By Alberto Amalfi | Friday, September 16, 2016
Guido Pella put Argentina within one win of a trip to its fifth Davis Cup final defeating Kyle Edmund in four sets.
Photo credit: @DavisCup
Juan Martin del Potro opened the day banging through an epic. Guido Pella closed it with beguiling efficiency.
The 49th-ranked Pella put Argentina within one win of the Davis Cup final applying varied spins and speeds in deconstructing Kyle Edmund, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.
More: Del Potro Outduels Murray in Five-Hour Epic
The three hour, one-minute victory gives the visitors a commanding 2-0 lead over host Great Britain in the best-of-five match Davis Cup semifinals in Glasgow's Emirates Arena.
In a rematch of the Olympic gold-medal match, del Potro handed world No. 2 Andy Murray his first Davis Cup loss on home soil in 21 career singles matches with a gripping 6-4, 5-7, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4 victory to open the semifinal.
In its 62-year history competing in the international team event, Argentina has yet to win the Davis Cup.
Argentina can clinch a trip to its fifth Davis Cup final by winning tomorrow's doubles.
Federico Delbonis and Leonardo Mayer are scheduled to face Andy Murray and older brother Jamie Murray, who went undefeated in doubles last year leading Team GB to its first Davis Cup championship in 79 years.
Today's second singles pitted Edmund's damaging power against the left-handed Pella's accurate counter-punching skills.
Edmund appeared in control up a break at 3-2 in the third set, but Pella flipped the script.
The grinding Argentine is the superior mover and began exploiting his edge in lateral movement extending the baseline exchanges. When Edmund jerked a backhand wide, Pella broke for a 5-3 third-set lead.
Pella served out the third set on a four-game run.
Leaving the court to regroup for a bathroom break, Edmund returned to face immediate stress. Pella pulled the string beautifully on a drop shot winner for double break point.
The counter-puncher who had spent much of the match hovering near the baseline, surprised the Brit attacking net and depositing a soft drop volley to break Edmund for the third time in his last five service games.
Continuing to run down everything Edmund threw at him, Pella squeezed out a drop volley winner backing up the break for a 2-0 lead.
Countering effective angles off Edmund's pace, a grunting Pella broke again for 5-2. An inside-out forehand brought Argentina to double match point.
Waving his arms in exhorting the Argentine fans to make noise, Pella pounced. When Edmund put a final forehand into net, Pella exhaled deeply raised his arms in the air then hugged his teammates.
If the Murray brothers prevail in Saturday's doubles, then Andy Murray will face Pella in Sunday's opening reverse singles. A resurgent del Potro is slated to play Edmund in the fifth and final match on Sunday.