Ireland's Davis Cup debutant Peter Clarke won a roller-coaster four-hour reverse singles tie against Luxembourg's Mike Scheidweiler at the Mondorf Les Bains club yesterday to guarantee an Irish victory amid high drama.
Clarke (20), who has spent most of his life in Australia as his family, originally from Dublin, emigrated there 17 years ago, could hardly have expected a debut of such fluctuating fortunes after having lost his opening match on Friday.
But yesterday's win in five sets was of huge importance. It sets up Ireland for a home semi-final tie with Croatia, for whom Goran Ivanisevic starred in the match against Latvia in the top half of the Euro African Group II draw. Clarke's struggle with Scheidweiler, ranked 841st in the world, finished in extremely high temperatures, which added to the tense nature of a rubber which ended 6-4, 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-2. Scheidweiler had to be treated for cramp and other physical ailments on four occasions. Clarke was treated for cramp at the finish.
The gamble to play Clarke in the reverse singles following the player's nervous start on Friday paid off. "He deserved another chance," said Irish captain Peter Lowther, "although I feel that Peter will not look back on the match as one of his best performances". Indeed Clarke double faulted, lost vital points and lost the second set from 5-3 up. He went 2-1 down and trailed 5-3 in the crucial fourth set but then came up with a good service game and broke for 5-5 before squaring the match at two sets each.
Clarke started poorly in the final set and slumped to a 2-0 deficit but he always gave the impression that he was keen to improve and he did just that by claiming the next six games for a memorable win.
The reverse singles which followed was of academic interest, and Lowther made use of the occasion to give Sean Cooper a taste of the action. The young Dubliner did well to take his first Davis Cup set before succumbing in a three-setter to Gilles Muller, a promising 16-year-old who had beaten Clarke in the opening singles.
Lowther struck an optimistic note as he looked forward: "I feel that we will see a lot more from Peter (Clarke), at least 20 per cent more in what promises to be a big career for him."
He added: "It was a great win with a dream home fixture ahead against Croatia, who are making big strides to move up a level in the competition."
Reverse singles (Ireland names first): P Clarke bt M Scheidweiler 6-4 5-7 3-6 7-5 6-2; S Cooper lost to G Muller 1-6 6-2 3-6. Doubles: O Casey, S Barron bt J Goudenbour, M Scheidweiler 6-3 6-3 64.
Match result: Luxembourg 2 - Ireland 3.
Sweden's Magnus Norman strolled through to the semi-finals of the Barcelona Open on Saturday, completing a comfortable 6-2 6-4 victory over Moroccan Younes El Aynaoui. Number two seed Norman, resuming with a 4-2 lead in blazing sunshine after the match was suspended on Friday evening because of rain, seemed determined to make up for lost time as he took the first set and went 5-1 ahead in the second before surviving a comeback by the Moroccan.
