VIVA ESPANA !

Spain wins the DavisCup

Spain who were without Rafael Nadal still managed to clinch the Davis cup 3-1 stunning thr hot favourites Argentina in their home soil. Fernando Verdasco's five-set victory over Jose Acasuso on Sunday helped Spain clinch the Davis Cup final.
Spain won the Davis Cup for the third time on Sunday when Fernando Verdasco beat Jose Acasuso in five sets to give them an unassailable 3-1 lead over Argentina in the final.

Verdasco won 6-3 6-7 4-6 6-3 6-1 as Spain, missing world number one Rafael Nadal through injury, still managed to hand Argentina their third defeat in three final appearances and their first home loss for 10 years.

“It’s a dream. I’ve wanted this chance since I was a boy, few get it and even fewer take it,” said an elated Verdasco.

Verdasco, ranked 16th in the world, was brought in as a replacement for off-form David Ferrer who was crushed in straight sets by David Nalbandian on Friday.

Acasuso, ranked 48th, was thrown into the fray after Argentina’s number one Juan Martin del Potro was ruled out with a pulled muscle in his right leg which he suffered in Friday’s defeat to Feliciano Lopez.



Verdasco won the first set after breaking in the fifth game as Acasuso struggled to find his rhythm.

The Argentine came to life in the second set, which he won in a tiebreak after both players dropped service twice.

Playing some excellent tennis and backed by a passionate crowd, Acasuso took the third set and looked as if he could take the tie to a decisive rubber involving Nalbandian which would have left the hosts as favourites.

But Acasuso lost his nerve after Verdasco broke in the sixth game of the fourth set to level the match.

Acasuso then looked tired and demoralised and the Spaniard strolled through the final set to shatter the hopes of the home crowd.



Although Acasuso saved two match points, Verdasco finished off the match at the third attempt with a rasping forehand down the line.

“In the Davis Cup, you have to fight to the death and you always have to keep your hope of winning. This mental strength helped me win the match,” Verdasco said. Read more!

ADVANTAGE ESPANYOL!

Feliciano Lopez (left) and Fernando Verdasco triumphed over Argentina's David Nalbandian and Agustin Calleri on Saturday to give Spain a 2-1 lead in the Davis Cup Even the Player who replaced Rafael Nadal seems to be Rocking the Stage like his replacement. Lopez won his singles and now he just volleyed to make his team go 2-1.
Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco sent a chill through Argentine tennis Saturday, winning their doubles match to give Spain a 2-1 lead in the Davis Cup final.

Lopez and Verdasco defeated David Nalbandian and Agustin Calleri 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (5), 6-3, boosting Spain’s hopes of winning the best-of-five championship on the road despite the absence of an ailing Rafael Nadal.

Spain could be in good position for its third Davis Cup crown if Argentina’s leading player, Juan Martin del Potro, cannot play reverse singles Sunday because of a leg injury.

“This was an important victory; it gives us life,” Spain captain Emilio Sanchez Vicario said. “We need one more game.”

Sunday’s schedule tentatively has del Potro meeting David Ferrer, then Nalbandian playing Lopez at Islas Malvinas Stadium. On Friday, Nalbandian defeated Ferrer in straight sets and del Potro fell to Lopez in four.



“We have to keep fighting, there are still two points to play,” Argentina coach Alberto Mancini said. “We know it’s hard, but we can do it. We have to overcome this difficult moment and get our hopes up.”

Mancini said his choices for Sunday will depend in part on del Potro’s injury. Sanchez Vicario said he was expected to stick with Ferrer and Lopez.

Nalbandian left the stadium without talking to reporters. Mancini said he was not feeling well, but discounted any injuries.

Spain has never won the Davis Cup away from home. Argentina, unbeaten at home since 1998, has to sweep both for its first Davis Cup triumph. But it’s hopes became bleaker Saturday, with Potro undergoing treatment on his right thigh after hurting it in Friday’s singles. If he cannot play, he could be replaced by Calleri or Jose Acasuso.

“It’s not over yet,” Calleri said. “We are not happy right now because we wanted a victory, but we still have chances tomorrow (Sunday) and we remain confident.”

Calleri and Nalbandian, playing their first Davis Cup doubles since the 2006 final, won the first set, but couldn’t hold back the veteran Spanish pair over 3 hours, 18 minutes.

The Spaniards had 86 winners and only 30 unforced errors. The Argentines struggled on serve and were broken six times. But they came through first, breaking Verdasco for 6-5. then erasing a 0-40 deficit for Nalbandian to hold and win the first set.

The rally pumped up the crowd, and the nearly 10,000 fans chanted constantly between games. A small group of Spaniards tried to keep up, at times managing to make some noise.


Argentina saved three break points on Nalbandian’s serve in the eighth game of the second set to stay even at 4-4. But after Spain went up 6-5, Nalbandian could not hold again. Calleri’s backhand volley flew long to even the set score.

