Gonzalez wins to give Chile quarterfinal berth
Date published :
08 Mar 2010 - 13:57:01
Gonzalez wins to give Chile quarterfinal berthFernando Gonzalez clinched Chile's place in the quarterfinals, following victory in the fourth rubber of the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas World Group first round tie in Coquimbo.With Chile leading Israel 2-1 going into the final day’s play, Gonzalez sealed the vital point by defeating Dudi Sela, a player who he lost to in Davis Cup three years ago, 64 64 63 in just over two hours.On this occasion, however, the world No. 10 was a class above Sela. He hit a total of 38 winners and also notches five aces.Chile now hosts Czech Republic, last year's runner-up, in the quarterfinals, which will take place from 9-11 July. Should Chile defeat the Czechs, it would have another home tie in the semifinals against either Croatia or Serbia.Confirming the oddsChile was always the favorite against Israel, with a Top 10 player in its ranks and a team that is more than confortable on clay. Israel, on the other hand, had a fantastic year in 2009 but give their best on hard courts, and clay is one of their most difficult surfaces.Gonzalez overcame the knee pain he had felt after his match with Harel Levy, and was always in control of this rubber against Sela. He broke in the first game, and from then on controlled the match, feeling better and more focused than he had in the singles on Saturday.Sela admitted he had not played his best tennis and had regrets about chances lost in previous matches. I should have won over Massu on Saturday” he said. Things would have gone in a different way if we had been 2-1 ahead today. Facing Gonzalez when going 1-2 is very difficult.”Gonzalez ‘happy’ with winThe Chilean No. 1, on the other hand, was happy and relaxed, smiling for the first time in the week. The important thing was to win, whichever the way,” he said. We are very happy with this victory, and we hope it is something to get happy about, even if it’s small happiness, for all the people affected by the earthquake.”Regarding the tie with Czech Republic, Gonzalez is cautious. It’s going to be really tough," he added. "I know them very well, it’s a team I respect very much and it will be not easy to face them. But if we all are well, we may beat them."Gonzalez will take some personal time next week to visit places in the country very affected by the earthquake, as he is one of the public faces of a major national charity institution.In the fifth dead rubber, Jorge Aguilar sealed a 4-1 victory for the home team by defeating the experienced Harel Levy 76(3) 61. It was only the Chilean’s second Davis Cup rubber, having made his debut on Sunday in the doubles.Related links> Twitter> Tie information> Audio interviews> Scorecards & stats> Erlicj and Ram give Israel hope> Chile dominates after late start> Sela and Massu to start delayed Chile tie> Fighting for happinessRelated websites> Informacion en espanol - FTCH> Information in Hebrew - ITA Related Audio Interview with Fernando Gonzalez (CHI) - Monday Interview with Dudi Sela (ISR) - Monday If you cannot hear the audio, then please update your media player by following one of the links above.
