Argentina defeat Norway in Davis Cup play-off
The first result of the Davis Cup play-offs is in.
After a battle that lasted until the fifth and final decisive match, Argentina toppled Norway in Oslo (3 wins to 2).
Despite an in-form Casper Ruud, who won both his singles matches, the South American nation was the stronger mentally.
In the opening match, Tomas Martin Etcheverry managed to escape the trap set by 18-year-old Nicolai Budkov Kjaer.
Despite going a break ahead in the decisive set, the Norwegian, plagued by cramp, eventually saw the world's 42nd-ranked player come back (7-5, 2-6, 7-6).
To conclude the first day, Casper Ruud had easily dominated Mariano Navone (6-3, 6-3). Friday opened with doubles, and once again it was Argentina who came out on top.
The Andrés Molteni/Horacio Zeballos pair dominated the Viktor Durasovic and Casper Ruud pairing in two sets (6-2, 7-5).
As on the previous day, Ruud evened the score by beating Tomas Martin Etcheverry (6-3, 6-3).
In the decisive fifth match, Navone and Budkov Kjaer had a heavy task on their shoulders.
At the end of another marathon match, the Argentinian player, who was trailing 3-0 at the double break in the decisive set, found the resources to reverse the situation and bring his team the winning point (4-6, 6-3, 6-4).
Argentina now advance to the next round, where they will face the Netherlands, last year's finalists against Italy, from September 12 to 14.
