The local fans’ sarcasm lasted only as long as it took Dani Mérida to turn around a deceptive struggle that started uphill and happily ended downhill, at ease. The Madrid native came back against Alejandro Tabilo (5-7, 6-3, and 6-3, in 2h 14m) and was then powerfully joined by his fellow countryman Rafa Jódar, who found even weaker resistance in Cristian Garín (6-0 and 6-2, in 1h 03m). Thus, two out of two; that is, the Spanish Davis Cup team will have three chances this Sunday (starting at 17:00, Movistar+) to seal a series that looked demanding and now seems very much on track, with only one, the other, or the doubles left to sign the verdict.
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No one would have said that those parading on the Chilean court were two rookies, but quite the opposite. Nor would one say that the home team had won the twelve series it had played at home since 2014, coinciding with Nicolás Massú’s arrival on the bench. And far from the Santiago court being the cauldron it was expected to be, it was quite the opposite. A chilly setting that was affected by the scarcity of its representatives, who were relatively comfortably outplayed by two young players who were not at all burdened by their debutant status nor the natural jitters of stepping for the first time into such a romantic, demanding, and complex competition as the old Davis.
In short, a perfect day that puts Spain in an unbeatable position, needing to score only one point in the continuation of the tie. If achieved, the team led by David Ferrer would qualify again for the Finals to be held for the second year in Bologna, when the season ends (from November 24 to 29). Things would have to change drastically overnight for the opposite to happen, given the few arguments offered by Tabilo and Garín. The first fell apart due to Mérida’s aggressiveness (21 years old and 41st) and the second was ruthlessly dismantled by Jódar (20 and 14th). Slight debate in one match; none in the other.
Garín once inspired hope, but today (30 and 133rd) he is a shadow of what he was, while Jódar debuted just as he has this year: as if nothing. As if he were a veteran. A young-old. Not a blink. The gap between the two was obvious, but the Madrid player did not give even the slightest gift. Just in case. Categorical. No trace of that immediate defeat in New York, but another proof that he is a fast learner and that Carlos Alcaraz has found a high-caliber lieutenant. He resolved it in no time and put more distance between himself and a listless Chile, now forced to a comeback that looks more than complicated.
In the first match, Mérida showed all his offensive power and skillfully managed a delicate duel, on a knife-edge, very close until the Madrid player gave an extraordinary acceleration and Tabilo’s spirit broke. For an hour there was parity, but from then on, an exhibition of shots and bursts by the Spanish player intensified, explosive to the max, accurate, brave. He had been showing good signs throughout the season and what better stage than the Davis Cup, a territory of boldness, to prove he has guts, the shots, and the reactive and essential instinct to turn around hostile circumstances like the one he faced.
At first, Tabilo was ahead and the teasing crowd celebrated his mistakes and tried to inject the doubts typical of a rookie. Rookie? No one would have said so judging by how he got up, reacted, and counterattacked, with those electric flashes that please and hook so much. A fighting spirit, fists of steel, acceleration to spare. That is Mérida’s seductive tennis, a multi-layered competitor who performs everywhere, whether here or there, in the mud of a challenger or on a top-level stage, whether in defense or offense. Magnificent on return, once the second set break was achieved he threw himself at the opponent.
He, always giving his all. Bam, bam, bam! Stone by stone. From winner to winner. And opposite, a classy 29-year-old player, 28th in the world with 15 series behind him, who suddenly blew a fuse; along with him, the crowd also collapsed, starting noisy and ending silent, trying to assimilate what their players were going through. The home side groggy. Chile’s initial surge was just a mirage and Mérida’s good work was followed by Jódar’s. One and the other, two treasures. Voltaic the first, overwhelming the second. No cauldron. A very happy Saturday at the National Stadium, where the party was hosted by the visitors.
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