The Croatian takes the first point against Bautista and makes the passage to the semi-finals more difficult
Roberto Bautista tried, but he came across an immense Borna Coric. The Croatian gave Croatia the first point in the quarterfinals (6-4, 7-6 (4)) with two exceptional hours of tennis and makes it very difficult for Spain, which needs a miracle to continue in this Davis Cup in Málaga.
Despite the good atmosphere in the Martín Carpena and a wayward Bautista, Coric was at a level that bordered on perfection during the two sets that the match lasted. Coric’s 27 winning shots went over an overly defensive Bautista and were at the mercy of what the Croat wanted who, despite an irregular few months, far from the level that saw him win the Cincinnati Masters 1,000, breathed Davis’ spirit to finish The possibilities of Bautista.
The man from Castellón started the service nervously and soon lost it, in an important seventh game of the first set. Key, because then Coric gave the Spaniard the only break option in the match, in his most exciting play of the match, when he served to close the first set. After losing two points at 6-4, Bautista had a chance to break, but again the Spaniard lacked aggressiveness and was already partially behind three points later.
With the advantage on the scoreboard, the game became exciting and the serves prevailed. No one managed to produce a single breaking ball and the relative calm was broken only by two spontaneous ones attempting to tie themselves to the net in protest, in an image that has become commonplace in sporting events such as the Premier League and the past the Laver Cup.
The incident was not major and after a few seconds’ break, the tennis returned and led the second set to the tiebreak, where Bautista only continued after the first point. From 0-1 they went to 4-1 and there was no room for reaction. The man from Castellón saved the first two match points, but fell back to third, just like in the first set.
Defeat and trust in the miracle. Sergi Bruguera’s team needs Pablo Carreño’s win against Marin Cilic and another doubles win to reach the semi-finals against Australia.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
