- After the first day in the playoff duel between the Swiss Davis Cup team and Lebanon it is 1:1.
- Dominic Stricker surprisingly lost the first single against Benjamin Hassan 3: 6, 3: 6, but Henri Laaksonen equalized thanks to the 5: 7, 6: 3, 6: 3 against Hady Habib.
- On Saturday we continue with doubles and more singles.
The playoff in World Group I against Lebanon has been a tough affair for the Swiss Davis Cup team so far. Appearing as the supposed favorite in Biel, 19-year-old Dominic Stricker (ATP 158) surprisingly and clearly lost the first individual 3: 6, 3: 6 against Lebanese number 1 Benjamin Hassan (ATP 325).
Hassan showed an extremely powerful game and used his 3rd match point after 73 minutes with an ace to win.
In the 2nd individual Henri Laaksonen (ATP 89) was already under pressure against Hady Habib (ATP 424). The Schaffhausen native immediately played an attacking game, but was still not consistent enough: he missed 9 break chances in the first set, while Habib took advantage of his second opportunity and made it 7:5 to win the set.
However, Laaksonen was able to react immediately in the second round and show the Swiss strength. In the first game he broke the Lebanese for the first time and equalized the set with another break to make it 6:3.
In the decisive set, the events were balanced for a long time before the Swiss struck at the right moment and Habib took the game to 5:3. Laaksonen then remained relentless and used the first match point to win after 104 minutes.
On Saturday we continue with doubles and more singles. A total of three wins from four singles and one double are necessary for success.