Davis Cup: Argentina win doubles to keep hopes alive

Argentina kept their dream of becoming the first South American country to win the Davis Cup alive with a win in the doubles rubber on Saturday against Spain in Seville.

Spain now lead the tie 2-1 and need to win one of the two reverse singles matches on Sunday to win their third title in four years.

David Nalbandian and Eduardo Schwank, playing together for the first time, started Argentina’s comeback from an 0-2 deficit as the pair beat Spaniards Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco 6-4, 6-2, 6-3. Lopez and Verdasco had lost 10 of their last 11 matches as a pair coming into Saturday and their lack of chemistry showed as they were outclassed by the Argentines.

“I really like playing doubles and I am really motivated when I play for my country,” said Nalbandian, formerly ranked no. 3 in singles and playing his first match since October. “I think today we played a great match from the beginning and it was unbelievable for us. We were focused and didn’t lose our concentration, even a little bit. We kept in control during the match, to stay in the tie, and we still have a chance.”

Argentina’s captain Tito Vazquez said, “It was a great performance from our team and they both played well. They did an extremely good job. [Tomorrow's singles] is very difficult. We were hoping del Potro would win the singles yesterday [against Ferrer], but if anyone is capable of beating Nadal it is Juan Martin. We are hoping to make it two-all, then we will see what happens.”

World No. 2 Rafael Nadal, arguably the best clay courter in the history of tennis, will take on Juan Martin del Potro in the first rubber on Sunday. If Potro wins that, No. 5-ranked David Ferrer is scheduled to take on Juan Monaco in the final match, though Argentine captain Vazquez has the option of playing Nalbandian in the singles on Sunday.

Nadal is 6-3 lifetime against Potro (1-0 on clay). Before injuring his wrist in 2010, Potro dominated the Spaniard winning three consecutive encounters (all on hard courts) in 2009. Since Potro’s return though, Nadal has won both their encounters. Potro played for nearly five hours on Friday in his five-set loss to Ferrer and one has to wonder just how fit he would be to break down the impregnable Nadal. Should the Tower of Tandil manage to pull off an incredible upset, many expect Vazquez to rope in Nalbandian to play the final singles rubber against Ferrer.

Monaco holds a 4-3 (3-2 on clay) record over Ferrer while Nalbandian is 5-7 (0-4 on clay) against the world no. 5. Nalbandian is definitely a bigger match player but his physical fitness has failed him on several occasions over his career – making the final decision for Vazquez even tougher.

The action begins at 5.30 PM IST today.