Bernard Tomic has provided Australia with an ideal start to their Davis Cup tie against Germany by overcoming Cedrik-Marcel Stebe in bone-chilling conditions in Hamburg, but Lleyton Hewitt has lost to a red-hot Florian Mayer.
After making a sluggish start against the tricky left-hander, world No.42 Tomic won 2-6 6-3 6-4 7-6 (7-4) in three hours and 17 minutes on clay at Rothenbaum Stadium.
So cold was it courtside that Davis Cup captain Pat Rafter sat with a towel around his neck to keep warm.
The victory in testing, breezy conditions over the world No.127 was just what the Australian teenager needed following his controversial US Open flop a fortnight ago that Rafter described as “disgraceful”.
The unforced error count was high with Stebe, playing in his first live Davis Cup rubber, committing 80 to Tomic’s 70 under grey skies.
Australia must win the tie to return to the elite World Group next year for the first time since 2007.
Tomic won the opening six points before 21-year-old Stebe composed himself and the tall Australian became frustrated having to play extra shots on the slow surface.
Errors flowed from Tomic’s racquet as he surrendered the opening set.
The Australian adjusted to the conditions and started pushing his opponent around to take the second set and carried that momentum into the third set.
He continued to chip away at Stebe’s serve as he grabbed a two-sets-to-one lead.
The young German jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the fourth set before Tomic fought his way back and had a chance to serve for the match at 5-4.
At 30-30, Tomic made two errors with the set had to be decided in a tie break.
Lleyton Hewitt will take on German No.1 Florian Mayer in the second singles rubber shortly.
Hewitt and Chris Guccione will play in the doubles rubber against Germany’s Philipp Petzschner and Benjamin Becker on Saturday before the reverse singles on Sunday.
Tomic was relieved to have grabbed the win with light rain falling late in the contest and the roof being closed for the second singles rubber.
“I am really, really happy,” he said.
“It was not a good feeling being down a set.
“I had been training all week and I had been hitting the ball the best I have ever done.
“To be down a set after that to a guy that is playing really, really good tennis is a difficult feeling.
“But I managed to find my way out of it.”
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Lleyton Hewitt has succumbed to a red-hot Florian Mayer as Germany levelled the Davis Cup tie against Australia at 1-1 in Hamburg.
Mayer defeated Australia’s greatest Davis Cup servant 7-5 6-3 6-2 in two hours and seven minutes on clay at Rothenbaum Stadium.
It was Hewitt’s first straights sets singles loss in Davis Cup since 2005.
Bernard Tomic earlier opened Australia’s account with a 2-6 6-3 6-4 7-6 (7-4) victory over world No.127 Cedrik-Marcel Stebe in three hours and 17 minutes.
Tomic had to overcome cold, blustery conditions for his win on a sluggish court with the roof being shut for Hewitt’s clash against Mayer.
In the calmer conditions, the world No.25 German outplayed Hewitt from the moment the Australian served for the first set at 5-4 and 30-15.
Australia must win the tie to return to the elite World Group next year for the first time since 2007.
Hewitt and Chris Guccione will team up in the doubles against Philipp Petzschner and Benjamin Becker on Saturday before the reverse singles on Sunday.
The Australian doubles combination have a 3-0 record in the competition while the Germans have never played doubles together at Davis Cup.
Mayer is due to play Tomic first up on Sunday and there is a chance of the Germans putting Petzschner in for Stebe for the fifth rubber against Hewitt.
Hewitt said that Mayer had just been too good on Friday.
“I tried to weather the storm … I was only a couple of points away from winning that first set and that would have been nice,” he said.
“At least to put a bit more scoreboard pressure on him and know he is going to have to go at least four sets to win.
“After he played a good game to break me at 6-5, it was hard to stop him with his confidence pretty high.”
Tomic was relieved to have chalked up his win.
“It was a rough week and I am happy to get out there and play really well and get one point for Australia,” he said.
The teenager said he had felt the pressure as the nation’s top-ranked player with a World Group spot up for grabs.
“Your team is expecting a lot from you,” he said.
“You are the No.1 ranked player and you have to put in all the hard work and show your teammates you are willing to do anything for the team.”
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