Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco joined forces, engage the best and won the third and final point with which Spain took his fourth Davis Cup title today by beating the Czechs Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek 7-6 (7 ), 7-5, 6-2 in two hours and 46 minutes, at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona.
In an atmosphere of total euphoria, Prince Felipe de Bourbon in the rostrum, rounded off his Spanish team has the history of this competition to his fourth crown in ten years. The first win came at this same stage in 2000 to Australia, 3-1, in which heat was present King Juan Carlos.
The second, in the Cartuja in Seville, the U.S. imposed on 3-2, with the presence of the Prince of Asturias, and third last year, beating at home to Argentina in the Malvinas Stadium in Mar del Plata, 3-1. Prince Philip was a memory of this end, the wristband Feliciano Lopez, launched by the Toledo into his hands, after Verdasco finish off the last point, with a blow that Stepanek could not reach the network.
"Feli" and "Fer" played the best match of his twelve interventions in Davis Cup since Emilio Sanchez, then a captain, I met the team to visit Belarus in Minsk in 2006 in the first round against Max Mirnyi and Vladimir Voltchkov, and sealed the victory. In Minsk fell without much opposition, but little by little have known dock and take responsibility for the item twice, always vital, as was demonstrated last year against the Argentines and as reflected in the Davis Cup history, which says that since 1972 the winning team end it is always done with this crucial point, except for three occasions.
In total the two lefties now total six wins. They have been exchanging feelings and shrinking spaces, well-defined scheme. The two draw well, better Feliciano, now not even once gave his service, while Verdasco throws full weight of the ball from the bottom, so that "Feli" impose his best volley into the net. Not the Spanish had it easy in today's meeting. Berdych and Stepanek had never lost in his five Davis Cup matches, and this year in its three interventions had dropped a set against Frenchmen Michael Llodra and Richard Gasquet in the first round. Berdych also never been defeated in the Davis Cup with another partner.
But everything changes in a Davis Cup final, including statistics, and although the Czechs had also won the Spanish at the only confrontation between the two in ATP tournament in Cincinnati last year, lefties Albert Costa showed a tennis great level of undo this mess. Jaroslav Navratil, Czech captain, it is played in this match, and placed in double Stepanek, knowing Kavrina than had been exhausted at last night's encounter against David Ferrer in four hours and 28 minutes and five sets.
Stepanek is the leader and take responsibility and surely it was he who asked to play, despite having won fewer forces would arrive today for the first game Sunday against Rafael Nadal. But that was the trick of the Czech team, join today and push one's luck on Sunday, leaving on the bench Lukas Dlouhy, sixth-best doubles player in the world, winner of this year Roland Garros and U.S. Open with India's Leander Paes, with whom he secured a berth for the Masters Cup doubles.
It was not easy as the Spanish team, which in the first set he met the rest of the magic that he had yet to Stepanek in his wrist. The first set was decided in the tiebreaker, in which Lopez and Verdasco had to solve a set point against with Berdych's serve for Verdasco apuntillar with that of the fourth time after a hour and 12 minutes.
In the second, equality refused to break with the Spanish to maintain its high level, especially Feliciano in the network, while Berdych doubted and, indeed, committed two double faults in succession in one of their services. For there he entered the game in Spain, which went bankrupt in the eleventh to Tomas apuntillar Feliciano then this act with a direct throw lightning.
The euphoria was already unleashed in the Palau. She looked around the fourth crown and felt the ravages over Stepanek on Friday. He yielded his serve to start, then rolled on the floor and then handed it back to the 4-1. In an electric atmosphere, with flags flying, waving handkerchiefs and the public on Feliciano took to win. He could not finish off with an ace as he wanted, but right from Verdasco, the same who took the final point against Argentina's Jose Acasuso in last year led to the failure of Stepanek and point to the story.