Michael Venus and Marcus Daniell caused a major upset against Colombia. Photo / Getty Images
Michael Venus and Marcus Daniell caused a major upset against Colombia. Photo / Getty Images
Kiwi tennis players Michael Venus and Marcus Daniell will play for a medal in Tokyo, after progressing to the semifinals of the men's doubles.
The New Zealanders have pulled off a significant upset on Wednesday, downing the third seeds Juan Sebastian-Cabal and Robert Farah (Colombia) 6-3 3-6 10-7.
It wasa remarkable effort to topple the South Americans, who are regarded as one of the top combinations on the ATP tour, ranked world No 7 and 8 in doubles.
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Venus (No 20) and Daniell (No 50) only got together for this Olympics, but they have gelled quickly.
Given the circumstances, it's one of the most important tennis victories by a pair of New Zealanders for years.
It will give the sport much-needed exposure, in front of a new audience, and vindicates the decision to send them to their second Olympics.
They could face Andy Murray in the last four, the veteran superstar of the British team in action against Croatia in the other quarter-final on their side of the draw.
The Kiwis came out of the blocks fast, with a near-perfect first set, clinched in 33 minutes. The Colombians fought back in the second, as Venus and Daniell struggled to maintain their levels, though they also forced three break point opportunities before Farah served it out.
The South Americans looked to have the initiative, but the Kiwis started like a bullet train in the super tie-break, easing to a 7-2 lead. That advantage closed to 7-6 at one point, before the Kiwis won three of the last four points to seal a memorable win.
Venus and Daniell made an ideal start to the match. Farah was broken with relative ease in the second game, with both Kiwis nailing their returns to build pressure.
Between them, they managed 13 of their 14 first serves – at a 93 per cent success rate – as the Colombians struggled to get a foothold in the match. Venus was maximising his power game, while Daniell found his touch early with some clean backhand winners down the line.
The Colombians momentarily threatened in the seventh game, but Daniell responded well, with one delayed backhand volley particularly impressive.
Serving for the set, Venus got lucky early with a successful Hawkeye challenge by millimetres, before sending down an ace. The 33-year-old closed it out with two more bombs on serve.
The Colombians lacked fluency but had to respond, sharpening their work in the second set. The momentum shifted in the fourth game, as Daniell lost his range on serve. He donned sunglasses to deal with the midday sun but to no avail, as they converted their first break point of the match.
Farah and Sebastian-Cabal had visibly lifted, but the Kiwis refused to give up. Serving for the set, Farah was in a hole at 0-40, after a slashing Venus cross-court winner.
But New Zealand couldn't convert any of their break opportunities, though the third was controversial. Daniell netted a Farah serve that was called long by the line judge, before being overruled by Hawkeye. But the umpire refused to use her discretion to replay the point, instead awarding it to the Colombians.
"That's very, very unfair," said Daniell, as they put their case with the chair official. The Kiwis saved one set point before their opponents sealed it with their second.
But the Kiwis were fired up, and it showed in the super tiebreaker. A couple of big plays from Daniell grabbed an early edge – before two clutch serves from Venus – one a thunderous second serve – gave them a 7-2 advantage. Venus in particular was full of adrenalin, responding to the small but vocal Colombian contingent in the stands.
The South Americans fought back, as Daniell wobbled slightly. He threw up a double fault at 7-4, then dropped the next point after a tentative first serve.
At 7-6, the Colombians had momentum, after four straight points, but Daniell showed his mettle with a precise return on the next point, to regain their advantage. The 31-year-old then managed a clutch shot to bring up match point, with Venus sealed with an impressive half-court volley down the tramlines.
