Tallon Griekspoor's triumph over Jan-Lennard Struff rallies Netherlands towards Davis Cup Finals

Tallon Griekspoor rallies past a tough Jan-Lennard Struff 6-7(4), 7-5, 6-4, securing the Netherlands' spot in the Davis Cup Finals. In an intensely even match, the Dutchman achieved a crucial break late in the second set, building confidence to propel his country to their first-ever final.

If the Dutch team surprised Spain’s Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals, it was merely a prelude to what was to come. The Netherlands, reaching the semifinals for only the second time in their history (the first being in 2001), seized the opportunity against Germany and now await the winner of Italy vs. Australia.

The morning’s opening match was a close contest between two players with similar form. Altmaier (No. 88) had secured a win against Gabriel Diallo in straight sets during the quarterfinals, while Van de Zandschulp (No. 80) had stunned Rafael Nadal in the opening round.

Throughout the first set, both players faced and saved break points. The key moment came in the 9th game, where the Dutchman capitalized on a break opportunity to take the lead, eventually closing the set 6-4. Altmaier struggled with a poor 50% first-serve success rate, compared to an impressive 75% from Van de Zandschulp.

In the second set, Van de Zandschulp took the lead with a break in the 5th game, setting himself up well for victory. Leading 4-2, he had four more break opportunities that could have put the match beyond Altmaier's reach but failed to convert them. Altmaier responded by winning three consecutive games to lead 5-4. The set culminated in a dramatic tiebreak, where the German saved five match points in an intense battle before taking the set 7-6(14-12) after 1 hour and 18 minutes.

The third set hinged on key moments. The Dutchman broke early to lead 2-0 but quickly surrendered his serve. Both players saved break points throughout the set, though Van de Zandschulp appeared under slightly more pressure. However, in the 8th game, Altmaier again faltered on his first serve, conceding a decisive break that allowed the Netherlands to secure victory 6-4, 6-7(14-12), 6-3.

From the outset, neither player succumbed to the pressure of representing their countries on such a pivotal stage, maintaining excellent service numbers. Both well-suited to indoor surfaces, Struff (No. 43) held an 86% first-serve win rate compared to Griekspoor's 78%.

Neither player caused much trouble on return, with no deuces played throughout the set. After 35 minutes, the match moved to a tiebreak. Struff gained the upper hand with mini-breaks on the 4th and 8th points, closing the set on his third set point, 7-6(4).

With the advantage for Struff, the second set unfolded similarly to the first. However, Griekspoor gradually began reacting better to his opponent’s serve. In the 8th game, the Dutchman faced two break points that could have steered Struff directly to victory but managed to save them, keeping the score at 4-4.

After surviving this high-pressure moment, Griekspoor earned his first opportunities of the match in the 11th game, converting to take the lead and then the set 7-5, with an 82% service points win rate compared to Struff's 72%. Griekspoor’s momentum carried into the third set, where he broke in his first opportunity to lead 2-0, extending a streak of five consecutive games in his favor.

From then on Griekspoor showed his hierarchy to hold on to his serve. He never again conceded a break point and went on to close out a remarkable 6-7(4), 7-5, 6-4 win that takes the Netherlands into their first Davis Cup final. They now await the winner of Jannik Sinner's Italy against Australia, led by Alex De Minaur.