Spain reached the Davis Cup final thanks to doubles pair Marcel Granollers and Pedro Martínez, who defeated Germany’s Tim Pütz and Kevin Krawietz 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 Saturday for a 2-1 win in their semifinal.
Alexander Zverev had kept the Germans’ hopes alive with a 7-6 (2), 7-6 (5) win over Jaume Munar after Pablo Carreño Busta got Spain off to a winning start against Jan-Lennard Struff.
Carreño Busta saved five consecutive set points in the tiebreaker before beating the German veteran 6-4, 7-6 (6).
But Granollers and Martínez shocked Pütz and Krawietz by dealing them just their second Davis Cup loss.
Carreno Busta, “I was playing probably my best tennis at the end of the second set. In a tiebreak we’re 6-1 down, of course you are not thinking of winning but just try to be focused on every point. Don’t think of the score. I know that it’s easy to say and tough to do it but, well, sometimes if you believe you can do so, I think was the key.”
“For me, to be here on the Spanish team, playing this competition is probably a dream. Because a few months ago it was dead — I had my injury on elbow, suffering a lot. I didn’t know if I could play game tennis. So for me to be here again — this is a dream and I am enjoying every moment,” he added.
It sent the Spanish team, which was without injured No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, back into the final for the first time in six years.
Spain will face two-time defending champion Italy, which defeated Belgium on Friday.
