Davis Cup - US sent crashing by Spain

Eurosport - Sun, 21 Sep 22:02:00 2008

World number one Rafael Nadal humbled Andy Roddick with a clay-court master class to knock holders the United States out of the Davis Cup and send Spain through to their sixth final.

TENNIS 2008 Davis Cup Spain's Rafael Nadal celebrates as he beats USA's Sam Querrey in Madrid - 0

They will face Argentina, after Juan Martin del Potro's straight-sets win over Russia's Igor Andreev sealed their route to the final.

Concerns that Nadal was too tired to shine after playing 103 matches this year were banished as he dismissed the world number eight 6-4 6-0 6-4 in two hours 12 minutes to wrap up the tie for Spain 3-1.

"It is one of the most beautiful feelings I could experience in my career," an ecstatic Nadal told Spanish television.

Spain will play Argentina in the November 21-23 final as they seek to win the 108-year-old trophy for the third time.

Wary of getting into long rallies with an opponent Roddick later said was the best clay court player ever, the American repeatedly rushed to the net only to be picked off by superb passing shots as Nadal started to find his rhythm midway through the first set.

Roddick's normally ferocious first serve hit the target only 62 percent of the time but it made little difference as Nadal whipped passing shots, lobs and angled winners to all corners of the court in Madrid's Las Ventas bullring.

As the pressure grew, the 26-year-old Nebraskan bravely held his serve in the fifth game but the 22-year-old Mallorcan broke emphatically two games later.

Roddick fought to find a way back and forced two break-back points as Nadal served for the first set, but the Spaniard reeled off the next four points and closed out the opener with an ace in 47 minutes.

Nadal, who has lost only one clay-court match this year, then blew the helpless Roddick away, working the dejected American around the court and chasing down every shot to gobble up the second set 6-0 as the overwhelmingly Spanish crowd of 21,000 chanted "Rafa, Rafa".

By the third set, rain clouds that had delayed the match by an hour had disappeared and sun flooded the bullring. Roddick knew the game was up, and in a flash of gallows humour, laughed with US captain Patrick McEnroe at a change of ends and joked with the crowd who even sang his name.

The former world number one held off five match points on his serve in the ninth game but only delayed the inevitable.

Nadal hit a cross court winner before sinking to the ground and pumping his arms in celebration as his team ran to embrace him.

Asked why he persisted with his serve and volley strategy, Roddick said: "It was high risk, high reward. I don't think there was much of a chance to sit back and trade punches with him from the baseline.

"When he was hitting balls like he was today, there's not a lot you can do. He's the best clay courter of all time".

In the final, dead rubber of the tie Spain rested David Ferrer as Feliciano Lopez took on US newcomer Sam Querrey.

On Saturday, Mike Bryan and Mardy Fish took a point for the US, winning their doubles match against Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez, to briefly pull the five-match tie back to 2-1.

Reuters

Comment 23 - 42 of 42

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  1. rafa wheelchair tennis greats!!

    From nthk8, on Wed 24 Sep 5:29PM

  2. com38..nowonder rafa n uncle toni lov u cus u gay..bet u wan them giv u a gd spanking..ouch!

    From nthk8, on Wed 24 Sep 5:28PM

  3. com39..ur mum mus b @#$%..poor u..get a life son

    From nthk8, on Wed 24 Sep 5:26PM

  4. "nthk8 has had a charisma by-pass operation" ha ha ha that is soooo funny!!! And a brain by-pass operation. Poor nthk8, so so sad, so so lonely, so so jealous.

    From vamosespana, on Wed 24 Sep 3:06AM

  5. i'm gay and i like it

    From tiagomarcelino@..., on Tue 23 Sep 5:52PM

  6. Im saying what i think without being a jerk to anyone!
    Im not an expert altough i comment with the little knowledge about tennis i have

    From tiagomarcelino@..., on Tue 23 Sep 5:44PM

  7. Im pretending I know tennis?
    so if you are such an expert on tennis how the hell can you say Ferrer is the best spanish player? ur the scumbag, just a stupid kid wanting some atention!
    Maybe if you spend some time watching tennis and less offensive coments for others maybe you would be able to see how great Nadal is!

    From tiagomarcelino@..., on Tue 23 Sep 5:39PM

  8. ferrer the best player frm spain..vamos ferrer!!

    From nthk8, on Tue 23 Sep 5:18PM

  9. com34..dont pretend u knw tennis..don embarass urself n ur parents.scumbags..wheelchair for rafa..haha

    From nthk8, on Tue 23 Sep 5:13PM

  10. you SOB so ferrer is the best spanish player? how is he in head-to-head with top10 players? how many GS does he have, since you are always talking about Nadal being catching up Federer? and other titles, like masters?
    Ferrer is a good player but he is not even close to Nadal, Federer or Djokovic!!!

    About you being Ronald Mcdonald, yeah you are a clown!

    From tiagomarcelino@..., on Tue 23 Sep 3:57PM

  11. david ferrer is the best spanish player..he can play hard n claycourt beri well..hope ferrer win master cup..

    From nthk8, on Tue 23 Sep 3:05AM

  12. com28..u mean u r..im mac ronald or mcdonald..pls deliver a cheeseburger to rafa cus he cant walk..many thanks frm nadal fans.

    From nthk8, on Tue 23 Sep 2:59AM

  13. all tennis players hate rafa cus he gay like uncle toni.

    From nthk8, on Tue 23 Sep 2:57AM

  14. wat do rafa wan for christmas? a wheelchair from immacr..rafa is happy.

    From nthk8, on Tue 23 Sep 2:55AM

  15. Hi to all tennis fans out there??? does anybody notice any changes??? NTHK8(Not thinking) comments 2 and 9 were removed....does this send any message out to "NTHK8"....

    From Immac Reno, on Mon 22 Sep 11:56PM

  16. u are all rude

    From e e, on Mon 22 Sep 7:21PM

  17. Football for life!!!
    if thats your nick stick to that!!! because i didnt said anything wrong!
    to nthk8 everyone participating in the paralympic event are a litlle bit of greatness! they overcome their problems to conquer something!
    About Nadal winning Beijing olympics why do you mock that so much if Federer was kicked off in the quarters OF THE SAME COMPETITION? (im saying this no the depreciate Federer, but since you seem to impersonate a Federer fan)
    Clay is not for faggots clay is for the ones who can suffer during the match, for thoose who can mantain the level till the end thats why Nadal is better than Federer, on clay, as both can show great level of tennis but Nadal has some more capacity for suffering troughout the match!

    Lets all grow up, and enjoy this era of tennis that seems to be one of the best of all time... at least it can be!

    From tiagomarcelino@..., on Mon 22 Sep 6:25PM

  18. hiv22200 u back frm the dead!!surprise surprise!!com 1 started it first!WE neber look down on wheelchair tennis..we gladly support rafa cus he won gold at parlympics!!go rafa go..

    From nthk8, on Mon 22 Sep 5:23PM

  19. clay and grass courts are the original courts of tennis sport , nthk8 stop ur stupid comments cause everybody hate it , and making fun of paralympics show how muck u r a low standard person .

    From hmb222000, on Mon 22 Sep 4:29PM

  20. WE HAVING FUN WIF RAFA GAL WHEN HE WON GS

    From nthk8, on Mon 22 Sep 4:06PM
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