Davis Cup against the Finns
Dream start! Neumayer’s victory is half the battle
Austria's men's tennis team can celebrate a dream start in the Davis Cup against Finland. Lukas Neumayer won the first singles match against top 100 player Otto Virtanen 6:4, 6:7, 6:3 and thus won the point that seemed most unlikely. After the 1-0 win, Austria now has the best chance of advancing to the second qualifying round.
Although there were "only" around 1000 spectators cheering on Austria's Davis Cup men, they created a great atmosphere right from the start and ensured that Lukas Neumayer enjoyed a real home advantage. The draw had not been ideal, as the first singles match was the one of the five matches with the lowest chances of success on paper. Neumayer, ranked 219th in the world, challenged Finland's best player Otto Virtanen, who is currently ranked 97th.
But there was no sign of this difference on the court. Virtanen served stronger, but the Austrian earned two break points in the very first game, which his opponent managed to fend off. However, the nimble Neumayer often had the upper hand in the rallies. He converted this into a break for 4:3. He also had his nerves under control when serving out. Although he missed the first five set points, he took the set 6:4 after 43 minutes.
Break conceded
Neumayer was jubilant and on an emotional high, while Virtanen, who was not fortunate with a few net balls, seemed slightly annoyed. The man from Salzburg took advantage of this to take the break for 1:0 in the second set. He even had four chances for the double break, but was unable to capitalize on them. That took its revenge. Virtanen equalized at 4:4 and secured the second set 7:4 in the tiebreak.
The third set was an up and down affair. In the end, the fans helped Neumayer to triumph 6:4, 6:7, 6:3 after 2:23 hours. This should have laid the foundation for an Austrian success. "It was an incredible atmosphere," he thanked the fans and said after his success over the top 100 man: "It was also one of my best victories. I always play best at home in front of fans, friends and family."
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