Davis Cup: Ecuador lost 3-1 in the series against Greece and will play for World Group II in September | Other Sports | Sports

Greece, led by Stéfanos Tsitsipás, number 3 in the world ranking, won the series against Ecuador 3-1 for the playoffs of the Davis Cup World Group I, which was played on February 4 and 5 at the Athens Olympic Complex.

From the beginning of this series, the favoritism was for the locals since it had the recent finalist of the Australia Open and one of the tennis players who is projected to become the best in the world at some point. Meanwhile, Ecuador brought to European lands players who mixed experience with doubles players Gonzalo Escobar (43 ATP doubles) and Diego Hidalgo (93 ATP doubles), and youth with Andrés Andrade (564 ATP singles), Álvaro Guillén (731) and Cayetano March (859).

This Sunday, when the series was in favor of Greece 2-0, the doubles match was played early in the morning, where the Ecuadorians Gonzalo Escobar and Diego Hidalgo defeated the Greeks Petros Tsitsipás and Alexandros Skorilas in two sets 7-6( 4), 6-4 in 1 hour and 43 minutes.

The series was 2-1, and the responsibility fell to Andrade (24 years old), who faced Stefanos, and gave resistance in the first set, falling in a tie break 7-6 (1).

In the second set, the Greek was forceful and finished the game and the series with a score of 6-1 and with this the local team remains in World Group I, while Ecuador is relegated to World Group II.

On Saturday, the first day of the series, the youthful Álvaro Guillén debuted in the Davis Cup, and nothing more than against Stefano, who won with a “logical” result.

But in the process of the match, Tsitsipás had a hard time against Guillén, to the point that the youth player broke his serve on one occasion and led him to define the first set 7-5. In the second set, the Greek brought out all his level to define the game 6-2.

At the second point of the confrontation between the Greeks and Ecuadorians, Andrés Andrade (who was his second presence in the Davis Cup team and his debut on the court) was close to tying the series, but a muscle discomfort stopped him from his goal.

The Greek Aristotelis Thanos, encouraged by more than 17,000 spectators, gave the second point to the locals, winning 7-6(4) and 6-4.

The president of the Ecuadorian Tennis Federation, Danilo Carrera, stated that “Ecuadorian sport is proud of what this team has demonstrated. For many, the series was already judged, but Andrés, Álvaro, Gonzalo and Diego, gave the Greeks a hard battle, demonstrating quality and making it clear that Ecuadorian tennis has quality and we are on the right track to consolidate a team for the future”.

With this result, Ecuador will play in World Group II, seeking to return to the playoffs World Group I.

His next rival would come out after a draw between countries like Georgia, Tunisia, Luxembourg, Barbados, Monaco, Hong Kong, El Salvador, Egypt, Morocco, Indonesia. (D)