David Nalbandian-Adrian Ungur meet for first time in Davis Cup

In the first tennis match of the Argentina-Romania confrontation, counting for the first Davis World Cup round, David Nalbandian, ATP number 19 will meet, following the draw, Adrian Ungur, placed 183 ATP.

The Argentina-Romania confrontation will be held outdoors, in the Parque Roca arena in Buenos Aires, and the game surface chosen by the hosts is clay.

In the second singles match of the first day of the confrontation, the best Romanian tennis player at the moment, Victor Hănescu, number 59 ATP, will have Juan Monaco as opponent, number 33 ATP.

In the doubles match on Saturday, we can see the pairs Eduardo Schwank/Juan Ignacio Chela and Victor Hănescu/Horia Tecău, and Sunday the last two singles games are scheduled: David Nalbandian-Victor Hănescu and Adrian Ungur-Juan Monaco.

The two countries only met once in the Davis Cup, in the 1981 edition, in Timișoara, the game being won by the South-Americans 3 to 2.

Last year, the Argentines reached the semi-finals of the competition, where they lost to France (0-5), in Lyon.

After a demotion that ended a seven-year continuous presence in the World Group, Romania managed to quickly return among the world top 16 tennis nations, in 2010.

Argentina and Romania, along with India, share an unwanted record, being the only nations which qualified several times in the Davis Cup final, failing to win, however, the silver salad bowl trophy.

Romania’s famous team consisting of Ilie Năstase and Ion Ţiriac played three Davis Cup finals, all lost to the representatives of the United Stated (in 1969, 1971 and 1972).

Translated by: Manuela Stancu
MA Student, MTTLC, Bucharest University