Brazil said goodbye on Sunday (2) to this year’s Davis Cup, the main tennis competition between national teams.
The duo Rafa Matos/Marcelo Melo, respectively 38th and 39th of the world double ranking, was defeated by Benjamin Bonzi and Pierre-Huugues Herbert (287th and 277th), 4/6, 6/3 and 6/4, expanding to 3 0 The advantage built by France at the best of five matches.
Although the confrontation is defined, a simple match is scheduled to be on Sunday at the Orléans Palais Des Sports. For the fourth match, the reservations of both teams, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (number 30 of the world) and Matheus Pucinelli (302º) were scheduled.
On Saturday, Ugo Humbert (15th of the simple ranking) defeated the Brazilian revelation João Fonseca (99th) by 7/5 and 6/3. Arthur Fils (19th) surpassed Thiago Wild (76th) by 6/1 and 6/4, in a match with controversial decisions at the end.
In September, Brazil will face another team defeated in the second phase, to be defined by draw, to try to keep its place in the first division of the competition.
Bonzi and Herbert’s lineup was a bet of the French team’s captain, former player Paul-Henri Mathieu, as the two had never played together. Mathieu explained that Herbert is a tennis player adaptable to any partner.
Right in the third game of the match, the Brazilians broke “from zero” the service of Herbert. However, the break was returned in the next game in the withdrawal of Melo. The Brazilians broke Herbert’s service again in the seventh game.
The second set started with Bonzi drawing. Melo was broken in the sixth game and the French opened 4/2. Herbert started to withdraw better and did not give new opportunities to break to Brazilians.
In the fifth game of the decisive set, the Brazilians saved three break points in the withdrawal of Matos. Four games later, however, Matos was broken, and the French pulled to win.
