ZHUHAI: Maximilian Marterer and Yannick Hanfmann eased to straight-set singles victories on Thursday, securing a 2-0 lead over Chile to virtually guarantee Germany's place in the Davis Cup Finals in November.
In a Group C match on indoor hard courts in Zhuhai, China, Marterer defeated Tomas Barrios Vera 6-1, 6-3, before Hanfmann overcame Alejandro Tabilo 7-5, 6-4, ahead of a later scheduled doubles match.
Four groups of teams are competing in four cities this week to qualify for the Final 8 knockout stage, set to be held in Málaga, Spain, in November. The top two countries in each four-team group will advance.
Germany, playing without World No. 2 Alexander Zverev, beat Slovakia 3-0 on Tuesday in its opening match. Chile had lost its first match to the United States on Wednesday.
Later on Thursday in Europe, the Netherlands and Brazil will each be vying for their first wins in Group A when they play in Bologna, Italy. Last year's runner-up Australia will try to go 2-0 when it faces the Czech Republic in Valencia, Spain, while 2022 champions Canada will aim to do the same when they take on Finland in Group D in Manchester, England.
The United States, Spain, defending champions Italy, and Britain all won their opening group matches on Wednesday.