Davis Cup: Germany loses after Struff defeat
Jan-Lennard Struff was unable to prevent the German team in the quarter-final against Great Britain at the Davis Cup final tournament in Madrid. Struff lost in the second singles with a 6: 7, 6: 3, 6: 7 against Daniel Evans.
by Robert M. Frank
last edit: Nov 23, 2019, 10:19 am
Jan-Lennard Struff (ATP 35) had to win against Daniel Evans (ATP 42) after the defeat of his team-mate Philipp Kohlschreiber (ATP 79) against Kyle Edmund (ATP 69) to avoid a premature end. It was a bitter defeat at the end of the 29-year-old Warsteiner against the heavily playing British number one.
In the first set Struff lost his service to 4: 5 and was able to save first with a postponed rebreak in the tiebreak. There, however, the German number two pulled against the again and again with strong serves and Winnern shining Evans but the short straw. In the second round Struff found better in the game and put more pressure on his opponent. The positive result after a break was 6: 3.
Negotiated break chances in the third set
The third set was initially contested, a break for interim 3: 1 awarded the protégé of the German team captain Michael Kohlmann despite several opportunities. As a result, the right-handers from North Rhine-Westphalia had to fight to bring his own service against the powerfully returning British. Although Struff always put forward with his service, Evans could follow suit with his serve. In the tiebreak Evans led after a mini-break meanwhile 3-0. This lead did not give the 29-year-old Brit until the end and won with 7: 2.
While Germany have been eliminated in Madrid, the British team in the Spanish capital will play in the semi-final against Spain at 17.30 on Saturday, beating Argentina 2-1 in the quarter-finals . In the first semi-final of the day, the teams from Canada and Russia will face each other at 10.30am on the center court.