Spain wins doubles to reclaim Davis Cup
www.chinaview.cn 2009-12-06 08:29:06   Print
Spain's Davis Cup team captain Albert Costa is lifted up by team mates after Spain beat the Czech Republic 3-0 to claim their 4th Davis Cup title at the Palau Sant Jordi indoor arena in Barcelona, December 5, 2009.

Spain's Davis Cup team captain Albert Costa is lifted up by team mates after Spain beat the Czech Republic 3-0 to claim their 4th Davis Cup title at the Palau Sant Jordi indoor arena in Barcelona, December 5, 2009.
(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
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    MADRID, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Spanish pair of Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco won Saturday's doubles match against the Czech Republic to secure Spain's defense of tennis' Davis Cup.

    Lopez and Verdasco's 7-6, 7-5, 6-2 win over the Czech pair of Radek Stepanek and Tomas Berdych gave the Spanish an unassailable 3-0 lead in the competition following Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer's triumphs in Friday's singles rubbers.

    It is the fourth time the Spanish have won the Davis Cup this decade and the second time that they have won it playing in the city of Barcelona.

    The triumph is also the first time that a country has successfully defended the Davis Cup since Sweden did so in 1998.

    Saturday's doubles match was a tense affair for the first two sets and the Spanish even had to defend a set point in the tiebreak at the end of the first set, before finally coming out on top.

Spain's Fernando Verdasco (L) and team mate Feliciano Lopez celebrate after winning their Davis Cup final doubles tennis match against Czech Republic's Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek at the Palau Sant Jordi indoor arena in Barcelona, December 5, 2009.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
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    However, once they had taken the second, another tight affair, 7-5, there was only ever going to be one outcome as the Czech failed to bounce back in the third.

    Veradasco, who showed no signs on the injury worries that had kept him out of the singles, and Lopez cruised to a 6-2 to the obvious delight of the fans who had packed out the Palau San Jordi.  

Editor: Anne Tang
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