 7 – and regained the win after losing serve early in the match.

“The game started off tough. He was playing very aggressive, very rhythmic,” Echeverri said. “He won the challenge last week, so I’m looking forward to that. After the first break in the first set, then 15-40, 1-3, it was a tough moment.

“I just tried to stay focused and try to play point by point. After that, I had an incredible game on his serve and it was 3-2. I got the break point back. It was a high level. Of course, there are different moments in the match. Yeah, I’m very proud of my performance on the court today.”

Echeverry, ranked 60th in the world, broke serve at love to level the first set at 4.

In the first set tiebreaker, Echeverri used his forehand to lead 6-2 and seal the victory.

“I thought it was a very tight game. Both players played at a very high level,” Straff said. “Yeah, I thought I had a chance, I mean, the game got off to a really good start. I thought I had a chance to get that second break. But it didn’t happen.

“His break was really good and the reward was really good. Yeah, I was trying to stay calm in that moment because I felt like I was playing well. I felt like I had a good chance. But, yeah, he won the tiebreak in the first game. Again, I felt like it was a really tight match, but I had a chance to get the second one again. In the second game, on his first serve, there were break points. I thought he did a good job saving those break points.”

In the end, Echeverri scored a total of four more points in the game (85 to 81).

“Other than the break, I felt like my serve was pretty good,” Straff said. “I didn’t give him that many chances to break me. Yeah, but he started serving well as well. He was serving really well at the end. It was a very close game. I thought, like, only one or two points decided the game. Yeah, that’s what it was in the end. He deserved to win.”

Former Olympic gold medal champion Germany trailed 0-1 Alexander Zverev blocked Francisco Cerundolo 6-4, 7-6(3) equalized the score, 1-1.

At the beginning of the game, Zverev scored 12 of the 14 points, first breaking Cerundolo’s 15 points, and then completing the break with 15 points to lead 4-2. This proved to be the only breakthrough of the game.

World No. 3 Zverev won eight of the last nine service points in the opener to take a set lead.

In the second-set decider, Zverev earned a punishing victory of more than 30 strokes when Serendolo scored on a backhand shot. The grueling duel left both men doubled over, clutching their knees and gasping for air.

On the next point, Zverev fired a backhand pass along the baseline, evading a diving Cerundolo who crashed onto the court like Boris Becker and trailed 0-3 in the tiebreak. Cerundolo’s double fault allowed Zverev to gain multiple match points in the 6-2 match.

On his second match point, Zverev hit a brilliant serve in the one-hour, 35-minute match, laying the decisive foundation for the doubles match that would determine which team advanced to the semi-finals.

“Of course, I’m very happy with the win, stay motivated in the draw and hopefully the doubles will win us and then we’re in the semi-finals,” Zverev said. “I felt like I got off to a really good start, so I was in the lead before the race started.

“The chances of winning the second set were very tough for both sides. Of course, I have full confidence and confidence in our doubles players, but we have to have a good match and hopefully they can do that.”

In the final, Argentina trailed by two points, 5-6, in the doubles match, but at 12:45 noon local time, Argentina struggled to hold serve and force a decider.

Zeballos was the best player on the field in the entire game. He volleyed the winner in the deciding game, forcing Argentina to 3-4. Two points later, he missed a backhand shot, and the German team won the match point 6-3.

Molteni saved the first match point with a stunning backhand volley, Puez missed the return on the second match point, and Puez narrowly missed the game-ending volley on the third match point, with Argentina tied at 6.

Puerts’ powerful forehand saved a match point for the German team, and he used a powerful serve to save the second match point 7-8. Puez hit an ace and the German team got the fourth match point 9-8, but Zeballos erased it with a service point on the tee.

Puiz’s flying volley saved the third match point for the German team. Kravitz broke serve on the fifth match point.

After a quick exchange at the net, Putz hit a forehand off the baseline. All four men then stood, unsure of what the final call would be – in or out – until referee Alison Hughes called the match, frame and game over for Germany.