Spain beat defending champions the US to reach the Davis Cup final when Rafael Nadal thrashed Andy Roddick in straight sets yesterday to give the home side an unbeatable 3-1 lead in their semi-final clash.
The Spaniard cruised to a 6-4, 6-0, 6-4 victory in a colorful, high-spirited atmosphere in Madrid.
“It was great to win at home, there is no atmosphere like this,” Nadal said.
The US had kept alive its hopes on Saturday when Mike Bryan and Mardy Fish beat Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco in five sets in their doubles match.
The US duo, playing together for the first time after Mike Bryan’s twin brother, and usual partner, Bob pulled out injured, won 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.
Spain will face Argentina or Russia in the final, with the South Americans the favorites after securing a 2-1 lead after the first two days play in Buenos Aires.
Russia stayed alive in tie on Saturday when Igor Kunitsyn and Dmitry Tursunov won the doubles despite a brave fightback by David Nalbandian and Guillermo Canas.
Kunitsyn and Tursunov won 6-2, 6-1, 6-7, 3-6, 8-6 after their opponents had saved three successive match points in the third set and gone one break ahead in the fifth.
Romania retained their place in the Davis Cup World Group after forging to an unassailable 3-1 lead in the play-off with India yesterday.
With a 2-1 overnight advantage victory was assured when Romania’s Victor Hanescu defeated Prakash Amritraj, 6-2, 6-3, 6-1.
India had given themselves a lifeline after going 2-0 down on Friday, when Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes saw off Horia Tecau and Adrian Cruciat 6-4 7-6 (7/0) 6-4 in Saturday’s doubles.
Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka teamed up to beat Belgium’s Xavier Malisse and Olivier Rochus and give Switzerland an unbeatable 3-0 lead in their World Group playoff match on Saturday.
The duo were up against it early on after losing the first set and needed a tie-break to take the second before eventually prevailing 4-6 7-6, 6-3, 6-3 in Lausanne.
Serbia will also be in the World Group next year after Viktor Troicki and Nenad Zimonjic beat Michal Mertinak and Filip Polasek 7-6, 6-4, 6-7, 7-6 to secure a 3-0 lead over Slovakia.
Israel also secured their World Group place yesterday when Dudi Sela defeated Luis Horna of Peru, 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 to give the hosts an unassailable 3-1 lead.
Croatia beat Brazil after Ivo Karlovic defeated Thomaz Bellucci 7-6 (7/5), 6-4, 6-7 (6/8), 7-6 yesterday.
Britain’s Jamie Murray and Ross Hutchins were swept aside in straight sets on Saturday by Austria’s Juergen Melzer and Julian Knowle to put Austria 2-1 up in their tie. Elsewhere the Netherlands and Chile led 2-1 against South Korea and Australia respectively.
China fought back to win both reverse singles and snatch a 3-2 victory over New Zealand in the Asia-Oceania Group II Davis Cup tie in New Plymouth yesterday.
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