Otto Virtanen saved two match points in the decisive tiebreaker to beat Mackenzie McDonald 7-6 (5), 1-6, 7-6 (7) and Emil Ruusuvuori defeated Tommy Paul 7-6 (1), 6-4 – sealing the result on his fourth match point – to give debutants Finland a historic win in Split, Croatia, at the group stage of the Davis Cup finals.
Finland join the Netherlands in advancing out of Group D and reaching the last eight in the southern Spanish city of Malaga in November.
“You can hear it from the (fans). It means a lot for the whole country, for tennis in Finland. It’s a huge thing,” Ruusuvuori said. “We’re going to Malaga!”
He added: “I skipped the US Open as I was sick and didn’t come here in really good shape. I struggled today physically and it was a bit tough in the beginning. But you just have to keep fighting. I was able to find a way in two long sets.”
Underdogs Finland stunned 32-times champions the United States on Saturday to seal their place in the Davis Cup quarter-finals for the first time, while the Czech Republic, Australia and defending champions Canada all advanced.