In the third set, Nalbandian and Calleri were broken in successive games to trail 5-1, but Argentina came back to make it 5-5.

With the crowd growing louder, the Argentines seemed ready to prevail in the tiebreaker after jumping ahead 4-0. But Spain won six straight points to win the tiebreaker 7-5 and hush the crowd.

“The third set was full of different emotions,” Sanchez Vicario said. “It was an incredible finish and gave us confidence to keep going.”

The match was stopped for a few minutes during the tiebreaker because of fans from both nations provoking each other and making noise during points. Sanchez Vicario later said his players were insulted during the match.

In the final set, the Spaniards bolted to a 5-2 lead and cruised to their fourth win in seven Davis Cup doubles, and by far their most important.

“These are very special matches, when you are playing for your country,” Lopez said. “I didn’t expect to win yesterday and didn’t expect to win today.”

Read more!

Spain Vs Argentina 1-1

The ATP Tennis season has ended and its now time for the Davis cup tie between Spain and Argentina. Spain who are without Rafael Nadal were playing with Feliciano Lopez in their Singles tie and the man who replaced Rafa did miracles for Spain by defeating Juan Marin Del porto while his senior and higher ranked Ferrer fell apart to David Nalbandian. so its all squared 1-1 in MAR DEL PLATAFeliciano Lopez upset Juan Martin del Potro 4-6, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (4), 6-3 Friday, allowing Spain to escape the first day of the Davis Cup final tied 1-1 tie with Argentina.

David Nalbandian brushed aside David Ferrer 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 in the opening singles, and del Potro was expected to comfortably handle Lopez on his favored hard court.

But Lopez took the two tiebreakers, and del Potro injured his right thigh in the sixth game of the fourth set. After treatment, he lost his serve and Lopez cruised to victory in 3 hours, 19 minutes, hushing the boisterous crowd of about 10,000 at Islas Malvinas Stadium.

“I never felt this happy before in my career,” Lopez said. “It’s great to win a match like today, in a Davis Cup final, away from home.”

Del Potro’s injury and his defeat suddenly made Saturday’s doubles even more crucial for Argentina, a heavy favorite to win its first Davis Cup, and unbeaten at home for 10 years. Spain is looking to add to its home victories in 2000 and 2004.

David Nalbandian was picked to join Agustin Calleri against the experienced Spanish pair of Lopez and Fernando Verdasco.

The manner of Nalbandian’s easy and quick singles win likely persuaded Argentina captain Alberto Mancini to play Nalbandian in doubles. He has a 10-4 record in Davis Cup doubles, and has won with Acasuso and Calleri.

Del Potro is scheduled to open the reverse singles Sunday against Ferrer, depending on the seriousness of his thigh injury.

“The doctor could not make a diagnosis right now,” del Potro said. “I don’t know what the injury is. Tomorrow we’ll find out what happened.”

Spain was playing without top-ranked Rafael Nadal, who has knee tendinitis. Captain Sanchez Vicario replaced him with 56th-ranked Marcel Granollers. The Davis Cup final has not featured a No. 1 player since Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt in 2001.

Nadal was vacationing at an undisclosed location, but kept phoning his countrymen for updates.

“He was calling the people on the bench in between points to find out because they cut the TV signal in the hotel he is staying (at),” Lopez said.

Argentina finished second to the United States in 1981 and to Russia in 2006. It chose the blue indoor hard court for the final, trying to curtail the Spaniards’ advantage on clay.

After winning the first set, del Potro couldn’t break Lopez again in the second as they headed into a tiebreaker. There, Lopez jumped ahead 4-0 and won 7-2.

“I wasn’t feeling comfortable in the first set,” Lopez said. “But I was able to overcome that moment. I’m glad I was able to do that.”

There were no breaks either in the third set, in which Lopez won five straight points in the tiebreaker and clinched the set with one of his 17 aces. In the fourth set, Lopez broke del Potro in the fourth game but del Potro came right back with a break of his own.

Del Potro was trying to reach a crosscourt shot on the baseline when he injured himself. He left the court to be attended by doctors but when he returned he was obviously affected by the injury.

Lopez’s win bolstered Spain’s hopes of winning its third Davis Cup, and first away from home. After Nadal withdrew this month, Spain’s chances were diminished considerably.

Ferrer, however, was routed by Nalbandian in under two hours. Nalbandian broke Ferrer in the third game and led all the way.

“I played a great match,” Nalbandian said after his 17th win in 21 Davis Cup singles. “I couldn’t have played it any better. It was good to win it fast.”

Ferrer still leads their head-to-heads at 6-4, but all of Nalbandian’s wins have been on hard courts.

“No match against David is easy, but I didn’t have good feelings on the court,” Ferrer said. Read more!