Finland opened their Davis Cup group stage with a 1-2 draw against hosts Great Britain in Manchester.
In the absence of Emil Rusvuori, the early stage was easy for Finland. In the first match, 703rd-ranked Eero Vasa took on 178th-ranked Briton Daniel Evans. In the first set, Vasa played evenly with Evans at pace. Unfortunately, the first set was decided in a tiebreak after a double fault by Vasa. In the second set, Vasa could not handle the experienced Evans who easily won the match. The winning numbers were written as 7–6 (7–3), 6–2.
Advertising
Advertising
In the second match, the Briton pitted 101st-ranked Billy Harris against 110th-ranked Otto Virtanen. The Brits opted to save new US Open semi-finalist Jack Draper for the upcoming tournament. Harris, playing in his first Davis Cup match, won the first set 6-4.
The second set was decided in a tiebreak. Harris turned a 2-3 deficit to make it 6-3. Virtanen saved a match point before Harris leveled the bag with his 7-4 win. The numbers 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) were written thus.
Finland got some blasts in doubles injuries when Virtanen won against Neil Skupski and Daniel Evans when he partnered Harry Heliovara. The winning numbers were written as 7-6, 7-5.
For Finland, the Davis Cup continues on Thursday with a match against Canada.
– Canada has a very strong team with two top ten ranked players. Their form is still in question. I still think we have a good chance to beat anybody, Virtanen tells Yle.
“Passionate beer ninja. Extreme problem solver. Thinker. Professional web fan. Avid communicator. Hardcore troublemaker.”
More Stories
British 'butterfly crisis' may be linked to reduced biodiversity
❌ Britain closes last coal-fired power station
Britain hands over colonial islands | Gothenburg Post