Australia top Group Bof Spain, after defeating France on Tuesday in a series decided in a doubles match. Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell beat Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 7-5, 5-7, 6-3 in a rivalry where they were more solid in the key moments of each set.
Earlier, Thanasi Kokkinakis scored the first point for Australia against Arthur Filsin a match where the Australian showed a good version, winning two tie breaks 7-6(4) and 7-6(3).
Kokkinakis and Fils never crossed paths until this first match of the group stage which matches the group B formed by Australia and France along with Spain and the Czech Republic in search of two places in the Final Eight in Malaga.
The unprecedented confrontation started evenly and with both players very solid on serve. Fils took the first game, but Kokkinakis did not let the Frenchman distance himself because of a complete tennis on the court of a Fonteta that gradually filled its seats, although it was far from completing the capacity of this first day of competition .
Kokkinakis shrugged off the pressure to level the set whenever the Fils went forward and the first set was decided in a tie break. Kokkinakis equalized the Frenchman’s initial 0-2 and from 4-3 up he never trailed. to take the first set in 56 minutes by 7-6(4).
At the start of the second set, Kokkinakis was unable to maintain the level shown in the first, while Fils has grown and is very confident in his game with a very clear idea (1-3). But the Australian fought back and took the lead for the first time (5-4).
As in the first set, the set – and the match – was decided on a tie break with the result 7-6(3).
Ugo Humbert leveled the match with a comfortable win over Alexei Popyrin with a result of 6-3 and 6-2 in 1 hour and 13 minutes.
The Frenchman is feeling comfortable and confident despite the pressure of his compatriot Arthur Fils’ loss against Thanasi Kokkinaki in the first match.
Humbert, world number 18, adapted well to the fast Fonteta court and easily took the lead (5-1) thanks to a good and solid game. The Frenchman took advantage of the mistakes of Popyrin, number 24, and, when it looked like he would quickly close out the first set, the Australian showed his true level.
Australia’s number 1 team has won two consecutive games (5-3), but he could not stop Humbert from winning the first race in 44 minutes. In the second set, the script was the same: the Frenchman showed himself at a great level.
The Australian tennis player was shocked by the speed of Humbert’s punches, which surprised Popyrin in the anticipated tennis, which was devastated 6-2.
Source: La Verdad
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