Cramps, Resilience, and a 3-Hour Battle: Unexpected Scenario Between De Minaur and Collignon in Davis Cup
In a thrilling match in Sydney, Raphaël Collignon achieved the feat of delivering the first point to Belgium by defeating world No. 8 Alex De Minaur. Plagued by cramps and after collapsing on the court, the 23-year-old Belgian found the strength to turn the situation around.
Collignon created a surprise in Sydney. As the Davis Cup qualifying tie between Australia and Belgium kicked off this Saturday, the world No. 91 delivered the first point for his country against world No. 8 Alex De Minaur, who was playing at home, in an unexpected turn of events.
Plagued by cramps from the start of the third set and after collapsing on the court, the 23-year-old player found the physical resources to prevail. Despite 12 double faults and 26 break points conceded (including 5 breaks), the Belgian displayed unshakable mental strength, proving devilishly effective on his opportunities (6 break points converted out of 9 earned).
In the end, Collignon broke his opponent’s serve at the perfect moment in the third set (at 4-3) and ultimately secured the win (7-5, 3-6, 6-3 in 3 hours and 12 minutes), giving Belgium the advantage. Jordan Thompson, facing Zizou Bergs, is already under pressure and will have to level the score to prevent the European nation from taking a strong lead in the qualification race.
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