For a while, it looked like Sam Querrey would do the impossible.
September 20th, 2008 Posted in Tennis newsFor a while, it looked like Sam Querrey would do the impossible. And beat Rafael Nadal on Spanish clay in his Davis Cup debut.
But the top-ranked Nadal bounced back after dropping the opening set against Querrey, and the United States must now hope it can bounce back from a 2-0 deficit in the Davis Cup semifinals for a chance to defend its title.
Four-time French Open champion Nadal led the Spanish sweep of Friday’s opening singles with a 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Querrey before David Ferrer completed the hosts’ perfect day with a 7-6 (5), 2-6, 1-6, 6-4, 8-6 win against eighth-ranked Andy Roddick.
Spain, which hasn’t lost a clay-court Davis Cup series in nine years, could secure its sixth Davis Cup final appearance on Saturday when Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez team up to play against American pair Mike Bryan and Mardy Fish in the doubles.
The U.S. has won a record 32 Davis Cup titles but is using a makeshift squad due to late substitutes. History is not on its side either, having rallied just once in 32 tries when trailing 0-2 – and that was 74 years ago.
“Obviously we’re up against it but we knew that coming here. We’re going to try and win the doubles tomorrow and that’s it,” U.S. captain Patrick McEnroe said. “We’ll give it a shot.”
It’s now up to Bryan and Fish to keep the best-of-five match alive, after Mike’s twin brother Bob had to pull out with a shoulder injury. The Bryan twins have played together in the last 16 straight ties.
“There’s a lot of big tests. (But) the guys have responded,” McEnroe said. “We’re down 0-2 and obviously we’re in trouble but we played well.”
The winner will face either Argentina or Russia in the final. Argentina leads that series 2-0.
“We have to be careful – the service game is essential, if it’s going well it’s nearly impossible to beat,” said Spain captain Emilio Sanchez Vicario about the clay surface, which has been made quicker by the Spanish capital’s high altitude. “What is clear is that the altitude is making both teams equal and is playing a big factor into the matches.”
Nadal overcame Querrey’s booming serve and early momentum before settling in to dictate the match on his favorite surface to overcome the 39th-ranked Querrey, who was making his debut as a late substitute for James Blake.
“He got himself fired up and got the crowd into it,” Querrey said.
The 6-foot-6 (1.98 meter) Querrey started well with an ace to take the opening game. Nadal, playing at home for the first time since winning Wimbledon and Olympic gold, rallied the home crowd after smacking a winner down the line to set up the tiebreaker.
The 20-year-old Querrey raced to a 4-1 lead in the tiebreaker after serving a 216-kilometer ace (134 mph) down the middle. Nadal battled back to 5-4 before double-faulting, and Querrey closed out the set two points later.
“It was very difficult for me to return balls and control points,” said Nadal, who improved to 9-2 on clay in the competition. “Maybe with the altitude it made it a little bit easier for him … to score points much easier than normally on a clay court. It was very tough today.”
Unforced errors cost Querrey as Nadal took the second set on his second break point before taking control in the third set, when he broke Querrey in the fourth game with a crosscourt forehand and celebrated with a running jump and fist-pump.
The Spaniard never looked back, hitting winner after winner and breaking Querrey, whose serve was wilting in the afternoon sun, two more times to close out the match.
Querrey had 17 aces and 76 winners, but finished with 74 unforced errors. Nadal had 59 winners and 35 unforced mistakes.
“It was very difficult,” Nadal said. “Never in my life have I had so many service points scored against me on a clay court. It was very important for us to start with a victory.”
Roddick, who is now 0-3 against top-10 players in Davis Cup play, looked on course to even the series after dominating the second and third sets behind his 17 aces.
But an early break gave Ferrer the fourth set and Roddick couldn’t convert a break in the sixth game of the decider. Roddick volleyed a backhand into the net to lose his serve for the third time in the 13th game before Ferrer served out for the win.
“The crowd played a fundamental role,” Ferrer said of the 16,000 who watched on from the Las Ventas bullfighting arena. “In the fifth set there was a lot of tension and it was an emotional game. It was important to have them at my side.”
Roddick, who saw a nine-match winning streak snapped, complained to the chair umpire several times about the behavior of the crowd.
“At the end of the match a couple of guys shouted out in the middle of the game and as I told Andy, that happens,” McEnroe said. “That’s a little frustrating but to be expected in a match like that.”
