Davis Cup Finals: Spain knocked out, Russia through to quarter-finals
Spain have been knocked out of the Davis Cup Finals after the Russian Tennis Federation secured an emphatic win. Andrey Rublev and Aslan Karatsev defeated Spanish pair Feliciano Lopez and Marcel Granollers 4-6, 6-2, 6-4. The Russians, who are touted as the front-runners to win the Davis Cup, topped Group A. They are through to the quarter-finals. Here are the key stats.
Why does it matter?
Spain entered the Davis Cup as the defending champions. They won their sixth title in 2019, defeating Canada 2-0 in the final. However, they have been knocked out this time. Spain were without their star player Rafael Nadal, who skipped the tournament with injury. Meanwhile, Russia are led by two of the Top 5 players, Daniil Medvedev and Rublev.
A look at the results (Russia)
World number five, Rublev lost the singles rubber 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 to the 40-year-old Feliciano Lopez. However, the 2021 US Open champion Medvedev restored parity with a 6-2, 7-6(3) victory over Pablo Carreno Busta. Thereafter, Rublev and Karatsev won the doubles tie, guiding Russia to the quarter-finals. The Russian Tennis Federation (RTF) finished as Group A toppers with five wins and one defeat.
Russia had defeated Ecuador 3-0
Russia earlier beat Ecuador 3-0 in the first set of fixtures. In the singles clashes, Rublev overcame Roberto Quiroz, while Medvedev defeated Emilio Gomez. The likes of Rublev and Karatsev downed Gonzalo Escobar and Diego Hidalgo.
The campaign of Spain
Spain finished just behind Russia in Group A. Like Russia, they had also beaten Ecuador 3-0. In the singles rubbers, Feliciano Lopez defeated Quiroz, while Busta overcame Gomez. The likes of Busta and Marcel Granollers beat Gonzalo Escobar and Hidalgo in the doubles segment. However, Spain succumbed to Russia in a do-or-die scenario, losing two of the three matches.
Fixtures for the 2021 Davis Cup Finals (quarter-finals)
Here are the fixtures for the 2021 Davis Cup Finals (quarter-finals). November 29: Croatia vs Italy (Turin), November 30: Great Britain vs Germany (Innsbruck), December 1: Kazakhstan vs Serbia (Madrid), December 2: Russia vs Sweden (Madrid).
