By Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, November 20, 2025
Photograph credit score: Davis Cup Fb
The court-side clock previous 1 a.m. when Germany lastly noticed the profitable mild.
Tim Puetz pounded a forehand down the road that lashed off the baseline changing Germany’s fifth match level to finish a completely wild 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(10) conquer Argentina’s Andres Molteni and Horacio Zeballos that sealed Germany’s 2-1 Davis Cup win over Argentina.
Puetz and accomplice Kevin Krawietz confirmed grit and guts saving three match factors in a dizzying and dramatic tiebreaker sending Germany into Saturday’s Davis Cup semifinals towards Spain on the SuperTennis Area in Bologna right now.
“Fairly good to be a part of a match like that,” Puetz mentioned. “Clearly simple to say now that we received. No, what an amazing Davis Cup tie. What an amazing ambiance, particularly contemplating we had been in type of a impartial nation.
“Yeah, I don’t know what to say. May have gone both manner clearly. Simply so comfortable that it’s us sitting right here as winners now.”
The German duo denied match factors down 6-7, 7-8 and 9-10 within the decisive tiebreaker earlier than Puetz’s daring forehand strike down the road ended the duel. Although not one of the 4 gamers realized the match was over initially as a result of what was left of the gang was so loud they had been unsure if an out name had been made.
Earlier, Marcel Granollers and Pedro Martinez had been heroic closers edging Tomas Machac and Jakub Mensik 7-6(8), 7-6(8) lifting Spain to an exhilarating 2-1 conquer Czechia into its first Davis Cup semifinal since 2019.
Tomas Martin Etcheverry opened right now’s closing quarterfinal out-dueling Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff 7-6(3) 7-6(7) to stake Argentina to a 1-0 lead.
In a match of first-strike tennis, Etcheverry greater than tripled Struff’s ace output—23 to 7—and rallied to victory after dropping serve to start out the match.
“It was robust initially of the match. He was taking part in, like, so aggressive, a whole lot of rhythm,” Etcheverry mentioned. “He received the final week within the challenger, so I count on that. After the primary break within the first set, then 15-40, 1-3, it was a troublesome second.
“I simply attempting to maintain focus and attempting to taking part in level by level. After that, I play an unimaginable sport at 3-2, his serve. I bought the break again. It was a excessive degree. In fact, the match had totally different moments. Yeah, I’m tremendous happy with what I did right now on court docket.”
World No. 60 Etcheverry broke again at like to degree the primary set, 4-all.
Within the first-set tiebreaker, Etcheverry used his forehand to fireplace out to a 6-2 lead earlier than sealing the set.
“I believe it was a really intense match. Fairly top quality from each gamers,” Struff mentioned. “Yeah, I believe I had an opportunity, I imply, a extremely good begin to the match. I believe I had the prospect to get a second break. Didn’t occur.
“He broke again excellent, excellent returns. Yeah, I attempted to remain very calm in that second as a result of I had the sensation I used to be taking part in good tennis. I felt I had good probabilities. However yeah, he managed to win the tiebreak within the first. Once more, I used to be feeling it’s a really intense-type match, however I’ve the prospect to get the second once more. Within the second, in his first service sport, had break factors. I believe he saved them fairly properly.”
Ultimately, Etcheverry received 4 extra factors complete (85 to 81) within the match.
“Besides the break, I felt I served fairly good,” Struff mentioned. “I didn’t give him so many alternatives to interrupt me. Yeah, however he began serving very properly, as properly. Ultimately he was serving fairly good. It was very shut match. I believe, like, very only one, two factors determined it. Yeah, ultimately that’s it. He deserved to win.”
Germany was down 0-1 when former Olympic gold-medal champion Alexander Zverev fended off Francisco Cerundolo 6-4, 7-6(3) to degree the tie, 1-1.
Early within the match, Zverev surged by means of 12 of 14 factors, breaking Cerundolo at 15 then backing up the break at 15 for a 4-2 lead. That proved to be the lone break of the match.
World No. 3 Zverev received eight of his final 9 service factors within the opener to grab a one-set lead.
Within the second-set tiebreaker, Zverev received a punishing 30-plus shot rally when Cerundolo netted a backhand down the road. That grueling duel left each males bent over grabbing at their knees gasping for air.
On the following level, Zverev zapped a backhand go down the road that eluded a diving Cerundolo, who crashed to the court docket Boris Becker-style and arose down 0-3 within the tiebreaker. A Cerundolo double fault gave Zverev a fistful of match factors at 6-2.
On his second match level, Zverev bolted a giant serve down the T closing in a single hour, 35-minutes and organising the decisive doubles to find out which nation would advance to the ultimate 4.
“Extraordinarily proud of the win, in fact, staying alive within the tie, hopefully the doubles can win it for us and we go to the semifinals,” Zverev mentioned. “I felt like I began very well so I used to be forward within the set earlier than the match type of began.
“The second set was extraordinarily robust probabilities each wins. In fact, I’ve full belief and full perception in our doubles guys, however now we have to play an amazing match hopefully they’ll do this.”
Argentina was two factors from doubles defeat serving at 5-6 within the closing set, however got here again to earn a troublesome maintain and power the tiebreaker at 12:45 a.m. native time.
Zeballos, who was the very best participant on court docket for a lot of the match, framed a volley winner to attract Argentina to 3-4 within the tiebreaker. Two factors later he missed a backhand giving Germany match factors at 6-3.
In a stupendous backhand stab volley, Molteni saved the primary match level, Puetz missed a return on match level No. 2 then Puetz, on the complete stretch, narrowly missed a match-ending volley on the third match level as Argentina drew even at 6-all.
Puetz pumped a heavy forehand to save lots of a match level for Germany and hammered a giant serve to save lots of a second match level at 7-8. Puetz pumped an ace out large giving Germany a fourth match level at 9-8 solely to see Zeballos erase it with a serve winner down the T.
A flying framed volley from Puetz saved a 3rd match level for Germany. Krawietz stung a serve for the fifth match level.
After a rapid-fire internet trade, Puetz lined up his forehand and flashed it down the road. Then, all 4 males, stood for a second uncertain of what the ultimate name was—in or out—till Chair umpire Alison Hughes introduced sport, set and match for Germany ending the drama.
