Germany marks territory in Davis Cup | ATP Tour

Davis Cup Finals: Group Stage

Germany marks its territory in the Davis Cup

Germans beat Slovakia to take top spot in Group C

September 10, 2024

Germany wants to make its mark in the group stage of the 2024 Davis Cup Finals and took a very important step towards achieving this on Tuesday. The European team resolved the Group C tie against Slovakia by securing the individual points (2-0) at the Hengqin International Tennis Center in Zhuhai, opening the competition with absolute confidence.

In a field that did not include its top four singles players in the PIF ATP Rankings, Germany brought out its depth to complete the job. Maximilian Marterer opened the day by defeating Lukas Klein 6-4, 7-5, paving the way for Yannick Hanfmann to squeeze out Jozef Kovalik 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(3) in a comeback win that decided the series.

The team captained by Michael Kohlmann will try to strengthen their unity in the doubles, where Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz, recent runners-up at the US Open, will always give the Germans one last chance. They will close the day by contesting the doubles point against Lukas Klein and Igor Zelenay.

Germany are provisionally top of Group C, which also includes the USA and Chile. The Germans will play their next round against the South American team on Wednesday.

Germany is one of the historic Davis Cup nations with three trophies under its belt (1988, 1989, 1993). Having gone more than three decades without winning the Salad Bowl, with figures such as Boris Becker or Michael Stich leading their last champion teams, the Germans dream of marking their territory in the competition again.

The 2024 Davis Cup Finals group stage takes place from 10 to 13 September across four venues (Bologna, Manchester, Valencia and Zhuhai). The top two teams from each city will advance to the Final 8 to be held in Malaga from 19 to 24 November. Italy are the reigning champions of the tournament after lifting the second Salad Bowl in their history in 2023.