By Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, November 20, 2025
Photo credit: Davis Cup Facebook
The court-side clock past 1 a.m. when Germany finally saw the winning light.
Tim Puetz pounded a forehand down the line that lashed off the baseline converting Germany’s fifth match point to end an absolutely wild 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(10) triumph over Argentina’s Andres Molteni and Horacio Zeballos that sealed Germany’s 2-1 Davis Cup win over Argentina.
Puetz and partner Kevin Krawietz showed grit and guts saving three match points in a dizzying and dramatic tiebreaker sending Germany into Saturday’s Davis Cup semifinals against Spain at the SuperTennis Arena in Bologna today.
The German duo denied match points down 6-7, 7-8 and 9-10 in the decisive tiebreaker before Puetz’s bold forehand strike down the line ended the duel. Though none of the four players realized the match was over initially because what was left of the crowd was so loud they were uncertain if an out call had been made.
Earlier, Marcel Granollers and Pedro Martinez were heroic closers edging Tomas Machac and Jakub Mensik 7-6(8), 7-6(8) lifting Spain to a thrilling 2-1 triumph over Czechia into its first Davis Cup semifinal since 2019.
Tomas Martin Etcheverry opened today’s final quarterfinal out-dueling Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff 7-6(3) 7-6(7) to stake Argentina to a 1-0 lead.
In a match of first-strike tennis, Etcheverry more than tripled Struff’s ace output—23 to 7—and rallied to victory after dropping serve to start the match.
“It was tough at the beginning of the match. He was playing, like, so aggressive, a lot of rhythm,” Etcheverry said. “He won the last week in the challenger, so I expect that. After the first break in the first set, then 15-40, 1-3, it was a tough moment.
“I just trying to keep focus and trying to playing point by point. After that, I play an incredible game at 3-2, his serve. I got the break back. It was a high level. Of course, the match had different moments. Yeah, I’m super proud of what I did today on court.”
World No. 60 Etcheverry broke back at love to level the first set, 4-all.
In the first-set tiebreaker, Etcheverry used his forehand to fire out to a 6-2 lead before sealing the set.
“I think it was a very intense match. Pretty high quality from both players,” Struff said. “Yeah, I think I had a chance, I mean, a really good start to the match. I think I had the chance to get a second break. Didn’t happen.
“He broke back very good, very good returns. Yeah, I tried to stay very calm in that moment because I had the feeling I was playing good tennis. I felt I had good chances. But yeah, he managed to win the tiebreak in the first. Again, I was feeling it’s a very intense-type match, but I have the chance to get the second again. In the second, in his first service game, had break points. I think he saved them pretty well.”
In the end, Etcheverry won four more points total (85 to 81) in the match.
“Except the break, I felt I served pretty good,” Struff said. “I didn’t give him so many opportunities to break me. Yeah, but he started serving very well, as well. In the end he was serving pretty good. It was very close match. I think, like, very just one, two points decided it. Yeah, in the end that’s it. He deserved to win.”
Germany was down 0-1 when former Olympic gold-medal champion Alexander Zverev fended off Francisco Cerundolo 6-4, 7-6(3) to level the tie, 1-1.
Early in the match, Zverev surged through 12 of 14 points, breaking Cerundolo at 15 then backing up the break at 15 for a 4-2 lead. That proved to be the lone break of the match.
World No. 3 Zverev won eight of his last nine service points in the opener to snatch a one-set lead.
In the second-set tiebreaker, Zverev won a punishing 30-plus shot rally when Cerundolo netted a backhand down the line. That grueling duel left both men bent over grabbing at their knees gasping for air.
On the next point, Zverev zapped a backhand pass down the line that eluded a diving Cerundolo, who crashed to the court Boris Becker-style and arose down 0-3 in the tiebreaker. A Cerundolo double fault gave Zverev a fistful of match points at 6-2.
On his second match point, Zverev bolted a big serve down the T closing in one hour, 35-minutes and setting up the decisive doubles to determine which nation would advance to the final four.
“Extremely happy with the win, of course, staying alive in the tie, hopefully the doubles can win it for us and we go to the semifinals,” Zverev said. “I felt like I started really well so I was ahead in the set before the match kind of started.
“The second set was extremely tough chances both wins. Of course, I have full trust and full belief in our doubles guys, but we have to play a great match hopefully they can do that.”
Argentina was two points from doubles defeat serving at 5-6 in the final set, but came back to earn a tough hold and force the tiebreaker at 12:45 a.m. local time.
Zeballos, who was the best player on court for much of the match, framed a volley winner to draw Argentina to 3-4 in the tiebreaker. Two points later he missed a backhand giving Germany match points at 6-3.
In a stupendous backhand stab volley, Molteni saved the first match point, Puetz missed a return on match point No. 2 then Puetz, on the full stretch, narrowly missed a match-ending volley on the third match point as Argentina drew even at 6-all.
Puetz pumped a heavy forehand to save a match point for Germany and hammered a big serve to save a second match point at 7-8. Puetz pumped an ace out wide giving Germany a fourth match point at 9-8 only to see Zeballos erase it with a serve winner down the T.
A flying framed volley from Puetz saved a third match point for Germany. Krawietz stung a serve for the fifth match point.
After a rapid-fire net exchange, Puetz lined up his forehand and flashed it down the line. Then, all four men, stood for a second unsure of what the final call was—in or out—until Chair umpire Alison Hughes announced game, set and match for Germany ending the drama.
