Double Twist: “Probably Nobody Believes Anymore”
On Monday, Krauss sensationally added former world number one and 2018 Australian Open winner Caroline Wozniacki to her tally. The situation was completely different 24 hours later against Nagy: “Today was tough. I didn't start the match like yesterday and I was also very nervous. It's definitely different when you go on the court as a favorite and then you're a little bit more nervous.” So she “didn't play that well. But I fought, gave everything, somehow tried to get into the game through rallies. ” After a clear 5-2 lead in the second set, things were looking good before things got tight after the fifth match point. Finally there was. Kraber lost his fourth game after injuring his wrist and undergoing surgery in a one-point fight against Sabanin: “Of course I'm very unhappy with my performance. It was like yesterday: too uncertain, too many mistakes on unnecessary balls – especially on big points. And then a game like this. The result will come in. “It's going well in training, but the execution in the match is not right at the moment,” he complained.
Still, Graber and her teammates were happy with their early promotion: “It's even better to win the women's doubles.” Despite several close games, it didn't seem like it early on when both Klafner/Kross tried and tested. – Already played 1st :6, 0:1 and 0:30 against Klaffner Nagy/Sabanin. “It's great that we were able to turn it around like this, and no one believed it after the first sentence,” Klaffner said. “We're going to play more aggressively, more aggressively now, go more, go to the net, and play longline because we have nothing to lose. That was the turning point. After that we played a very good match tiebreak, were complete, always pushed each other and coordinated well. ” Krause added: “We're incredibly happy that we were able to do as well as we could and turn it around and win. . . We're very happy that we're going back to the play-offs in November.” , which meant Europe/Africa was relegated to Group I. “Two points made the difference. We're happy for ourselves, for the team, for Marion, for everyone, that we've proven ourselves and managed to get back there on our own. I am rarely proud of myself. Today, for once, it's up to me and the team.
Harmony in the team makes the difference
Team captain Maruska also marveled at the turnaround in the doubles decider on his bench: “Our girls became more active later and changed the match well. I'm really happy for the whole team and for us to get promoted. No one would have thought that we would secure the climb on the second day. We got a tough draw.” Lower Austrian “Really, very proud of our team. Sinja's four hit points were particularly noticeable, but being able to use Julia also helped us a lot. Melanie also scored two victory points. With Tamira Paszek and Tamara Kostic we have a perfect team where they all support each other and help everyone achieve their best performance.
There was plenty of praise from ÖTV sports director and Davis Cup captain Jürgen Melzer on site: “It's absolutely brilliant that the girls did it. After two matches it's over now and I'm really happy we're looking forward. A fantastic team effort. There's a wonderful atmosphere there – that's what makes it special. Other teams can see that it won't always be like that. Our girls stuck together and pushed each other. Then something like that is possible.” Everyone agreed that harmony was the key to this success. “The team was unbelievable. There was a good atmosphere on the pitch in the tiebreak,” said Krause after the doubles. Klafner said: “Banks and our whole team really went wild. They never stopped believing in us or doubting us and pushed us hard at every stage.
Billie Jean King Cup 2023, Europe/Africa Group I at Oiras (April 8 to 13)
1st Group Stage, 2nd Matchday
Pond A
(1) Austria – (5) Hungary 2:1
Sinja Cross – Adrian Nagy 6:4, 6:4
Julia Graber – Natalia Sabanin 3:6, 1:6
Melanie Klaffner / Cinja Krause – Adrian Nagy / Natalia Chabanin 1:6, 6:1, 10:5
(8) Bulgaria – (12) Denmark 1:2
Pool b
(2) Latvia – (4) Netherlands 1:2
(7) Türkiye – (11) Portugal 2:1
Pond c
(3) Serbia – (9) Greece 2:1
(6) Sweden – (10) Norway 2:1
