Krawietz/Puetz spoil Italian party, book SF spot in Turin

Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz are continuing to rise to the occasion in their team debut at the Nitto ATP Finals.

The Germans produced an assertive performance on Wednesday to down Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori 7-5, 6-4 and book their spot in knockout stages at the season finale. Unfazed by the occasion inside the Inalpi Arena, Krawietz and Puetz stood firm to move to 2-0 in the Bob Bryan Group.

“We started the tournament off really well two days ago, and we didn’t really take a step back today,” said Puetz. “It was very hard to match that, from two days ago, because the level was just so high from us, higher than we probably expected. [But] today was just amazing.

“The bigger issue at the beginning was the Italians playing really well, I think they maybe deserved the first set more than we did, but that’s doubles. In the end, we got it, stayed tough, got a bit lucky, and here we are.”

SEMI-FINALS BOUND ?️✈️

?? @GoldenSetTim & Kevin Krawietz become the first all-German team to reach the last four in the 55-year tournament history!#NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/iaWQdPiAwC

The lowest-seeded pair in the tournament fended off four break points throughout an opening set that appeared to be heading the way of the Italians. Puetz, however, came alive in a pivotal 12th game, during which he fired two forehand winners and laced an inch-perfect lob to steal the advantage.

Bolelli and Vavassori took their foot off the gas in the second set, during which they won just 67 per cent (12/18) of points behind their first deliveries, according to Infosys ATP Stats. This is in stark contrast to the early stages of the opener, during which they won 14 consecutive points on serve.

Krawietz and Puetz capitalised on the momentum shift to level their Lexus ATP Head2Head series at 2-2 and etch their name into history as the first all-German duo to reach the semi-finals in Nitto ATP Finals history.

“We expected the crowd to be loud, but we are used to it,” added Krawietz. “The crowd were going crazy, but it was very nice to play [out there].”

Bolelli and Vavassori, who are now 1-1 in the Bob Bryan Group, will face top seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic in a nail-biting final round-robin match.

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