Nicolás Mejía made all the Colombian fans who attended the first day of the Davis Cup Qualifiers series between Team Colombia Colsanitas and Great Britain vibrate, which takes place at the Pueblo Viejo Country Club in Cota.
The Colombian, number 253 in the world, took his first success against a top-30 in his career after beating Dan Evans 6-2, 2-6 and 6-4 and putting Colombia ahead in the confrontation, which gives a qualified for the group stage of the Davis Cup Finals.
«The attitude, dedication and not getting more nervous than necessary were the keys to achieving this point. A lot of people gave us up for dead and this team is up for great things”, were the words of the 22-year-old player.
For Mejía, this victory means a balm since he was able to shake the match record in this tournament. Plus, it was her first chance to beat a big name in Davis, something she had previously missed against Frances Tiafoe, Lorenzo Sonego and Sebastian Korda.
«I needed a victory like these because of what had happened in the past. I thank all the people for the support, it has been an incredible match. I had told my teammates that I was going to give this point to Colombia. He had been playing well during the week and with a lot of confidence. But you have to go step by step», he commented.
Then, equality came with Cameron Norrie who imposed his experience against Nicolás Barrientos, whom he ended up beating 6-2, 7-5. For the Colombian, this was his second opportunity in the Davis Cup to play a singles match, remembering that he had given the country the fourth point against Turkey in 2022.
«This Saturday we are going to need the support of all the followers of Colombia. We started off on the right foot, but now we have to think about what is coming and the strategy that we are going to have with our players,” said Alejandro Falla, captain of the Colombia Colsanitas Team.
This Saturday, starting at 12 noon, will be the final day to meet the team that will qualify for the group stage of the Davis Cup Finals. First it will be the turn of the doubles where Juan Sebastián Cabal and Robert Farah will face Dan Evans and Neal Skupski; then they will play Nicolás Mejía against Cameron Norrie; and if necessary, the fifth point between Nicolás Barrientos and Dan Evans.
The Davis Cup series between Colombia and Great Britain is carried out thanks to Rakuten and Davis Fan Token (international sponsors); Colsanitas (sponsor of Team Colombia); Bravoauto, Lotto, People Play’s, ISDIN, Sporade, Agua Cielo, LATAM and Victory by MBS (local sponsors); Ministry of Sports, Mayor of Cota and Government of Cundinamarca (institutional allies); Pueblo Viejo Country Club, Tuboleta and Bitsports (allies); El Tiempo, RCN Radio and Antena 2 (allied media). with RSF