Feliciano López, the magician of the five Davis Cups, allowed Spain to continue dreaming at the Madrid Arena. The 40-year-old from Toledo, ranked 104th in the world, knocked down Andrey Rublev, fifth racket in the ATP, with pride and class, 2-6, 6-3 and 6-4 in 1h: 45. A victory of faith that he opened the door ajar to access rooms. But the subsequent defeat of Pablo Carreño in two sets against Daniil Medvedev by 6-2 and 7-6 (3) leaves only a slit for Spain: win the doubles to be first in the group and face Sweden on Thursday (16:00). A defeat would not allow him to be one of the two best runners-up.
The bleak tie began. With two breaks in the first quarter of Rublev, 24 years old and participant last week in the Masters while Feliciano played a Challenger tournament (second category) to secure points with a view to participating in the Australian Open. The public chanted his name without much conviction …
Until he dragged them to believe. He connected them. His fine tennis at the net (“One of the best matches of my career, fast and agile”, he later recounted) began to flow. Although the first serves did not enter (50% at the end), with the first ones that went inside it was lethal (40/49) and with the second he managed to sign several aces. Break to 4-2 in the second. Fist to the chest. Rublev brooding on his demons. And set to the esportón.
Feliciano entered the first day for the positive in COVID of Carlos Alcaraz and he won clean, in two sets, the Ecuadorian Roberto Quiroz. Then, he could not dispute the doubles due to a drop in glucose. But before Rublev he entered with her full. He lifted the Russian two break balls at 0-1 and snatched the serve from him in the next game. He had two match balls to the rest that did not materialize. But he was not scared. He loves Davis and Davis loves him. The Russian still had a break ball when he served to win. And he held out to win with an ace. With your DNA. Imperial until victory. “This team has many eggs and it is about competing, “he summed up excitedly at the foot of the track.
But Carreño, who had liquidated Medvedev in the Tokyo Games where he was bronze, started badly against the second in the world. Medvedev went 5-0 in a snap. With 6-2 the atmosphere cooled down. The Asturian still rose proud with a break, but the US Open champion endorsed him another two. Carreño lifted two match balls and achieved another break to take the sleeve to the tiebreaker. Medvedev did not tremble: KO. A doubles victory is the only way to stay alive.