Spain and Germany Advance Amid Davis Cup Drama

In the crisp confines of Bologna's SuperTennis Arena, where the hum of packed stands amplified every baseline crack, Spain unearthed resilience Thursday to down the Czech Republic 2-1 and secure a Davis Cup semifinal spot. Absent their top-ranked talisman, the Spaniards leaned on understudy fire to overturn an early deficit, echoing the event's sixth revamped edition that tests nations on neutral ground. Germany, meanwhile, mirrored that tenacity by outlasting Argentina in a tiebreaker-laden affair, setting up a clash where endurance could define the path to the title.

Young Czech power tests Spanish depth

The Czechs seized the initiative when 20-year-old Jakub Mensik unleashed 20 aces to overpower veteran Pablo Carreño Busta 7-5, 6-4, his towering serves kicking up awkwardly on the indoor hard court to disrupt returns and force hurried crosscourt errors. This setback, the first since Spain's 2019 triumph, weighed heavy without Carlos Alcaraz, the six-time Grand Slam champion sidelined by a hamstring pull that left the team navigating uncharted pressure. Yet the fourth-seeded Czechs, eyeing a semifinal return since 2014, soon faced Jaume Munar, who claimed his debut Davis Cup singles win by grinding out a 6-3, 6-4 verdict over No. 17 Jiri Lehecka.

Munar's approach blended steady topspin forehands crosscourt with probing backhand slices down the line, drawing Lehecka into net approaches that faltered under defensive lobs and sapping his aggressive rhythm in prolonged rallies. The Mallorcan's poise amid the tie's emotional swing not only leveled the score but infused the squad with a collective surge, the crowd's rising cheers blending with the court's quick tempo to fuel Spain's momentum.

Doubles clinch ignites semifinal hopes

With the tie poised, Marcel Granollers and Pedro Martinez Portero stepped up to blunt Tomas Machac and Mensik's fresh pairing, edging two tight tiebreaks for a 7-6 (8), 7-6 (8) doubles triumph that sealed Spain's rally. Granollers' instinctive net poaches complemented Martinez's baseline retrievals, turning Czech one–two rushes into scrambled defenses and converting key points with underspin approaches that hugged the lines. This victory, as ESPN details, propels the Spaniards into a semifinal against No. 2-seeded Germany, a matchup brimming with intrigue on courts that reward varied pace over sheer power.

The psychological boost rippled through the arena, where Spain's bench erupted as if shedding the season's accumulated toll—endless travel, injuries, and now this hard-fought advancement that reignites dreams of a seventh Davis Cup crown.

Germany's resolve mirrors Spanish fight

Across the draw, Germany absorbed an early blow when Tomas Martin Etcheverry fired 23 aces to topple Jan-Lennard Struff 7-6 (3), 7-6 (7), his flat serves exploding off the surface to pin returns deep and limit inside-out counters. No. 3-ranked Alexander Zverev steadied the ship by dismantling No. 21 Francisco Cerundolo 6-4, 7-6 (3), deploying deep crosscourt backhands that stretched the Argentine's movement and provoked errors in baseline exchanges heavy with topspin duels. Argentina, pursuing its 100th tie win and a semifinal since the 2016 title, pushed to the brink in doubles, but Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz rallied past Andres Molteni and Horacio Zeballos 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (10), saving match points with volleyed one–two combinations that neutralized lefty serves and down-the-line poaches.

This gritty hold, Germany's second straight semifinal appearance, underscores a balanced attack forged through Zverev's individual campaigns and the duo's net synergy, the Bologna lights casting long shadows on a team primed for late-year warfare. As top-ranked Italy, sans world No. 2 Jannik Sinner on rest, braces for Belgium in the other bracket, Spain and Germany's semifinal looms as a test of tactical adaptability—where Granollers' volleys might clash with Zverev's precision, and mental edges honed in Bologna's pressure cooker could tip the scales toward renewed glory.