An uncomfortable draw for Argentina that locations Coria earlier than an enormous problem as captain

Within the midst of the Qatar 2022 World Cup fever, the assorted events concerned within the Argentinian Davis Cup group (Captain Guillermo Coria, the potential gamers known as up and the leaders of the Argentine Tennis Affiliation) acquired information that, to say the least, is disturbing. The draw for the 2023 Qualifiers, the qualifying stage for the dear (sporting and financially talking) group stage of the Finals of the competitors, produced a clumsy crossover: Finland, away.

The sequence is thorny for various causes. In precept, as a result of date and the space: subsequent February 3-4 or 4-5, after the Australian Open and some hours after the beginning of the ATP tour on brick mud, important for the gamers of our nation ( the predominant draw of the Córdoba Open begins on Monday, February 6). Coria, undoubtedly, could have an enormous problem forward as a driver to persuade and assemble the group. The gamers must move, in a couple of days, from the acute warmth of Australia to the freezing temperatures of Finland and return to the South American summer season. Diego Schwartzman, Francisco Cerúndolo, Sebastián Báez and Pedro Cachin, the most effective 4 rackets in Argentina, normally have the South American tour on gradual courts as a precedence.

Finland will certainly current a tough (and quick) indoor floor. Within the final sequence, final September, they beat New Zealand 5-0 on the Metro Areena, within the metropolis of Espoo, on the nation’s south coast. The Nordics have fascinating gamers. His first single is Emil Ruusuvuori23 years outdated and fortieth on the earth. At 1.88m, the Helsinki-born participant had his greatest season this yr, with an ATP file of 35 wins and 29 losses, and a disputed last (he misplaced, in Pune, to the Portuguese Joao Sousa). The suitable-handed Ruusuvuori performed twice this yr each in opposition to Schwartzman (he misplaced within the second spherical of Indian Wells and celebrated within the first spherical of Hamburg) and in opposition to Báez (he triumphed on the ATP in Melbourne and fell within the classification of Rome). As well as, Ruusuvuori made his Davis Cup debut in 2017 and has already performed eight sequence.

Like Argentina, with Horacio Zeballos, the Nordics have an elite doubles participant. Harri Heliovaara, 33 years outdated and eleventh within the rating, who additionally has 21 sequence performed in Davis. This yr, in partnership with the British Lloyd Glasspool, Heliovaara received the title on the ATP in Hamburg.

The second single participant is normally Otto Virtanen: with 4 Davis Cup sequence performed, he’s 21 years outdated, measures 1.91m and is at present 174th within the rating (he normally performs on the Challenger Tour). Virtanen, doubles champion at Wimbledon junior 2018 (as well as, in 2018, he was sixth in singles within the class), has a Challenger title: it was in Bergamo, at first of the month, on onerous surfaces and indoors, successful within the definition to German Jan-Lennard Struff.

Finland’s greatest Davis Cup outcome was World Group qualifiers in 1990, 1999 and 2002. His event debut was in 1928. And Finland’s most beneficial participant was Jarkko Nieminen, thirteenth in singles in 2006 and retired in 2015; in Davis he has a complete file of 63 wins and 27 losses.

After being eradicated within the group stage of the Finals, final September in Bologna, Argentina was hit. This Sunday it was one of many 24 groups drawn for the 2023 Qualifiers. Earlier than the ceremony held in Malaga, within the preview of the Davis Cup last between Australia and Canada, the Worldwide Tennis Federation introduced the 2 company to play immediately the group stage, in September 2023: Spain and Italy, which along with being heavyweights have an settlement with Kosmos Tennis (the organizers, chaired by Gerard Piqué) to host, with Valencia and Bologna, respectively, the qualifying part for the quarterfinals.

The ciborium decided that the Argentine group, champion of the Davis Cup for the one time precisely six years in the past (November 27, 2016, in Zagreb) and now eleventh seed, would face Finland. However, in fact, taking into consideration that the one precedent between the 2 nations was previous to 1970 (in 1960, in Helsinki, with a 5-0 nationwide success, with Eduardo Soriano and Roberto Aubone), the laws point out that the house group should be raffled and there the entire of northern Europe benefited.

Any further Mago Coria should start a meticulous job to attain the absolute best reference to the gamers and their work groups, have a transparent image for February and check out to make sure the absolute best formation in Finland. Overcoming the Qualifiers is an especially priceless goal for nationwide tennis, each in sports activities and for the treasury of the AAT.

The opposite crosses of Qualifiers

Within the different matches for the 2023 Qualifiers, Norway, led by Casper Ruud, will host Serbia early on, which hopes to have Novak Djokovic (Nole will carry out on the Australian Open), whereas Colombia and Chile will host Nice Britain and Kazakhstan, respectively.

The opposite crosses would be the following: Croatia vs. Austria, Hungary vs. France, Uzbekistan vs. United States, Germany vs. Switzerland, South Korea vs. Belgium, Sweden vs. Bosnia, Netherlands vs. Slovakia and Portugal vs. Czech Republic.