Matching Report
Krawietz/Puetz spoil the Italian party, booking the SF spot in Turin
The eighth seed is down to Bolelli/Vavassori, moving to 2-0 in the Bob Bryan Group
November 13, 2024
Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
Tim Puetz and Kevin Krawietz advance to the semifinals of the Nitto ATP Finals.
Written by Jerome Coombe
Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz continue to rise to the occasion in their team appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals.
The Germans did well on Wednesday defeating Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori 7-5, 6-4 and booked their place in the knockout stage at the end of the season. Unfazed by the event inside the Inalpi Arena, Krawietz and Puetz stood up and went 2-0 in the Bob Bryan Group.
“We started the tournament well two days ago, and we didn't back down today,” said Puetz. “It was very difficult to match that, from two days ago, because the level was very high for us, it was more than we expected. [But] today was just amazing.
“The biggest problem at the beginning was that the Italians played really well, I think they probably deserved the first set more than us, but that's double. In the end, we got it, we stayed strong, we got lucky, and here we are.”
THE SEMI-FINALS ARE CLOSED 🎟️✈️
🇩🇪 @GoldenSetTim & Kevin Krawietz became the first all-German team to reach the last four in the tournament's 55-year history!#NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/iaWQdPiAwC
– ATP Tour (@atptour) November 13, 2024
The tournament's top two scored four points at half-time in an opening that looked set to overtake the Italians. Puetz, however, came alive in the crucial 12th game, when he fired two forehand winners and landed an inch-perfect lob to steal the lead.
Bolelli and Vavassori took their foot off the gas in the second set, where they won just 67 percent (12/18) of the points after their first serve, according to Infosys ATP Stats. This is a stark contrast to the early stages of the first game, when they won 14 points in a row on serve.
Krawietz and Puetz took part in a momentum shift to level their Lexus ATP Head2Head series at 2-2 and write their names in history as the first two German players to reach the semifinals in the history of the Nitto ATP Finals.
“We expected the crowd to be loud, but we're used to it,” added Krawietz. “The crowd was crazy, but it was a lot of fun to play [out there].”
Bolelli and Vavassori, who are now 1-1 on Team Bob Bryan, will face top-ranked Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic in a nail-biting final round matchup.
