Daniel Altmaier and Jan-Lennard Struff powered Germany through to the semi-final of the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga with a 2-0 win over Canada. On Wednesday, November 20, the Germans beat Gabriel Diallo and Denis Shapovalov and set up a clash with the Netherlands, who defeated Spain 2-1 on Tuesday.
Altmaier gave Germany the crucial 1-0 lead after beating Diallo 7-6 (5), 6-4 in a tad under two hours. The first set was a closely-fought affair where Altmaier stormed to a 5-0 lead before closing the set out. In the 10th game of the second set, he bounced back from 15-40 down to earn a crucial break and drill the final nail in the coffin.
“Playing in the finals, I haven’t played Davis Cup the whole year. I am proud to help the team get the first victory. The mental side is crucial. It’s a huge motivation for me. My fighting spirit helped me to win the first set, and then I was getting into a better rhythm,” Altmaier said in the on-court interview.
In the second match, Struff got the better of Shapovalov and secured Germany’s spot in the top two. Struff won the match 4-6, 7-5, 7-6. Struff lost the opening set, but showed nerves of steel to stage a comeback.
Germany exacted revenge for their 2022 quarter-final defeat to Canada, who went on to win their first Davis Cup title with a victory over Australia.
“It will be amazing. It’s a big step for us to go from the quarters to the semis. We want to win and go to the finals now,” Struff said.
World No.1 Jannik Sinner, who won the US Open and Australian Open, will be in action in Italy’s semi-final against Argentina. The United States and Australia will face off in the other quarterfinal.
