Munar Keeps Spain's Hopes Alive

Jaume Munar donned the hero's mantle for Spain this Thursday. The Balearic player, who had never won an individual match in the Davis Cup, defeated the favourite Jiri Lehecka (6-3, 6-4) and kept Spain's hopes alive, leaving the doubles to decide their fate in the semifinals.

Munar was crucial in getting Spain to this final stage, having won doubles matches alongside Pedro Martínez against Switzerland and Denmark, but he had yet to make his mark in singles. And what a way to do it. With Spain one loss away from elimination, the Mallorcan rose to the occasion to subdue Lehecka, ranked 17th, and give Spain a chance to reach the semifinals.

Despite the Czech's favouritism, Munar outplayed him from the baseline, striking the perfect balance between risk and control. Lehecka failed to deliver the powerful serves, falling short of the twenty aces his teammate Jakub Mensik had achieved just minutes earlier.

These nerves on serve, combined with an inability to threaten on return, allowed Munar to grow in confidence and secure a comfortable victory. He claimed the first set thanks to a break achieved by a double fault from the Czech and took the second with remarkable composure. He broke in the first game, handled the only two break points he faced throughout the match, and closed it out with a steady hand. He fired two aces in the final game to send a message to Tomas Berdych's team: Spain does not give up.

Following that victory, it was up to Marcel Granollers and Pedro Martínez to try and complete the feat. Opposing them were Tomas Machac and Adam Pavlasek, who have only played eight matches as a pair, the last being at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.