Austria’s Davis Cup team is surprisingly down 2-0 after the first day of international competition against Portugal. Sebastian Offner also lost as the clear favorite, following Jury Rodionov’s 6:7(4), 6:3, 3:6 defeat against the guests’ No. 1, Nuno Borges. Ranked 59th in the world. Missed match point at 5:3 in the third set and lost to Joao Sousa 7:5.3:6.6:7(1). This means the OTV team is up against the wall on Saturday and will have to celebrate three wins.
The winner will play in the qualifying round in early February 2024 for a place in the Davis Cup final tournament (group stage). The loser on the same date remains alive in World Group I.
The series continues with Francisco Cabral/Sousa taking on doubles Alexander Erler/Lukas Midler on Saturday (2pm). After this, a duel is going on in the program between the number 1 players of both the countries, Ofner and Borges. If the worst comes to the worst, Rodionov will meet with Sousa.
