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Malaga is located more than 3,300 kilometers from Helsinki, yet the Spanish city on the Mediterranean Sea is currently firmly in Finnish hands. The reason for this is the Davis Cup team, which is currently providing a spectacle there.
The state of emergency was in effect at the “Martin Carpena” Arena on Tuesday. Otto Virtanen (22), world number 171, sealed the victory against Canada with an ace in the doubles alongside Harri Heliövaara (34) to eliminate the defending champion. Nothing kept the approximately 3,000 fans in their seats.
“That’s why we play tennis,” said an emotional Heliövaara, who is ranked 29th in the world in doubles and not at all in singles, after the decisive match. “Today was emotionally one of the biggest days of my career.” It was mainly the spectators who made it possible.
Finns from the community of Fuengirola, the second largest community outside Finland, about 30 kilometers away, arrived in 14 coaches. There are also about 1,000 Finns who have flown to Spain from Scandinavia. Virtanen, who managed to beat Gabriel Diallo (22, ATP 139) in the second singles, was also surprised by the support: “We are not in Finland, but that is how it feels. It means everything to me to play for my country.”
Finland is in the semi-finals of the Davis Cup for the first time, but the starting position was unfavorable. Emil Ruusuvuori (24, ATP 69), the Finn’s de facto number one, had to miss with a shoulder injury, forcing Patrick Kaukovalta (24) – number 783 in the world – into action in the first singles. But he lost to Milos Raonic.
And the double duo Virtanen/Heliövaara never existed. The latter reveals: “We haven’t played a single point together yet. Fifteen minutes before the match we went over the hand signals and tactics.” But sometimes that’s exactly what’s best. “Let it happen. No expectations, just do your best.” And it worked.
The Finnish tennis fairy tale continues on Friday. However, the task won’t get any easier with last year’s finalist, Australia. The 28-time Davis Cup winner defeated the Czech Republic on Wednesday. Jarkko Nieminen (42), captain and former top 20 player, does not want to curb the euphoria, but warns: “The journey continues, it is not yet time to celebrate.” (ch)
Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
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