Maiden World Team Cup finalists Spain to face Netherlands
Spain will play Netherlands in Sunday’s men’s final at the 2021 BNP Paribas World Team Cup after two hugely entertaining semi-finals in Alghero, Sardinia, that delivered performances that had both great personal and historic significance for the players and teams involved.
It will be a first men’s World Group final for Spain at the ITF’s flagship wheelchair tennis team event, while Netherlands still have the opportunity to win the men’s, women’s, quad and junior events at the same World Team Cup after the Dutch joined Brazil, Japan and Great Britain in reaching Saturday’s junior semi-finals at the Baia di Conte Resort.
It’s 10 years this year since Netherlands won the most recent of their six men’s World Team Cup titles, when Tom Egberink and Maikel Scheffers were also part of the Dutch team that triumphed over France in the final in South Africa.
On that occasion Scheffers was the top-ranked Dutchman and played the second singles match in the final, but this year Scheffers was not called on for the semi-final against France as 22-year-old Ruben Spaargaren beat Frederic Cattaneo 6-2 6-2 to give Netherlands a 1-0 lead.
Egberink, who was only 18 when selected for the Dutch men’s team in 2011, is now world ranked No. 8 and arrived in Sardinia as the Tokyo Paralympic men’s singles silver medallist. However, for all his career success to date, Egberink had never beaten Frenchman Nicolas Peifer in 27 previous meetings - until this year’s semi-final match-up.
Egberink twice served for the first set against Peifer before losing out in a tie-break and he faced a match point at 5-4 down in the second set before completing a run of four games in a row to force the decider.
The 28-year-old extended his winning sequence to nine games in a row as he opened a 5-0 third set lead and ultimately claimed ten of the last 11 games to wrap up a memorable 6-7(4) 7-5 6-1 victory on his first match point and a 2-0 semi-final win for Netherlands.
“It’s amazing to be in the final and to secure Netherlands a place in the World Team Cup final, especially against Niciolas Peifer, having never beaten him before,” said Egberink. “After being one match point down I was really happy to make it three sets and it was a good level in the final set.
“As Ruben had won the first match it was a little bit more relaxed for me to play this game, as if it had gone to 1-1 then me and Maikel would have played doubles.
“I kept fighting until the end and I knew that some day it had to happen (beating Peifer). It’s always tough playing against Nico, but I am really focused after the Paralympic Games. It gave me a lot of confidence in Tokyo, especially after going through six surgeries (for injuries) and hopefully we can now go all the way here with the Dutch teams in the finals.”
Second seeds Spain edge Argentina in match tie-break
When Netherlands last won the men’s title in 2011, Daniel Caverzaschi was part of the Spanish team that won the junior title in South Africa. Fast-forward to 2021 and Caverzaschi raced through his first singles match of the men’s semi-final against Argentina, beating Ezequiel Casco 6-0 6-0.
The second singles match also went to form as Gustavo Fernandez levelled the contest at 1-1 after defeating Martin de la Puente 6-3 6-1, setting up the enticing prospect of the deciding doubles contest.
It was a match that did not disappoint as Fernandez and Agustin Ledesma fought back from 3-0 down to claim the first set for Argentina, while Caverzaschi and De la Puente refused to allow any such comeback in the second as they comfortably forced a winner-takes-all match tie-break.
Another less dramatic momentum shift saw the Argentinians open up a narrow 3-1 lead as the race to 10 points began to take shape.
But it was Caverzaschi and De la Puente’s greater consistency that ultimately earned them three match points and at the second time of asking De la Puente seized the opportunity to put away a forehand smash to seal a 4-6 6-1 [10-7] victory and spark joyous scenes among the four-strong Spanish squad and their captain.
Netherlands join Brazil, Great Britain, Japan in junior semis
Netherlands has won three out of the four World Team Cup titles in the same year on three separate occasions, achieving the feat for the first time 20 years ago this year, in 2001, when winning the first of a record seven junior titles.
In 2008 Netherlands won the quad title for the one and only time to date, together with a fourth junior title as only the men’s title prevented a full-house of trophies.
It would be a remarkable feat if all four trophies could return to Netherlands in 2021, but Lizzy De Greef and Maarten Ter Hofte played a significant part in the process as the girls’ world No.1 and boys’ world No. 7 secured a 3-0 win over France on the last day of junior round-robin matches to book Netherlands’ a place in the semi-finals as the second-placed team in their pool behind Great Britain.
The Dutch victory over France was one of three contests across the two round-robin pools to finish 3-0 as Great Britain beat USA, while Japan dropped just four games to Argentina to finish top of their pool.
Meanwhile, Brazil beat Turkey 2-1 as Jade Lanai and Joao Lukas Takaki won the deciding doubles match against Celil Cetiner and Emirhan Toper 6-1. 7-6(8) to finish second to Japan in Pool 2.
Netherlands will face Japan in Saturday’s semi-finals, while Brazil will play top seeds Great Britain.