In an expression of what his life has been, a model of tenacity and patience, Roberto Bautista won Felix Auger-Aliassime 7-6 (3) and 6-3, in an hour and 38 minutes, leaving Spain to only one point of winning the Davis Cup for the sixth time. The Spaniard, who lost his father, Ximo, victim of a long illness on Thursday, rejoined the team in a show of professionalism, which he had already demonstrated in 2018 when he played Roland Garros, just a few days after his mother's sudden death . Defeated by Andrey Rublev in the debut crossing against Russia and winner against Nikola Mektic in the crossing that followed against Croatia, the world number 9 returned to win and claim his name in a competition that has not always treated him as he deserves. He raised his arms, looked at the sky, crossed himself, threw himself into Bruguera's arms, dove among the members of the bench and returned to the track to greet the audience, who chanted his name.

Imprecise in the tiebreaker, Auger-Aliassime made the mistakes that should never be made in those trances. He exceeded two balls that ended up costing him the first set. Baptist is a rock. Does not consent. It works like a turbine that often ends up suffocating its rivals. The Canadian has a complete and fluid tennis.

Unexpected rival

Surprised Frank Dancevic giving him input to play the first individual instead of Vasek Pospisil. The young Montreal player arrived in Madrid with a sprained ankle sprain and had not played any game in the Magic Box. It was an unprecedented match, without previous references. Aliassime, 19, is one of the tennis players who peek into the future. He is 21st in the ranks and has played his first three ATP finals this season: in Rio, Lyon and Stuttgart.

He started very well and was able to stand with 5-4 and service not to mediate a winning serve from Castellón. The Davis Cup is almost a new experience for Aliassime, which debuted earlier this season against Slovakia and presented a balance of a win and a loss in singles. As the game progressed he began to weigh the inexperience, as well as the fact of taking more than a month without competing. Bautista reacted immediately when the one in Montreal had neutralized the disadvantage in the second set to settle with 3-2 and service. He broke it blank and placed two games of victory, which he no longer let out. Winner of nine ATP titles, the most recent at the beginning of the year, in Doha, and Wimbledon semifinalist last summer, he surely enjoyed one of the most beautiful experiences as a tennis player in Madrid, an immense stimulus to mitigate the duel.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

  • tennis
  • Davis cup

Davis Cup The unexpected reunion between Andy Murray and the Davis Cup: "Some want to damage the new format before starting"

Davis Cup Mess with the Davis Cup schedules: criticism, Canada is 'erased' from the doubles and Spain finishes at dawn

Davis CupKyrgios is here: bite with the stand of Colombia and victory in his Davis Cup debut