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By Chris Oddo | Sunday February 5, 2017

It seemed as if Belgium was up against Insurmountable odds this weekend in Frankfurt, Germany. And yet they turned those odds in their favor with a determined effort, defeating Germany, 4-1, on the strength of two victories from Steve Darcis

More: Shapovalov Defaulted in Bizarre Davis Cup Finish

World No. 59 Darcis, perhaps better known for his dramatic first-round upset of Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon in 2013, defeated two Top 30 players—Philipp Kohlschreiber and Alexander Zverev—to lead Belgium into the World Group quarterfinals for the second time in three years.

Without their top-ranked player David Goffin most gave Belgium no chance to emerge victorious, but the gritty play of Darcis, a veteran of 20 Davis Cup ties, in addition to the doubles of Ruben Bemelmans and Joris de Loore, saw them through.

Darcis jumped the gun with his celebration in a humurous moment, as he incorrectly assumed that a Zverev volley had landed long on his first match point at 6-4 in the fourth-set tiebreaker. And after failing on a second match point he was made to squirm, but the 32-year-old saved a set point from Zverev and eventually rallied for the 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, 7-6(8) win to nail down the victory.

“I think it’s very big," Darcis said after the match. "We were the underdogs in all the matches but did an unbelievable job. This has been a great weekend for Belgium."

“He played very well,” said Zverev, who squandered a set and 4-2 lead on this day. “In the third set I started to feel it.”

The promising 19-year-old got his first Davis Cup victory on Friday when he beat Arthur de Greef to level the tie at one apiece, but he and his brother Mischa fell in five sets in Saturday’s doubles rubber, further complicating his mindset for today’s reverse singles.

But all credit to Darcis and the Belgians. They showed incredible fire when they made the Davis Cup final in 2015, and here they go again.

“We said impossible is nothing,” said Captain Johann Von Herck. “We came here to fight and to try to get every point.”

He added, on Darcis’ performance: “You know that Steve is a tough player to beat in Davis Cup. Yeah, that’s why we come here.”

Suddenly Belgium, who faces Italy or Argentina in the quarterfinals (that tie will be decided by a fifth rubber on Monday), looks primed for another run. They could have David Goffin back in April, and they’ve got experience on their side. They may be a longshot still, but certainly one to watch.

 

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