More than seven months after the Olympic Games in Barcelona, the Netherlands will face Spain in the first round of the Davis Cup on the Olympic clay court of Vall d’Hebron. Everyone in the tennis world gives the Netherlands little chance as Spain has a few excellent clay court specialists.
In addition, the in-form Richard Krajicek, the Dutch number one and number eleven in the world, canceled due to laryngitis just before the Davis Cup meeting.
Franker’s choice
Due to Krajicek’s withdrawal, coach Stanley Franker surprisingly chooses Mark Koevermans in addition to Paul Haarhuis. “He has great experience on clay, has never let us down and has the ability to rise above himself,” Franker explains his choice. However, due to mediocre performances in recent months, Koevermans has dropped to 155th place in the world rankings, making it more likely to field Jan Siemerink or Jacco Eltingh.
Support from Orange fans
The Netherlands will perform well on the opening day. Supported by the accompanying Orange Legion, it looks like a home game for the Dutch. Paul Haarhuis, number 50 in the world, wins in five sets on the opening day against Sergio Bruguera, who is sixteenth. Carlos Costa, number 12 in the world, is then too strong for Koevermans 3-1, but the Dutchman shows form.
Thrillers
Due to the defeat of the Haarhuis-Eltingh duo in the doubles on Saturday against Sergio Casal and Emilio Sanchez, Spain enters the final day with a 2-1 lead. And it turns out to be a great stunt by the Netherlands. Haarhuis is 2-0 behind in sets in his match against Costa, making Spain very close to the quarter-finals, but he survives two match points in the fourth set and ultimately manages to win the match.
In doing so, he offers Koevermans the opportunity to finish the job. A great achievement, especially when you consider that Haarhuis spent no less than 10 hours and 41 minutes on the track that weekend. Just like Haarhuis-Costa, the final part is also a real thriller.
Bared
Koevermans’ last ‘big’ victory was on the same track at the Olympic Games. And then Bruguera was the opponent too. That knowledge gives Koevermans courage. Still, he loses the first two sets, but he also manages to turn that deficit into a 3-2 win. Bare-chested, Koevermans walks a lap of honor to celebrate the Netherlands’ first victory in the world group.
