Keystone
The Swiss Davis Cup team leads the World Group play-off against Peru 2:0 after the first day. Jérôme Kym and Marc-Andrea Hüsler win both their singles matches in two sets.
The 21-year-old Jérôme Kym (ATP 151) and Marc-Andrea Hüsler (ATP 171) rewarded the trust of their captain Severin Lüthi with solid and successful performances. Both matches on the opening day were similar: The Swiss managed an early break and won the first set safely, in the second round they broke to 5:4 and then served out the match safely.
Kym confidently lived up to his role as favorite against Ignacio Buse (ATP 212), who is still a year younger. The 1.98 m tall player from Aargau is enjoying excellent form and is currently ranked higher than ever before. The South American, on the other hand, is a real clay court specialist and usually played too passively on the faster indoor surface. Kym had clear advantages on serve in particular. He responded immediately to the only service loss at 0:2 in the second set.
Kym made his debut in the Davis Cup in 2019 at the age of not quite 16 as the youngest Swiss player to date with a doubles victory against Russia. After various injury problems, he now played a singles match for the second time in Biel, and for the first time one in which the match had not yet been decided.
Hüsler goes one better
Marc-Andrea Hüsler also took an immediate 3:0 lead in the second singles match against the Peruvian number 1 Juan Pablo Varillas (ATP 179). The left-hander from Zurich did not have to surrender his serve once in the entire match. Hüsler was the tragic figure in the Netherlands in the spring when the Swiss failed to make it through to the final round, which is also taking place this week. He narrowly lost twice against higher-ranked opponents. Now he kept his nerve right to the end.
A doubles match and two more singles matches are scheduled for Saturday. Switzerland still needs one more point; the winner of the match will earn the right to play for qualification for the final round next spring.
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