The Sports Lowdown For All Your News and OpinionsArgentina have opened up a 2-0 lead against defending champions Great Britain in the Davis Cup semi-finals, as Juan Martin Del Potro and Guido Pella both secured tough wins in Glasgow. Pella fought back from losing the first set tie-break to top Kyle Edmund in four sets, whilst earlier on Del Potro avenged his Olympic gold medal match defeat in Rio to Andy Murray, by battling past the Brit 6-4 5-7 6-7 6-3 6-4 in a dramatic match. With both players sharing the first two sets, Murray recovered from a break and set point down to take the third in a tiebreak, before Del Potro forced a decider. However, despite the world number two’s resistance, the powerful Argentine took control of the fifth set with a devastating display, securing a crucial break before eventually prevailing in a gripping contest.
In the opening set, as expected both players showed high quality tennis but even though Murray gained an early break with a deep backhand, a series of errors enabled Del Potro to hit back immediately before levelling the scoreline at 2-2. The Argentine was growing in confidence as he started to dictate the baseline rallies and pressurise the world number two with his powerful groundstrokes, and as a result at 3-3, Del Potro seized another break when Murray netted a forehand. The Argentine easily consolidated the advantage to go 5-3 ahead and it proved to be a decisive break, as Del Potro went on to emphatically wrap up the set with an ace.
As the second set unfolded, Murray needed a series of immaculate first serves to recover from 30-0 down in order to hold, but Del Potro continued his imperious display to match his opponent in the scoreline and hold his own service games with relative ease. However, the Brit saved a break point at 4-4 before moving ahead 5-4 and despite Del Potro looking to force a breakthrough, Murray did well to hold his service games. With the set seemingly destined for a tiebreak though, at 6-5 up Murray raised the aggression to craft set points and the world number two claimed the set after outlasting his opponent, as Del Potro was left frustrated about the noise from the crowd during the set point rally.
In the third set, both players held their serve early on, but at 2-2 Murray’s deep return which would have set up break points was corrected by hawk-eye, allowing Del Potro to win the point on a controversial replay before levelling the scoreline at 2-2. The Argentine then forged break points of his own in the following game with more brutal hitting, and Del Potro eventually prevailed to gain the break. However, even though Murray immediately hit back to retrieve the break, Del Potro’s relentless forehand groundstrokes continued to pressurise the world number two and he regained the break advantage to lead 4-3. But, despite Murray still battling hard and creating more break points, Del Potro saved them with unreturnable serving and he eventually consolidated the break for a 5-3 margin, even though Murray thought Del Potro’s first serve had clipped the net for a let call just before the Argentine held. But, as Del Potro served for the set, the Argentine staved off more break points to create a set point, but Murray still refused to lie down and saved the set point in remarkable fashion with an exquisite lob, before eventually breaking his opponent with a backhand passing shot winner. The set would reach a tiebreak, and even though Del Potro battled back from an early deficit to level at 4-4, Murray held his nerve and eventually secured a pulsating set with an unreturnable serve, to take a two sets to one lead.
The fourth set saw neither player able to gain an early breakthrough as they both held serve comfortably, but at 2-1 up, Del Potro capitalised on an error strewn game from his opponent to seize the break when Murray drilled a backhand wide. The Argentine quickly held serve in the following game to open up a 4-1 lead, as for the first time in the match, the world number two’s level of tennis had slightly dipped and he also appeared to be affected physically by the gruelling nature of the encounter. However, Murray did well to reduce the deficit, but one break was enough for Del Potro as he closed out the set with a delicate drop shot volley, to take the match to a decider.
In the fifth set, the scoreline was tight early on but at 3-3, even though Del Potro was unable to convert a break point in Murray’s previous service game, the Argentine’s attacking onslaught from the forehand side was simply too much for the world number two to handle and Del Potro gained the crucial break in scintillating style, running down a volley to somehow thread a forehand passing shot winner down the line whilst on the run. The Argentine had seized the momentum, as he consolidated the break to move 5-3 ahead and held a match point on Murray’s serve, but the Brit showed incredible resistance to survive and forced Del Potro to serve out the match. However, with his ferocious hitting and huge serving, Del Potro was too strong as well as unstoppable, and he wrapped up the match with an ace to seal an enthralling victory and give Argentina the advantage in the tie.
In the following singles match, Kyle Edmund claimed the first set tie-break but eventually produced an erratic display, as his much more solid opponent Guido Pella hit back to claim a 6-7 6-4 6-3 6-2 win, and put Argentina one win away from the final.
Meanwhile, the other semi-final between France and Croatia is poised at 1-1, as Richard Gasquet beat Borna Coric in straight sets, but Marin Cilic brought Croatia level with a four set victory over Lucas Pouille.
