The Netherlands write history by reaching first ever Davis Cup Final with win over Germany
It is a first Davis Cup final for the Dutch in their underdog tournament, as they defeated Germany 2-0 in the semi-final on Friday (22 November).
Tennis
It is Dutch delight in Málaga, Spain, as the Netherlands have qualified for the Davis Cup Final for the first time.
They defeated Germany 2-0 on Friday (22 November), with Botic Van de Zandschulp beating Daniel Altmaier 6-4, 6-7 (12), 6-3 before Tallon Griekspoor sealed the tie with a 6-7 (4), 7-5, 6-4 win against Jan-Lennard Struff, dropping to his knees to the sound of roars of the Dutch contingent.
After spoiling the host nation’s party by knocking Spain out in the quarter-finals, they have gone one step further and extended their Andalusian stay through to the weekend.
Dutch captain Paul Haarhuis was part of the team that reached the semis 23 years ago, a tennis feat he has matched and could better at the helm.
“It was about the form of the day and these boys just came through, played unbelievable with tennis, played with their heart and showed what they made of,” he said in the post-match press conference. “But it basically starts with believing that you can do it and that's what we did.”
Netherlands came into the Final 8 knockout stage as the only team not to have previously won the Davis Cup: that could all change on Sunday.
The Netherlands continue their fairytale run
When the Netherlands defeated Spain on Tuesday (19 November), all of the attention was on Rafael Nadal and his farewell. Understandably so, but the Dutch deserved massive plaudits for what was an outstanding team performance.
They showed their quality on opening night and backed it up in the semi-final.
Van de Zandschulp was first up and had to grind down Altmaier to secure the first win, finally getting the better of his opponent on his 10th match point.
German Altmaier had defended brilliantly to save match points across two sets, which included a mammoth shift to save five en route to winning the second set with a 14-12 tiebreak – only the second longest of these finals after Thanasi Kokkinakis’ 16-14 marathon tiebreak win against Ben Shelton.
Nevertheless, Van de Zandschulp found his control of the match once more to cruise to the final set and put the Netherlands on their way.
It has been a fantastic finals for the world number 80 with three wins from three, including a straight set victory against Nadal.
Botic van de Zandschulp celebrates his opening match win of the Netherlands' semi-final.
Tallon Griekspoor sends the Dutch into party mode
Dutch no. 1 Griekspoor had another chance on the Davis Cup court after a tough draw against Spain’s world number three Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-final.
This time, Griekspoor and Struff were evenly matched, both hard-hitting powerful hitters who served a combined 38 aces in their three-set encounter.
Struff looked superb in his quarter-final victory against Denis Shapovalov and edged a tight opening set on tiebreak. A raucous atmosphere brought life to a tense battle on court, one which looked like it might go Germany’s way for the equaliser.
But the Dutch did what the Dutch have done all tournament long: dug deep, fought back and prevailed.
“It's nice to clinch a tie,” said Griekspoor, “I think it's been one of the first time I'm actually to do it. I know what I can do. I believe in myself in these kind of situations. I know my serve is reliable, and I am actually very happy how I closed it out today.”
The celebrations would not stop once Griekspoor secured the win, as fan favourite song ‘Viva Hollandia’ blared around Málaga’s Palacio de Deportes.
A sea of orange, a jubilant squad and the Netherlands punching their ticket into a historic maiden final 104 years after making their competition debut.
Wesley Koolhof’s final hurrah in the Davis Cup
Wesley Koolhof is playing his final tournament at the Davis Cup, and though he may have already played his final match, he will always be part of the first Dutch side to go all the way to the final.
He said in a special ceremony after the semi-final, “I’m incredibly proud of everyone involved in the team and of all the fans who came here to support [us]. I’m very happy I didn’t have to play today!”
The former doubles world number one, Wimbledon men’s doubles champion and French Open mixed doubles champion has already played a significant part, winning the deciding doubles in the quarter-final with van de Zandschulp.
There was a party atmosphere celebrating their achievement and Koolhof’s career, but the Dutch know that the job is not done.
They will face one of the 2023 finalists in Sunday’s final, as Italy and Australia battle it out in the second semi-final clash on Saturday (23 November).