DTB team makes opening victory in Davis Cup perfect

Yannick Hanfmann raised his arms in the air after his nerve-wracking match, team manager Michael Kohlmann took a deep breath and then threw his arms around his protégé’s neck: With two convincing performances, the German tennis professionals made a successful start to the Davis Cup group phase.

Against Slovakia, Maximilian Marterer and Hanfmann ensure the important first step towards the dream destination of Malaga, where the final round will take place in November.

“I was a bit nervous. Playing for your country in the Davis Cup is always special,” said the Karlsruher Hanfmann after he had perfected the opening victory with a hard-fought 3:6, 6:3, 7:6 (7:3) win against Jozef Kovalik: “It’s very humid today. I’m glad it’s over.”

Marterer had previously won his singles match against Lukas Klein 6:4, 7:5. US Open finalists Kevin Krawietz and Tim Pütz, who only arrived in China on Monday evening after a long journey, made it 3:0 in the final doubles match against Klein and Igor Zelenay with 7:5, 6:3, which is also important in terms of the set balance in the table.

“It’s a relief. We’ve shown that we’re here,” Marterer said after his success.