Chile’s second match suspended, will resume Saturday.
Chile lost its opening game of tennis’ Davis Cup World Group playoffs to Italy on Friday before the second match was suspended in the fifth and final set due to “darkness.” The nation that wins this playoff will progress to the Davis Cup final in 2013, for which the draw will be made Sept. 19.
With the matches being played in Naples, the home side Italy has been viewed as the overwhelming favorites since the draw was first announced in April. The team has not only the home advantage, but also stronger and better ranked players.
In the first game, Chile’s Guillermo Hormazábal, ranked 289 in the world, was comfortably defeated by Italy’s Andreas Seppi, ranked 28, in straight sets. Seppi’s 7-5 6-1 6-2 victory was carried out in 1 hour, 49 minutes and gave Italy a 1-0 lead in the overall standings between the two nations.
The Chilean fought hard in the first set with some aggressive tennis, but the second and third sets proved to be more straight-forward for the Italian whose class and experience on the court outshone the rugged determination of Hormazábal.
Hormazábal was pleased with his performance in the first set, despite falling away in the rest of the game.
“It was a good start, I felt comfortable on the court,” he told Radio Cooperativa. “I knew I had to face a tough opponent, I think at 5-5, at 30-all, I should have attacked more, risked a bit more and perhaps it changed the set a bit.”
Chile’s other match between Italy’s Fabio Fognini and Chile’s Paul Capdeville proved to be a more even contest than the previous match. With both men having won two sets apiece, the final set of what had been an enthralling match is nicely poised. The scores are currently 2-6 6-2 6-7 (6-8) 6-1 with the fifth set level at 1-1.
The match was a pulsating encounter between Capdeville, ranked 161 in the world, and Fognini, ranked 54, as both men traded blow-for-blow and put their all into the game. Fist-pumps of celebration were interspersed with cries of disappointment as the men sought to win a valuable match for their respective nations.
The match was suspended in the fifth set, but remains finely balanced for when it will resume Saturday.
By Tom Murphy (murphy@satntiagotimes.cl)
Copyright 2012 - The Santiago Times
Chile lost its opening game of tennis’ Davis Cup World Group playoffs to Italy on Friday before the second match was suspended in the fifth and final set due to “darkness.” The nation that wins this playoff will progress to the Davis Cup final in 2013, for which the draw will be made Sept. 19.
With the matches being played in Naples, the home side Italy has been viewed as the overwhelming favorites since the draw was first announced in April. The team has not only the home advantage, but also stronger and better ranked players.In the first game, Chile’s Guillermo Hormazábal, ranked 289 in the world, was comfortably defeated by Italy’s Andreas Seppi, ranked 28, in straight sets. Seppi’s 7-5 6-1 6-2 victory was carried out in 1 hour, 49 minutes and gave Italy a 1-0 lead in the overall standings between the two nations.
The Chilean fought hard in the first set with some aggressive tennis, but the second and third sets proved to be more straight-forward for the Italian whose class and experience on the court outshone the rugged determination of Hormazábal.
Hormazábal was pleased with his performance in the first set, despite falling away in the rest of the game.
“It was a good start, I felt comfortable on the court,” he told Radio Cooperativa. “I knew I had to face a tough opponent, I think at 5-5, at 30-all, I should have attacked more, risked a bit more and perhaps it changed the set a bit.”
Chile’s other match between Italy’s Fabio Fognini and Chile’s Paul Capdeville proved to be a more even contest than the previous match. With both men having won two sets apiece, the final set of what had been an enthralling match is nicely poised. The scores are currently 2-6 6-2 6-7 (6-8) 6-1 with the fifth set level at 1-1.
The match was a pulsating encounter between Capdeville, ranked 161 in the world, and Fognini, ranked 54, as both men traded blow-for-blow and put their all into the game. Fist-pumps of celebration were interspersed with cries of disappointment as the men sought to win a valuable match for their respective nations.
The match was suspended in the fifth set, but remains finely balanced for when it will resume Saturday.
By Tom Murphy (murphy@satntiagotimes.cl)
Copyright 2012 - The Santiago Times
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