Meaningless tennis drama at German debut

Tennis pro Henri Squire dramatically missed out on a successful Davis Cup debut. In the sportingly insignificant preliminary round against the USA, who, like Germany, had already qualified for the final round, Squire was just one point away from victory.

In the 7:6 (7:4), 6:7 (9:11), 3:6 against Reilly Opelka, the 23-year-old from Duisburg missed three match points in the second set. The USA is now leading 1:0.

The duel at the end of the group phase in Zhuhai/China is only of statistical value, as both teams have already secured their ticket for the decision of the best eight nations in Malaga (November 19th to 24th). In the second singles match on Saturday, Maximilian Marterer will face Brandon Nakashima, and the final doubles match is between Kevin Krawietz/Tim Pütz and Austin Krajicek/Rajeev Ram. The USA also went into the tournament with a weakened squad.

Captain Michael Kohlmann’s German team successfully defied the absences and the challenges of the trip and defeated Slovakia and Chile 3-0. That was enough to qualify for the final tournament. Germany has been waiting for its fourth Davis Cup triumph since 1993, and last year the team missed out on qualifying for Malaga.

In May, Squire was in the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time at the French Open in Paris, where he reached the second round. However, the number 187 in the world rankings is mostly seen on the second-class Challenger Tour. He was knocked out of the tournament in the qualifying rounds at Wimbledon and the US Open.