Davis Cup Finals | Spain fend off Germany in dramatic fashion to set up final against Italy

Spain have reached the final of the Davis Cup Finals after a 2-1 triumph over Germany. They did not miss either of their top players Carlos Alcaraz or Davidovich Fokina, with glory possibly on the horizon for the six-time winners.

Pablo Carreno Busta got Spain off on the right tracks after a commendable 6-5, 7-6(6) victory over Jan-Lennard Struff who spurned five points to force a deciding set. There was little trouble for Alexander Zverev who came out on top in two tiebreakers against Jaume Munar 7-6(2), 7-6(5) to force a final matchup. After three tense sets of tennis, the Spanish duo of Marcel Granollers and Pedro Martinez managed to hold off Kevin Krawietz and Tim Putz 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 as they surged towards another final.

It would be Struff to take the first advantage in the opening tie, going a break ahead before Carreno Busta replied in the perfect manner to level up instantly after. The first set would stay on serve right until Carreno Busta managed to win four points on the spin to nick a one-set advantage and put his country firmly in control.

This authority was tested early in the second set as Carreno Busta survived two break opportunities to keep the set on serve. It eventually fizzled out to a tiebreaker, but not before the Spaniard squandered three match points, almost directly repeating the events of the first set. It would then be the turn of Struff to miss crucial points. He found himself 6-1 ahead in the resulting tiebreaker, poised to take the match to a third set. However, he was pegged back by a rampant Carreno Busta. The 34-year-old won seven consecutive points as he closed out the first matchup.

Munar then had the chance to seal Spain’s spot in the final for the first time since 2019. It would be a very tricky task as the world number three Zverev stood firmly in his path. He would find himself a break down but managed to recover the deficit. Only a tiebreaker could split the pai in this tense clash. The former Olympic gold medallist showed his class take a hefty advantage while backing it up by getting over the line.

In the second set, it was Munar’s turn to take a break advantage. Despite this, Zverev clinically levelled at 3-3 with a sole chance brilliantly taken. Again, nothing could split them so a tiebreak would climax the second set. Ultimately, it also would culminate the match with Zverev clinching his fourth match point to put countless amounts of pressure on the double pairings from each country.

Granollers and Martinez took a sizeable lead in the premature stages of what was a shootout for a spot in the final. They led 4-0 before seeing the first set out with ease. It would be a different story in the next set as Krawietz and Putz nicked a break of their own to go 3-1 ahead. No more break chances were left on the table as the Germans got right back in it. They could not prevent the Spanish partnership from landing a huge blow to their Davis Cup ambitions, breaking to love before sneaking 4-1 ahead. When serving out for the match, the Spaniards survived a break point from their opponents before taking their first match point to cement their spot in the final against Italy. The final will be competed on Sunday, 23rd November. Either Spain will win their seventh title or Italy will complete a legendary third success on the spin in Bologna.