2010 Davis Cup Cro - Ecu Match4

The third and closing day of the 2010 Davis Cup World Group, 1st round match between Croatia and Ecuador started at Croatian team 3-0 lead, e.g. ensured win.

Therefore, both team captains, Prpić for Croatia and Gomez for Ecuador decided to give their best players the rest. This way, the younger players from both national tems got their chance to show up in fourth and fifth match.

The fourth match brought encounter of Antonio Veić (Cro) against Julio-Cezar Campozano (Ecu).

Enjoy the courtside photographs taken by Zrinka "Astrida" Hrženjak, very tallented young Croatian photographer! She did a great job, capturing so many interesting details, presenting us the match as an real athletic duel! Bravo and Thank you, Astrida!!

Click on any image to display it enlarged.

Both players eager to win the duel, to get their teams the points in the ITF national teams rankings. Antonio Veić opened the match very strong and firm, displaying excelent strenght, speed, good shape and full potential against Campozano.

Veić was pressing the very good Ecuadorian player with strong serves and excellent baseline play, leading the play and the score from the beginning to the last point!

The score 6-4 and 7-6 (4) gives the impression of more leveled up match than it actually was. Veić got nervous in the second set by his 5-2 lead, letting Campozano to fihgt back to stay in the match. However, young Croatian from Mali Lošinj ended the match for his first Davis Cup success, by winning the tie break of the second set.

The audience awarded Antonio and Julio-Cezar the long standing ovations for presenting such a good play and, naturally, awarded Veić and Croatian team some more aplause for getting the fourth straight point in the match, before the fifth and final encounter to be played a couple of minutes later by Ivan Dodig (Cro) against Ivan Endara (Ecu).

The score after fourth rubber: Cro 4 - Ecu 0.

Last rubber to come in 2010 ITF Davis Cup, World Group, 1st round in Varaždin, between Ivan Dodig (Cro) and Ivan Endara (Ecu).