Admittedly they had home advantage and must have benefited from a partisan crowd that turned out in their thousands to see these vital matches at the bullring in Marbella, but Spain’s Davis Cup team excelled themselves on the weekend of July 11th and 12th.
The absence of Rafael Nadal seemed to pose no problem to the Spanish, as they beat the German team 3-2, thanks to a last minute win by Juan Carlos Ferrero over Andreas Beck.
In many ways this was the ultimate contest – a cliff-hanger of a tie until the final “mano a mano” decider. At the moment Ferrero ranks only 37th in the world, but on current form it’s difficult to imagine that he will remain in the doldrums for long. The other members of the team – Tommy Robredo, Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez also played their part but, by the end of a nail-biting Sunday, the day belonged to Ferrero.
With this great victory under their belt, the Spanish players will face Israel in the semi-finals. Israel, never the tournament favourites, managed to stage-manage an unexpected 4-1 victory over Russia who, with players such as Marat Safin and Mikhail Youzhny, must have fancied themselves favourites to lift the Davis Cup.
However, there’s nothing to raise the public’s interest like the participation of a true underdog and Israel certainly qualifies on that front. Davis Cup fans will be able to look forward to a fast and furious semi-final in September, when Spain encounters these plucky fighters in a fierce fight for a place in the final.
Related Posts:
Most popular articles last 30 days
Castillo de Santa Florentina; a real castle in Spain 10/09/2010 
2011 record year for Spanish tourism 10/01/2012 
Science Magazine names 2011's Top 10 Scientific Discoveries 12/01/2012 
Santiago Grisolía – a life in the service of science 23/08/2010 
Rimontgó principals visit MIPIM Asia in Hong Kong 20/01/2012
BIG
