David Nalbandian, Juan Monaco help Argentina lead Romania 2-0 in their Davis Cup 2011 tie
David Nalbandian and Juan Monaco won their matches to give Argentina a 2-0 lead against Romania on the opening day of their Davis Cup first round tie on Friday.
The world number 19 Argentine, Nalbandian beat Romanian Adrian Ungur in four sets 6-3, 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 in the first match to give Argentina a 1-0 lead.
The former world number 3 broke his opponent once to win the opening set 6-3. He converted 1 of the 4 break points he received and saved all the seven break points in the first set.
Nalbandian won the second set 6-2, breaking his opponent twice in a one sided set.
After going two sets to love down, Ungur fought back into the match by winning the third set 7-5. The Romanian was helped by Nalbandian’s deteriorated physical condition in the third set.
Backed by his cheering home crowd, Nalbandian fought with his injury and utilised his experience to win the fourth set 6-4. The Argentine hit 9 aces and 49 winners in the match. In comparison, his opponent hit 7 aces and 39 winners.
The Argentine was troubled by a hernia and an adductor injury in a match that lasted for just over three hours. He came into the match carrying this injury, as he was forced to withdraw from the Mexican Open for the same reason recently.
The crowd gave Nalbandian a standing ovation as the 29-year-old ended up in tears after his tremendous effort.
The Argentine said, “I can’t walk a single step. I thought I would be in better shape, but I have felt really bad since the first set. I could finish the match because this is Davis Cup. If it was a tournament from the tour, I would have retired in the second
set. But here, I play for my country, with my people supporting me and that is a great motivation.”
In the second match of the day, Monaco defeated Romanian Victor Hanescu in four sets 7-6, 1-6, 6-1, 6-1.
Monaco hit a single ace and 50 winners in the match. However, he hit four double faults and 45 unforced errors in the match.
After gaining the 2-0 lead, the jubilant Argentine captain said, “After the matches are over and the score is 2-0 in your favour the sensations are pleasant. We are in a better position than at the start of the tie. Obviously, we have to go one step at a
time and play every single match.”
Juan Ignacio Chela and Eduardo Schwank of Argentina will play Romanian Victor Hanescu and Horia Tecau in the doubles match on Saturday.
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