Wessels draws Netherlands level
Wessels draws Netherlands level
Peter Wessels edged out Karol Beck in a five-set thriller 67(5) 75 67(3) 64 62
to level the Davis Cup Quarterfinal tie between the Netherlands and Slovakia
in Bratislava on Friday.
Earlier in the day, Dominik Hrbaty had given the hosts the lead, gaining his
first career win over Raemon Sluiter by 61 57 64 63.
Beck led by two sets to one in the second match before wilting in the final set
and captain Miroslav Mecir admitted he could be a doubt for Saturday’s doubles
match.
“It was a good tennis match that swung backwards and forwards but in the end
I think 1-1 is a fair result,” said Mecir.
“It is fair to say that Karol (Beck) is very tired right now and we have to
evaluate his condition with the rest of the team and see tomorrow what the
doubles pairing will be.”
The match lasted nearly four and a half hours and until the final two games the
players were never separated by more than a single break of serve. Beck won the
first set tie-break and looked to have wrapped up the second when he raced into
a 5-2 lead. But Wessels won seven games on the spin to turn the match on its
head.
Beck won the third on a tie-break again but Wessels upped his game in the fourth
to force a fifth and final set decider.
“At the end of the third set I was pretty down because I had lots of chances
to win, I served for the set and I had a lot of break points on his serve,”
admitted Wessels.
“But at the beginning of the fourth he gave away his serve with four mistakes
and that made me feel better.
“I saw him going down a bit and in the end I think I was mentally and physically
tougher and that was decisive.”
Wessels did waiver briefly in the fourth set when a spectator’s constant
heckling as he was about to serve and during points angered him. He complained
to match referee Alan Mills who had the offender removed from the stadium.
Hrbaty dedicated his victory to his grandmother who was celebrating her 80th
birthday. The Slovak came storming out of the blocks to break Sluiter three
times in the opening.
“I tried to play deep balls so he had to run a lot after his serve because
he plays with both hands on both sides and that makes it more difficult,” said
Hrbaty.
“Throughout the end of the game I tried to push him to the corners because I
didn’t want to let him be aggressive as he has a very fast forehand.”
Hrbaty suffered a major blip after racing to a 5-2 lead in the second set only
to lose the next seven games. But Sluiter started to suffer from cramp while
leading 3-1 in the third set and the momentum swung back the Slovaks way.
“It (cramp) started at 3-1 when I hit a forehand slice with one hand and I
felt a little click in my wrist,” complained Sluiter.
“It wasn’t too bad but it was followed by cramps in my hand and then a couple
of games later cramps in my legs.
“It cost me too much energy to come back from 6-1 5-2 and the first two sets
killed me.”
Hrbaty took full advantage, breaking his opponent three times in the final two
sets and sealing the match in just under three hours.
Beck and Michal Mertinak are due to face Wessels and 39-year-old Paul Haarhuis
in Saturday’s doubles. The winners of this tie will face either Australia or
Argentina in the semi-finals.
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