Davis Cup: Argentina had a “benevolent” draw and will be local looking for permanence in the world group

Fortune smiled on the Argentine team of Davis Cupwho was hit hard after their weekend loss to Finland in Espoo, for the Qualifiers for the 2023 Finals. To those captained by Guillermo Coria they had quite an accessible crossing for the series of World Group I, which will be held in September. The draw that took place this Thursday in London determined who they will face Lithuania, at home, a totally favorable scenario for the albiceleste. If they win, they will play the 2024 qualifiers; and if they lose, they will go down to the American zone.

“Luckily, we play locally. It was very important for us no matter which rival we played. We needed the home team,” commented Coria in a chat with the competition’s official website. “We will face Lithuania and impose our terms of play. We have to get strong from that point,” she added.

The Lithuanian team comes from 4-0 defeat with Pakistan in Vilnius, in the duel for the playoffs of group I. On paper he is much lower than the Argentine. Your best player is Ricarda Berankis, who at the age of 32 ranks 193rd in the rankings (although he reached 50th place in 2016). He has never won a title and has only played in two finals, in Los Angeles 2012 and Moscow 2017. In Davis he played 27 Sepwith a record of 34 wins and eight losses in singles.

The Baltic country has just three other singles players: Vilio Gaubas18 years and 760°; Edas Butvilas, also 786° and 18; AND Matas Vasiliauskas, 20 and 1,438th in the ranking. Butvilas is also the best double: he is 958th.

Lithuania made their Davis Cup debut in 1984 and their best result is having played in 2015 in Group I Europe/Africa Zone. The series to be played on 15-16 or 16-17 September at a venue to be confirmed – sounds like favorite the BALTC- will be the first in its history against Argentina.

“Berankis has extensive experience at Davis. And they also have two 18-year-old youngsters with a good future, who are turning professional and who adapt well to different surfaces,” analyzed Rosario’s captain.

And he added: “I will study the rivals well, I will follow their performances and their tournaments. And the progress of these young players. For us it is a very important series and we start preparing it today. It will be the key to winning it and having next year the possibility of qualifying for the finals. I take responsibility right now. We have to become strong at home.”

Argentina were left in the awkward situation of having to reconfirm their place at the top level after losing to Finland 3-1 in freezing Espoo last weekend, with a line-up that didn’t include their main racket, diego schwartzmann (28th in the world) nor a Sebastian Baez (47°), nor in Mar del Plata Horace Zeballos13th in the world in doubles.

With these casualties, the albiceleste team was formed with Francis Cerundolo (31st), two debutants Pedro Cachin (66th) e Facundo Bagnis (88°), and doubles Andrew Molteni (39th) e Massimo Gonzalez (48th). And he was able to win only one point: the second singles, from the hand of Cerúndolo, who did not play on Sunday due to muscle overload.

Thus, Argentina equaled the worst streak in its history in the oldest competition in world tennis. Because that defeat was the fourth in a row for the blue-and-whites, who had lost the three groups played in the group stage of the Finals against Sweden, Italy and Croatia last September in Bologna.

Only once in its nearly 100-year history in Davis had Argentina held that negative record. It was between May 1967 and March 1970, when, with a different format than the current one, they lost against Ecuador, Venezuela and Chile (twice), in duels in the South American zone.

The failure against the Finns cast doubt on Coria’s continuity in charge of the team. The Rosario man has won just one of the five series he’s played in since he took office. It was the first time he had been on the bench, in the 2022 Qualifiers against Belarus in Buenos Aires.

A source linked to the top management of the Argentine Tennis Association told the agency Telam that there is discontent in the organization because the Wizard “didn’t achieve the goals he set for himself when he was made captain”.

Will your future depend on what happens with Lithuania in September?

The other series of the repechage will be: Bosnia and Herzegovina-Germany; Bulgaria-Kazakhstan; Belgium-Uzbekistan; Ukraine-Colombia; Hungary-Turkey; Israel-Japan; Austria-Portugal; Greece-Slovakia; Peru-Norway; Romania-Chinese Taipei; and Denmark-Brazil