By Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, November 20, 2025Photo credit score: Davis Cup Fb
Taking part in with out its prime weapons, Spain confirmed fireplace and want to return to the Davis Cup semifinals.
Spain’s Jaume Munar stopped Jiri Lehecka 6-3, 6-4 to stage at the moment’s Davis Cup quarterfinal with Czechia.
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 overcome Czechia in Bologna.
Granollers and Martinez saved three set factors within the first-set tiebreaker then denied two extra set factors within the second set tiebreaker in a spirited comeback sending Spain into its first Davis Cup semifinal since 2019.
A high quality doubles decider ended on a Mensik double fault after two hours, three minutes of pulsating play.
Spain will play the winner of at the moment’s quarterfinal between Argentina and Germany in Saturday’s semifinals. The winner of that Saturday semifinal will play both two-time defending-champion Italy or Belgium within the Davis Cup remaining on Sunday.
Opening this quarterfinal conflict with confidence, an imposing Mensik threw down 20 aces defeating veteran Pablo Carreno Busta 7-5, 6-4.
Miami Open champion Mensik saved two break factors holding for 4-3. Mensik navigated a troublesome deuce maintain edging forward 6-5 then transformed his third set level breaking Carreno Busta for a one-set lead.
Serving at 4-5 within the second set, Carreno Busta felt the strain as Mensik delivered some deep strikes breaking to shut a 99-minute win and stake Czechia to a 1-0 lead.
“The power and the environment of the group and of the Davis Cup gave me actually good power,” Mensik mentioned. “Even within the first set that he broke me up, like the primary one, I knew that I had the alternatives on the return. My serve was fairly robust all through the entire sport, all through the entire match.
“I’m simply glad that I saved the power and the main focus all through the entire match. Yeah, I broke him again within the first one. It was a vital half for me as a result of, after all, first set is all the time vital. I’m simply glad that I saved it up.”
The subplot of this tie was Spain enjoying with out its prime two-ranked gamers.
World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz withdrew on Monday after a scan confirmed edema in the appropriate leg damage he suffered shedding the ATP Finals title match in Turin to Jannik Sinner on Sunday.
Spanish No. 2 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina was bypassed by Captain David Ferrer, who was reportedly upset Davidovich Fokina was a late withdrawal from an earlier tie.
That meant strain shifted straight on Jaume Munar’s shoulders.
World No. 36 Munar delivered, defeating Seventeenth-ranked Jiri Lehecka 6-3, 6-4.
The 28-year-old Munar saved each break factors he confronted incomes his first profession Davis Cup singles victory at an important time.
“I used to be fairly assured on my tennis,” Munar mentioned. “Doesn’t matter who I’ve in entrance. That’s the primary andmost vital factor. As a result of I’ve been enjoying actually good in indoors this yr, I had an amazing assured on myself. That’s the primary [factor].
“Then two matches misplaced in opposition to Jiri, however feeling like I may do one thing else that I didn’t do final couple of instances. Not a lot than being there level by level and making an attempt to place my technique there and serving nice as I did at the moment. That was the primary factor.”
Lehecka double faulted away the break and a 4-2 first-set result in the Spaniard. A streaking Munar reeled off eight of the subsequent 9 factors performed on his serve to construct a one-set lead.
Munar broke at 30 to start out the second set and backed up the break for a 2-0 second-set lead.
Battling again from 15-40 down within the sixth sport, Munar stood tall saving each break factors to carry for 4-2.
As he did within the first set, Munar gained eight of his final 9 service factors closing a one hour, 22-minute win to stage the tie and arrange the dramatic and decisive doubles duel.
Czechia Captain Tomas Berdych was on his ft—together with 1000’s of followers in Tremendous Tennis Area—because the essential first-set doubles tiebreaker started.
Taking part in the deuce courtroom, Machac zipped a forehand return winner down the road—his second down the road return winner of the breaker—as Czechia edged forward 5-2.
That very good strike sparked a run of 4 consecutive mini breaks. When Machac hit a brief forehand winner, Czechia held two set factors at 6-4.
On a dizzying all courtroom level, the scrambling Spaniards saved the ball alive and Mensik netted a brief volley on the primary set level. Granollers knocked off a excessive volley to avoid wasting set level No. 2 earlier than Mensik carved a volley winner giving Czechia a 3rd set level at 7-6.
The Spaniards focused the Mensik forehand and reaped reward as he netted a forehand on the third set level. Granollers, a power at internet, hit a excessive volley winner giving Spain its first set level solely to narrowly miss a forehand return because the breaker was deadlocked at 8-all.
Delivering the shot of the tiebreaker, Martinez ripped an inside-out backhand return winner off a troublesome Mensik serve to present Spain set level No. 2 at 9-8.
Granollers closed internet and shouted “No!” to his accomplice as Mensik sailed a forehand lengthy because the Spanish duo fought off three set factors in all to grab the one-hour opening set.
Martinez held for 4-3 on a Granollers decisive volley then Spain earned two break factors within the eighth sport.
On the second break level, Machac slammed an ace extensive and adopted with an ace down the T taming hassle to stage the second set, 4-all, for Czechia.
Deadlocked at 5-all, Czechia gained break level on Martinez’s serve. Machac, who had been lethal returning down the road all day, missed a forehand return down the road extensive as Martinez held for 6-5.
Within the second-set tiebreaker, a Martinez forehand volley put Spain up 4-2, however Czechia roared again successful 4 of the subsequent 5 factors and gaining set level on a Mensik ace down the T.
Granollers hit a forehand volley to avoid wasting set level then Spain seized match level at 7-6. Machac blistered an enormous serve extensive to attract Czechia stage then hit one other biting serve and backed it up with a smash giving Czechia a second set level.
Rising to the event once more, Granollers whipped the the extensive serve to avoid wasting set level.
On Spain’s second match level, Mensiki, whose serve was so large within the opening singles match, tightened up double-faulting past the service line and Spain was by means of to its first semifinal since 2019.
