Israel denied return to World Group
ISRAEL’S Davis Cup team has been denied a spot in the World Group in 2014, after losing to Belgium 3-2 in its playoff tie in Antwerp recently.
ISRAEL’S Davis Cup team has been denied a spot in the World Group in 2014, after losing to Belgium 3-2 in its playoff tie in Antwerp recently.
The Israeli team was forced back to the playoff stage after a 5-0 whitewash by France in the first round of the 2013 World Group.
But despite taking a 2-1 lead, Israel couldn’t repeat its heroics from last year when it toppled Japan 3-2, with Amir Weintraub and Dudi Sela losing both of their do-or-die return singles matches.
Sela, ranked 84th in the world, continued his dismal Davis Cup form, going down in both of his hitouts.
His first loss came at the hands of Steve Darcis, who dispatched US Open winner Rafael Nadal in the first round of this year’s Wimbledon Championships.
Darcis was far too good for Sela, winning 6-1, 6-2, 6-2, before Israel’s top male player went on to lose his return match to Ruben Bemelmans 7-5, 3-6, 6-0, 6-4.
Sela has now failed to win a Davis Cup match since February last year.
Weintraub fared better in his first singles game, beating Bemelmans 6-3, 2-6, 6-7, 7-6, 6-4 in a stellar performance.
Doubles pair Andy Ram and Jonathan Erlich gave Israel hope of a win with a 6-3, 5-7, 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory in an epic five-set match against Oliver Rochus and Darcis.
With everything to play for in the final rubber, Weintraub, who recently cracked the top 200 rankings, was no match for Darcis, going down 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 to send Israel back into the Europe/Africa Zone Group I in 2014.
“We did everything but win,” said Israel’s captain Eyal Ran.
“This has happened to us before and we succeeded in bouncing straight back to the World Group. That’s the goal. We’ll carry on forward and lift up our heads.”
The loss sees Israel drop to number 20 in the Davis Cup team rankings, but because the side will be one of the top seeds in the Europe/Africa Zone Group I, it will advance automatically to the second round of matches set to take place next April.
AJN STAFF
Photo: Peter Haskin
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