With Suzanne Lenglen there is a wonderful atmosphere in the stands cheering on the French couple formed by Frédéric Cattaneo and Stéphane Houdet. This is how the first Spanish medal in wheelchair tennis history came at the Paralympic Games. Martín de la Puente and Dani Caverzaschi broke a barrier in Spanish sport this Friday.
They beat the French couple 4-6, 6-4 and 10-5 to become pioneers on the mythical stage hosting the bronze match at the French event. What’s more, they did it in an epic comeback, with a race response to adversity to leave their mark on the Spanish medal table in Paris. Caverzaschi and De la Puente added the thirty-seventh Spanish medal of these Paralympic Games, with one more secured, in one of the achievements that will be remembered from these days of competition.
In a fantastic atmosphere that tried to bring the Gauls forward, the Spanish responded by growing in moments of pressure. Especially in a ‘super tie-break’ where they maintained the growing momentum of the game they needed to seal their victory.
The match started with parity, but France made the first move here after a blank break in the first game of the set, which was closed by a double fault by De la Puente. However, Spain managed to compose herself and return serve for 4-4 after Caverzaschi did a lot of damage with her backhand slice.
There was some tension in the first set with the court pushing Cattaneo and Houdet all the way. A big French return with a short shot with spin got the French couple back with a break in their favor which they never let go: a blank serve game proved the French 6-4 in the first set.
But Spain were far out of the game. He saved his initial kick-off and began to hurt the challenger with short balls that the French could not reach. With De la Puente hitting the net, the Spanish lead 3-0.
Although the French reaction was not long in coming. A great parallel French forehand sealed 3-1 in a very close game and gave the French wings to recover the break. With Suzanne Lenglen heating up, the match progressed with serves being held for both pairs until the Spaniard led 4-3.
This is the moment of coup de effect. A brilliant game by the remaining Spanish couple, who managed to keep moving the Frenchwoman, allowed her to break the French serve again so that, at 5-3, Caverzaschi served to tie the match. A missed shot by De la Puente at 30-30 gave life to a French pair that got back on the scoreboard at 5-4, but Spain responded with a fantastic play at the others to make it 6-4 and send the resolution of the ‘supertie-break’ match.
A French double fault on the third point of the tiebreaker gave the Spanish pair their first mini-break, although it was lost to a long forehand from Caverzaschi. However, a French forehand error and a volley from De la Puente allowed Spain to go ahead 5-3.
France regained it after dominating a point from the rest and after a long Spanish retreat, but the national duo’s response was immediate. Caverzaschi and De la Puente opened the lead at 7-5. They didn’t let him get away: after passing the French couple, the Spaniards added three more points in a row to close 10-5 a magical moment that earned them the bronze medal.
A bronze medal that breaks the barriers and allows both to walk away with a medal from a spectacular tournament on the French court. But it’s not over yet, as De la Puente will hit the track again this Saturday in search of another bronze. He will also do it with one certainty: sometimes dreams do come true.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Robert Maynard, and I am a passionate journalist with experience in sports writing. For the last few years, I have been writing for Today Times Live. My main focus has been on sports-related stories and features. With my strong background in journalism and extensive knowledge of the industry, I am able to provide readers with well-crafted pieces that are both informative and engaging.
