WATCH—Match point from Borna Coric’s win over Frances Tiafoe in Davis Cup semis:
Switzerland is a tennis powerhouse with two Grand Slam champions on tour, but it was represented by the world No. 1211 against Sweden’s world No.1094 during a Davis Cup defeat in the World Group playoffs.
No. 1094-ranked Jonathan Mridha of Sweden won against No. 1211-ranked Sandro Ehrat of Switzerland 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6, in the fifth rubber in front of a small crowd in Biel, Switzerland.
Neither Roger Federer nor Stanislas Wawrinka played the tie, whose relevance was questionable with the recently approved reforms to the competition. The country’s third-ranked player, No. 120 Henri Laaksonen, won both his singles but the second singles player, No.386 Marc-Andrea Huesler, was up two sets and 5-1 in the third in the opening singles before experiencing cramps and a thigh injury during the third set, falling in five sets.
Then Ehrat, who was added to the team when Jakub Paul withdrew with injury, was substituted for the deciding fifth point. The 27-year-old had been as high as No. 295 before getting injured a few years ago.
But Mridha called it a career highlight. “It’s another feeling than I ever had before,” the 23-year-old was quoted as saying.
Sweden also did not have its top singles pair for the playoffs.
This Weekend on Tennis Channel PLUS
-Davis Cup Semifinals (Sep. 14-16): USA takes on Croatia, while Spain faces France
-Additionally, watch Davis Cup World Group Playoffs featuring Austria vs. Australia and Canada vs. Netherlands
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