By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, November 22, 2025
Photo credit: Davis Cup Facebook
Doubles will determine a trip to tomorrow’s Davis Cup final.
Alexander Zverev defeated Jaume Munar 7-6(2), 7-6(5) to keep German Davis Cup hopes alive today.
“Happy to get the win,” Zverev said. “Not feeling my best but happy to get the win for our team.”
Zverev leveled Germany with Spain 1-1 after 34-year-old Pablo Carreno Busta denied five set points in the tiebreaker edging 35-year-old German Jan-Lennard Struff 6-4, 7-6(6) in the opening match of today’s semifinal at SuperTennis Arena in Bologna.
The winner of the decisive doubles match will win this semifinal and advance to tomorrow’s Davis Cup final against two-time defending champion Italy, which beat Belgium yesterday.
Hitting heavy forehands, Zverev scored first break blood for 2-1. A backhand winner down the line helped the German back up the break for 3-1.
A tough-minded Munar drew a forehand error breaking back at 3-all.
Serving at 5-all, Munar was down 15-30 when he used a sharp serve-and-volley to spark him through a hold for 6-5.
At that point, Zverev amped up his serve to another level.
The German No. 1 slammed aces on four of five serve points, sealing a hold with a wide ace to force the tiebreaker.
Zverev zapped aces in three of the first seven points of the tiebreaker surging to a 5-2 lead. On his first match point, Zverev bumped a backhand winner down the line snatching a one-set lead after 57 minutes of play.
The former Olympic gold-medal champion served 83 percent pumping seven aces against no double faults in the first set.
After all that good work, Zverev blinked first scattering a drive as Munar broke at 30 for a 2-1 second-set lead.
One hour, 23 minutes into the match, Zverev defended his backhand corner diligently then came forward and swept a slick forehand swing volley breaking back for 3-all.
In the second-set tiebreaker, Zverev missed a forehand to cede the opening break Then Munar scattered four forehand errors in a row as the German went up 4-1.
Munar saved two match points, including knocking off a high volley to close to 5-6.
On his third match point, Zverev played the serve and volley hammering a T serve then soaring for a smash to close in one hour, 59 minutes and set up the decisive doubles.
Earlier, Carreno Busta battled by Struff in a dramatic opening match.
The 84th-ranked Struff staved off three match points serving at 4-5. Struff slammed a heavy serve to save the first match point, struck a forehand winner to save the second match point and place a volley inside the line to erase the third match point in a fierce hold to level at 5-all.
When Struff went up 6-1 in the tiebreaker, a third set seemed inevitable, but Carreno Busta had other ideas.
Carreno Busta made a masterful comeback from 1-6 down in the second-set tiebreaker. The veteran Carreno Busta fought off five consecutive set points tearing through seven straight points to seal his 6-4, 7-6(6) triumph over Struff and stake Spain to a 1-0 lead.
