Israel celebrates its much anticipated advance to the quarterfinals after having defeated seven-time champion Sweden on Sunday. This was the first time Israel advanced in the Davis Cup since the year 1987. The game proved to be a thrilling event as the match was not only close; it was also overshadowed by political protests.
Israeli Harel Levy beat Andreas Vinciguerra with a score of 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 3-6, and 8-6 for the World Group first round series. After doing so, Levy was hoisted up in the air by his jubilant Israeli teammates. Dudi Sela was up against Sweden’s Thomas Johansson and won with a score of 3-6, 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, and 6-2. Both matches were close ones with Israeli sealing the victory after Sweden made avoidable errors on the court. Sela admits to taking advantage of Johansson’s recovery from a recent heel surgery. During the game, Johansson showed signs of fatigue which was quickly observed by Sela.
The game was also heated due to threats of political protests. Only 300 guests approximately were allowed to watch the game to guarantee security as the game was threatened by reports of violence from anti-Israeli groups. The game was almost affected Saturday as several protesters were throwing rocks in an attempt to stop the match. These were quickly restrained by the police and injuries were avoided.