Martínez's epic evens the playing field and the Spanish miracle is now in Carreño's hands

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Pedro Martínez refuses to let Spain lose this tie. First, in the doubles alongside Jaume Munar, and then defeating the formidable Holger Rune, who succumbed to the pressure, the stage, and the tennis of the Valencian. With nothing to lose and a clear strategy, the Spaniard found the necessary balance to unsettle the Dane. He dominated the start of the match, weathered the Danish player's comeback, saved a match point, and sealed the victory in the decisive third-set tiebreak (6-1, 4-6, 7-6(3)), after a three-hour and fifteen-minute battle. The team captained by David Ferrer is just one match away from making history by overturning a 0-2 deficit for the first time, and Pablo Carreño will have the historic opportunity to close a tie that would be etched in Spanish tennis history.

After a doubles match where Spain was almost out of contention, Munar and Martínez kept hope alive to come back and secure the first point for the Spanish team in the tie against Denmark, Martínez had the opportunity to level the score. However, he was facing the world number eleven, Holger Rune, who wasn't going to make it easy. 

Martínez came out strong from the first ball

Nevertheless, the Valencian was in good form and motivated, having just won in the doubles, while Rune started off cold and with the pressure of closing the tie for his country. The Dane, more focused on dealing with the crowd than fighting on the court, struggled to decipher Martínez's tennis, who was playing with great composure and strategy.

The Danish player didn't expect this explosive start from the Spaniard, and Rune got frustrated, made numerous unforced errors, and in a flash, precisely in 36 minutes, Martínez claimed a very solid first set, winning 6-1 against one of the world's top racquets.

Rune was at odds with the crowd and sent two balls out of the court

With the darkness that marked the beginning of the day, the hope of achieving a historic comeback started to take shape. Spain was just a set away from equalizing the tie, and Rune's tennis was still missing in action. Going to the locker room didn't help him, as he returned without ideas and even more frustrated. 

Martínez continued steadily, breaking the Dane's serve, who sent two balls out, and Spain was on the verge of leveling a tie that seemed lost just a few hours ago. The tables had turned, but now the Valencian had the pressure of maintaining a valuable lead.

The Dane stepped up at the crucial moment

He accepted the challenge and held his serve to gradually approach a victory that would be a boost for the Spanish team and a significant energy jolt for the upcoming final match. However, Rune hadn't uttered his last word yet, as he broke back at a critical moment to make it 4-4. Alzira's player was starting to feel the strain, and the Dane, accustomed to tense moments on big stages, managed the situation better and secured the second set (6-4) that seemed lost at one point. 

Everything would be decided in the third, and considering the end of the second set, it seemed like Rune had the upper hand. It was evident that tension filled the air; the match was worthy of a Davis Cup clash. Nonetheless, the Dane handled the pressure better in this situation, while Martínez and Ferrer argued with the umpire over the young rebel's behavior.

Martínez saved a match point against him

With the match surpassing two hours, neither player was willing to give an inch. Games kept progressing, serves were held, but both players were running out of steam, and Holger called for the physio. Nevertheless, the world number eleven, aware of the moment and the situation, showed courage, while the pressure got to Martínez, and the Dane broke in the eighth game. He served to seal the match and even had a match point, but the Valencian fought hard, clinging on, while Rune started cramping. It was a Davis Cup-worthy battle, and Martínez leveled at 5-5.

Rune could hardly serve anymore; his legs had given up, and he was forced to resort to an underarm serve. It seemed like neither player could move, yet they refused to let go of the match, and everything would be decided in a ten-point tiebreak. There, with both players on the edge, Martínez displayed the resilience and courage required to win an extraordinary match and allow Spain to even the tie at two (6-1, 4-6, 7-6(3)). Now, Pablo Carreño has the historic chance to confirm the first comeback for Spanish tennis from a 0-2 deficit in the Davis Cup. Brace yourselves for intense emotions.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, La épica de Martínez iguala todo y el milagro español queda en manos de Carreño