http://www.daviscup.org/news/matchreport.asp?id=12277
08 Feb 2003, DC 官網
Nalbandian secures 2-0 lead for home favourites Argentina
David Nalbandian, the youngest and highest-ranked player of the Argentina-
Germany first round tie, has secured a 2-0 lead for his country by defeating
Lars Burgsmuller 61 76 75 in a close and tense contest at the Club Atletico
River Plate in Buenos Aires.
Under cover of cloudy and windy skies, Nalbandian and Burgsmuller walked out
onto court to be greeted by the rapturous 8,000-strong Buenos Aires crowd who
were determined not to let the disappointing weather dampen spirits.
The first set started much the same way as the first singles rubber earlier,
with Burgsmuller finding it difficult to settle into any rhythm in the blustery
conditions. Nalbandian was by far the more composed of the two and, like his
teammate Gaudio, settled in quickly, breaking the Burgsmuller serve in the
opening game. The German’s serve, with a very distinctive high ball toss,
can be vulnerable at the best of times and in the strong afternoon wind he
struggled to find any consistency. He hit twelve double faults compared to
Nalbandian’s four and was broken seven times throughout the course of the
match.
The first set was all about Nalbandian. His relaxed approach certainly paid
off, hitting an extremely impressive 71% of his first serves, breaking serve
four times and winning 29 of the 47 points played. Things were looking pretty
grim for the German team at the end of the 31 minute first set, and Tommy Haas
– who although injured is supporting his team on the bench in Argentina –
looked particularly disconsolate. However, after a long talking-to from
captain Patrick Kuhnen, Burgsmuller managed to pull his game together and
fought hard to get back into the match.
The second set was much more like a traditional clay court match, with both
players rallying hard from the back of the court. The set went down to a nail-
biting tiebreak with both players raising their games. Despite Burgsmuller’s
more aggressive and confident play, it was Nalbandian who managed to hold his
nerve and take the set 76(4).
By the beginning of the third set, not only had the sun emerged from behind the
clouds for the first time, but also the tennis on court had moved to a new
level with both men playing at the top of their games. Burgsmuller’s shot-
making got increasingly daring with a number of successful approaches to the
net. The German managed to mix his game up well and disrupt some of the
Nalbandian rhythm by employing a variety of chip-charges to the net, lobs and
drop shots. Nalbandian’s greater experience on clay, however, was the key to
his victory as he held his own and managed to break the German’s serve in the
penultimate game of the set.
This was only Nalbandian’s third Davis Cup match and by the look of his
victory celebration on court the win obviously meant a lot to him. In his post-
match conference he paid tribute to Burgsmuller, ranked 64 places below him but
having played a respectable match in his first ever Davis Cup outing.
Burgsmuller commented: “This was a big occasion for me. It was my first
experience of Davis Cup and is certainly the largest crowd I have played in
front of. I was very nervous at the start, especially with the noise the crowd
was making. Despite losing, I am happy with my performance.”
The German team now face a very daunting prospect. If they are to progress to
the quarterfinals of the 2003 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas they must now dig deep
and summon up something extra special in order to win the next three rubbers.
In Saturday’s ever-popular and crucial doubles match, the Germans will be
looking to their secret weapon, David Prinosil, to guide them to victory. He
has seven years of Davis Cup experience and has proved himself a very competent
doubles player on a number of occasions. He will team with Michael Kohlmann to
face the strong pairing of Lucas Arnold and David Nalbandian.
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※ 編輯: esnique 來自: 218.165.185.21 (02/09 04:53)