DEL POTRO, DELBONIS COMPLETE COMEBACK AGAINST CROATIA FOR ARGENTINA’S FIRST DAVIS CUP TENNIS TITLE

Written by: Staff on 27th November 2016

DEL POTRO, DELBONIS COMPLETE COMEBACK AGAINST CROATIA FOR ARGENTINA'S FIRST DAVIS CUP TENNIS TITLE

epa05650302 Argentinian Davis Cup team players (L-R) Federico Delbonis, Guido Pella, captain Daniel Orsanic, Leonardo Mayer, and Juan Martin del Potro celebrate with the trophy after defeating Croatia in the Davis Cup final in Zagreb, Croatia, 27 November 2016. EPA/ANTONIO BAT |

By Ricky Dimon

Davis Cup titles do not come easy. Just ask Argentina.

The Argentines, who had not lifted the trophy a single time prior to Sunday, finally did it–and they did it the hard way. Not only did the visitors trail Croatia 2-1 after two days of competition, but they also saw Juan Martin Del Potro drop the first two sets of his fourth rubber against Marin Cilic. The 2016 ATP Tour Comeback Player of the Year, though, stormed back for a 6-7(4), 2-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-3 victory to keep his country alive.

Argentina’s Federico Delbonis returns the ball to Croatia’s Ivo Karlovic during their match of the Davis Cup final between Croatia and Argentina in Zagreb, Croatia, 27 November 2016. EPA/ANTONIO BAT

That set the stage for further heroics from Federico Delbonis. In a clinical performance under the most intense kind of pressure, Delbonis thrashed Ivo Karlovic 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in two hours and nine minutes to give Argentina the title.

“We did what we had to do,” victorious captain Daniel Orsanic said. “We could have lost, but the guys were amazing today. Juan Martin won an incredible match and Federico played the best match of his life. I dreamed for this so many times.”

Sunday almost signaled the completion of an Argentine nightmare that had begun on Saturday, when Cilic and Ivan Dodig took care of Del Potro and Leonardo Mayer 7-6(2), 7-6(4), 6-3 to put the Croats ahead 2-1. Having played well at the World Tour Finals before starting this weekend with two wins (first in singles against Delbonis), Cilic parlayed his momentum into a two-set advantage over Del Potro. The world No. 6 struck 18 aces without double-faulting through the first two frames of play.

It all turned around, however, with Croatia just a single set from glory. Del Potro broke Cilic in the 12th game to take the third, capitalizing on his third set point with a lunging forehand volley winner. A dramatic fourth featured controversial time violations against Del Potro issued by chair umpire James Keothavong. But the 2009 U.S. Open champion used it as fuel to his fire, and he delivered a clutch hold at 4-4 before breaking Cilic in the following game for the set.

Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro in action against Marin Cilic during the Davis Cup final match between Croatia and Argentina in Zagreb, Croatia, 27 November 2016. EPA/ANTONIO BAT

Del Potro dropped serve to begin the fifth, but it proved to be nothing more than a temporary hiccup in his charge to victory. The world No. 38 broke right back for 1-1 and earned another scalp of the Cilic serve for 5-3. Del Potro made no mistake with the match on his racket, capping of his comeback with a love hold.

“This was an emotionally exhausting match and one of the biggest wins of my career,” Del Potro assured.

Delbonis’ win was without question his biggest ever. The world No. 41 handled the immense occasion in expert fashion, whereas Karlovic committed seven double-faults and lost his usually fearsome serve five times in 13 service games. Delbonis fired five aces, double-faulted just twice, and saved the only two break points he faced.

“We played with our heart and tried to do [our] best,” Delbonis explained. “This is amazing.”

“We can only congratulate the Argentines and Del Potro for hauling them back into the match,” Croatian captain Zeljko Krajan commented. “We did all we could but unfortunately it wasn’t enough.”