Finland received much-needed help from Argentina in the Davis Cup. Tomorrow you could try something you haven’t seen in a few years, suggests Urheilu’s Janne Karinkanta.
Janne Karinkanta sports reporter
Finland will face Argentina in the last Davis Cup group match on Saturday, September 14. at 3 p.m. Live broadcast from 3 p.m. in Areena and in the follow-up article on ‘s website. Davis Cup on TV2 from 6 p.m.
MANCHESTER.
On Friday, Argentina defeated Great Britain in the Davis Cup, much to the disappointment of the week’s clearly largest and loudest Manchester audience, and at the same time kept both their own and Finland’s further dreams alive.
The situation in Finland still doesn’t look that good, but there is hope.
In order to advance to the top eight, Finland must beat Argentina by as many numbers as possible on Saturday. After that, it remains to be hoped that Canada will do the same to the British on Sunday.
If this happens, Finland, Argentina and Great Britain will be on equal points, and the second place will be decided by match, set or maybe even game and point comparisons. Canada would win the group with a clean slate.
Argentina, which is more comfortable on mass courts, showed against the British that it can also do well on a hard surface.
Finland overthrew Argentina a year and a half ago in Espoo with a similar pitch surface, but then as the team’s carrying force Emil Ruusuvuoriwhich is now sidelined due to overload.
Otto Virtanen hasn’t shown his best skills yet in Manchester, and Eero Vasa despite his positive attitudes, he is a lightweight fighter compared to tomorrow’s opponents. The same can be said about the third singles player of the Finnish team Patrick from Kaukovalla.
That’s why you could ask Ilmo the following question:
Should Jarkko Nieminen put the doubles Wimbledon winner Harri Helevövaara also develop in singles?
Meriiti shows that Heliövaara is a very high-quality tennis player. Of course, doubles is a completely different sport compared to doubles. It is much more physically demanding, and Heliövaara is already 35 years old.
In his “first career” in singles, Heliövaara was at his best in the world ranking at number 194. After his comeback in 2017, he has focused on doubles, but has also played singles. However, it has been more than four years since the last Davis Cup singles match.
In his penultimate singles ATP competition in January 2022, he lost in the qualifiers to Argentina For Francisco Cerundolowho would be a possible opponent on Saturday.
Naming Heliövaara also for the singles game would be a difficult decision. As a tennis player who is not used to singles and is already elderly, the risk of injury is especially high at this level.
If Heliövaara were to get injured, it would be a problem for the doubles game as well, not to mention the effects it would have on his actual bread and butter on the ATP tour.
I don’t think Nieminen will make such a choice, but is it still worth a try?
Finland will face Argentina in the last Davis Cup group match on Saturday, September 14. at 3 p.m. Live broadcast from 3 p.m. in Areena and in the follow-up article on ‘s website. Davis Cup on TV2 from 6 p.m.