Davis Cup: Australia lose first match as Germany's Alexander Zverev scrapes through
In a tough match, Alexander Zverev struggled at every step. He won the first set, but after that, Alex de Minaur played some spectacular defense, putting the world number five player under pressure in the next two sets.
But Zverev returned and won the fourth set, before giving his country the lead by winning the final set in a tie-breaker.
The 20-year-old Zverev's record in Davis Cup has not been special. Prior to the victory on Friday, he had only won one match in the tournament, while he facing defeat in four. His performance in the Grand Slams has also been poor; recently, he was ousted from the Australian Open after losing in the third round.
However, Zverev said that after losing, he took lessons from champion Roger Federer's style of play. In Melbourne, Federer even acknowledged that success can be achieved only by hard work, and that Zverev still has a bright future ahead of him.
Paes and Salisbury into semifinals
Leander Paes and Joe Salisbury are into the semifinals of the RBC Tennis Championships in Dallas, after winning a tense Super Tiebreaker match. India's Paes and Salisbury of America defeated Ruben Gonzales and Hunter Rees 6-3, 2-6, 17-15 in the quarter-finals of the ATP Challenger event.
In the previous match, this pair won a long Super Tiebreaker match with a score of 18-16. Now they will be facing the pair of Austin Krajicek and Jackson Withrow of America.
Paes won his 25th ATP Challenger title in Newport Beach last week with James Serani.
The ATP Challenger event in Chennai will be a big attraction
Jordan Thompson of Australia and Yuki Bhambri of India will headline the Chennai Open ATP Challenger Tennis Tournament, which starts here in India on February 12. As per the ATP rankings, the 94th-placed Thompson will be given the top seed in the tournament and Bhambri will be second.
Other Indian players joining the main draw include Saketh Myneni, Sumit Nagal and Prajesh Guneswaran. In addition, four other Indian players can be given wild cards.
Spain's 138th-ranked player, Marcel Granollers, who has frequently played the ATP Chennai Open in the past, is likely to be given the third seed, and the fourth will likely go to Cunu Kwan of South Korea.
The qualifying round of the tournament will begin on February 10 and the singles finals will be played on February 17.