On an indoor hard court in Zhuhai, Germany’s Maximilian Marterer beat Tomas Barrios Vera 6-1, 6-3, then Yannick Hanfmann defeated Alejandro Tabilo 7-5, 6-4 to clinch the tie. Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz, who have lost only one cup match, beat Barrios Vera and Matias Soto 6-1, 6-3. In no match was Germany broken.
Germany has never lost to Chile, which didn’t use an ill Nicolas Jarry.
The Germans, after also beating Slovakia 3-0, lead Group C, followed by the United States, Slovakia and Chile. The next tie is U.S. vs. Slovakia on Friday.
Four groups of teams are playing in four cities this week to qualify for the eight-team Finals in Malaga, Spain, in November. The top two countries in each four-team group advance.
Also Thursday, the Netherlands and Brazil are vying for their first wins in Group A when they play at Bologna, Italy. Last year’s runner-up Australia will try to go 2-0 when it takes on the Czech Republic in Valencia, Spain.
