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Valencian Pedro Martínez during his Davis Cup match against Swiss Dominic Stricker. Reuters
Pedro Martínez Secures First Individual Victory for Spain in Davis Cup

Pedro Martínez Secures First Individual Victory for Spain in Davis Cup

The Valencian defeats Dominic Stricker, giving Spain the lead in the tie against Switzerland

Enric Gardiner

Sábado, 1 de febrero 2025, 16:25

Pedro Martínez achieved his first career singles victory in the Davis Cup, putting Spain ahead in the first-round tie against Switzerland (1-0). The Valencian defeated Dominic Stricker 6-4, 7-6 (7), leaving the tie in the hands of Roberto Carballés, who will face Jerome Kym in the second match on Saturday.

Martínez's only previous singles experience was a loss to Alexei Popyrin in last year's group stage, although he has three doubles victories between 2022 and 2024. This Saturday, in the Biel arena, over 400 meters above sea level and in a predominantly hostile atmosphere, the Valencian opened his singles account with a significant win against Stricker.

The Swiss player, ranked outside the world's top 250, aimed to be more aggressive and relied on the crowd to sway the match. He succeeded initially, taking a 3-1 lead, but Martínez fought back, turning the first set around with a 1-5 run. The Alzira native played skillfully with the heights, frequently using the sliced shot to extend rallies and tire the Swiss, who is inconsistent and prone to injuries and physical issues.

Had the Valencian been slightly more accurate in break points (2 out of 9), the match might not have needed to go to a tense tie-break, where Martínez had to save a set point. Stricker rushed for a parallel winner, and the Spaniard closed the match on his second match point.

The Valencian, who will play singles and doubles tomorrow if necessary, sets the score at 1-0 and passes the baton to Carballés, who will face Kym, ranked 136th in the world.

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todoalicante Pedro Martínez Secures First Individual Victory for Spain in Davis Cup