HANNOVER, GERMANY: Germany and Czech
Republic are tied at 2-2 in Hannover after Tomas Berdych was forced to
withdraw with a hamstring injury after dropping the first two sets to
Philipp Kohlschreiber.
The Czech went off court for a lengthy treatment after being broken in the fifth game of the first set and returned with some heavy strapping on his upper right thigh. He lasted one hour and 41 minutes on court before calling it a day with Kohlschreiber leading 63 75.
Sasha Zverev, the talented 18-year-old making his debut, will now be trust into the spotlight once more when he goes up against Lukas Rosol with a Davis Cup by BNP Paribas quarterfinal spot on the line.
Despite Berdych’s injury, credit must still go to Kohlschreiber who played some sensational tennis. He looked sharp and zoned in from the start, considerably improving on his level from Friday’s scratchy win over Rosol.
Kohlschreiber controlled the rallies superbly, keeping the ailing Berdych on the move with a combination of depth, angles and some cheeky drop shots. While the Czech continued to move okay, he struggled to really load his legs into shots, sending many groundstrokes crashing into the net.
Kohlschrieber played the better tennis on the important points throughout, converting on three of his five break point opportunities to pile the pressure on Berdych. The Czech, on the other hand, went 0-8, failing to break the German’s serve.
The Czechs, champions in 2012 and 2013, have won 12 of their last 14 Davis Cup ties. Their hopes now rest with Rosol.
Source: DavisCup.com
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