Great performance by Jan-Lennard Struff and Tim Pütz: The German double beat the Australian pairing John Peers and Matthew Ebden in Brisbane in five sets, setting the score at 2-1 for Michael Kohlmann’s team.
This doubles was not for the faint-hearted – and in the end it was Tim Pütz, who caused the biggest drama in his second Davis Cup match with Jan-Lennard Struff: Pütz fought off several break points in the decisive fifth set at a score of 2:3, and in the following serve game of Matthew Ebden, the German pairing, who had already contributed to the class retention in Portugal, took the decisive lead.
6:4,6:7 (1), 6:2,6:7 (4) and 6:4 was the order of the day for Struff and Pütz, who took the lead 2:1 against Australia in Brisbane.
In the final singles round on Sunday (from 3.00 a. m. CET/DAZN) Germany has two chances to make the success perfect. World number five Alexander Zverev owns the first one in the top singles against Nick Kyrgios. The Hamburg player had already secured the first German point on Friday. Struff then lost to Kyrgios in three sets.
If Zverev loses, the final decision will be made in the last singles, for which Struff and 18-year-old Alex de Minaur are nominated. However, both team chiefs have the possibility to change over until shortly before the start of the match. Peter Gojowczyk (Munich) could replace Struff.
Together with Pütz (Frankfurt), however, the Warsteiner showed a class performance on Saturday, and Struff had already shone in the semi-finals at the Australian Open in Melbourne in doubles. The superior German duo could have defeated the Australians more clearly, but missed a set ball in the second round and played two weak tiebreaks.
Already during the relegation in Portugal in September, Pütz and Struff had laid the foundation for the class retention with a five-set win in doubles. In Brisbane, they raised hopes for the first German opening victory in the Davis Cup in four years. In the quarter-finals (6. till 8. April) would go to either Spain or Great Britain for the DTB selection.