Finlandwith the tennis player Otto Virtanen as a hero, he has caused the surprise on the first day of the ‘Final 8’ of the Davis Cup, which is being played this week in the Martín Carpena Pavilion of Málaga, by beating the current champion in the quarterfinals, Canada (2-1), to advance to the semifinals.
In the first singles duel, Milos Raonic advanced the North American team after beating in two sets Patrick Kaukovalta (6-3, 7-5). The former world number three, who had not played a Davis Cup duel since 2018, did not face any break balls against him and took advantage of two of the five he had at his disposal.
Thus, he finished the first set after breaking his opponent’s serve in the eighth game, and did the same in the eleventh game of the second set to avoid the tie-break and end the contest after one hour and eight minutes.
Subsequently, Otto Virtanen made it 1-1 by beating Gabriel Diallo (6-4, 7-5), Canadian number one in the absence of Felix Auger-Aliassime and that he arrived in the Andalusian city with physical discomfort. The Nordic player, world number 171, won the first set by breaking in the third game and resisting a break point in the fourth.
Already in the second set, he missed three break opportunities before taking advantage of the fourth, in the eleventh game, and taking the match. Everything would be resolved in the doubles match, where Virtanen he repeated along with Harri Heliovaara versus Alexis Galarneau and Vasek Pospisil.
The Finnish duo started with a 4-1 that the Canadian pair neutralized with another break (4-4), but in the twelfth game, in their second opportunity, they closed the set in their favor for the rest. A single ‘break’ in the eighth game of the second set allowed Finland to give the bell and eliminate the champion.