Colombia completed an exciting victory in Davis Cup World Group I: they beat Luxembourg 3-2, on Saturday in Bogotá, in a vibrant comeback as they lost the series 0-2. 55 years ago, Colombia had not achieved such a victory in the tournament: that time they did it against Venezuela.
The team led by Alejandro Falla faced one of the most difficult tests: playing with a group that was little known in general, a roster renewed after the confirmed absences of Juan Sebastián Cabal and Robert Farah (retired), and Daniel Galán, who prioritized playing in the ATP circuit.
In his place was Nicolás Mejía (411 in the world), who at 23 years old shouldered the responsibility of being the country's number one racket. The Bogota native suffered in the first outing, in singles, losing 6-7 and 3-6 against Chris Rodesch. But in his second match he beat Alex Knaff 6-2, 6-2 and let off steam on the court after a difficult start.
Sergio Acero Yate. TIME
“I felt like I had let my country down (after losing on Friday). I slept little, I was very nervous after the disaster. I have not won anything, I am nobody, but I will fight to the death for this shirt,” he said after winning his point.
Adriá Soriano experienced a similar situation. The tennis player with a Spanish father and Colombian mother decided to represent Colombia and received the first call from Falla. But the debut weighed on him: it was a defeat in the second game of the series, in singles, (4-6, 6-2 and 4-6) against Alex Knaff.
However, he got up from the fall and overcame the pressure of the fifth game, in his racket was Colombia's classification to World Group I. Soriano gave the country final joy, defeating Chris Rodesch 6-3 and 7-6 . “Wearing the shirt was not a burden, it was a pride. I changed my flag dreaming of living this moment,” said Adriá.
The importance of doubles, with new names
The victory would have been impossible without Nicolás Barrientos and Cristian Mejía. The Colombian duo was obliged to win to avoid relegation and with their victory they gave life to the team after beating Alex Knaff and Chris Rodesch 6-3, 6-7 and 6-1. “We trust ourselves, we were at the limit, but we showed that we can reverse complicated situations,” said Alejandro Falla.
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