Ivan Dodig of Croatia celebrates victory after the Davis Cup World Group final doubles match against Argentina's Juan Martin Del Potro and Leonardo Mayer in Zagreb, capital of Croatia, Nov. 26, 2016. (Xinhua/Miso Lisanin)
ZAGREB, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- Once again Marin Cilic and Ivan Dodig showed guts and played the best shots when it mattered the most to win the doubles match against Argentinean pair Juan Martin del Potro and Leonardo Mayer in three sets (7-6, 7-6, 6-3) and take Croatia one step away from lifting the Davis Cup.
A logical change of nomination from both captains preceded the match. Croatian captain Zeljko Krajan paired Cilic with Dodig and Argentinean captain Daniel Orsanic opted for Juan Martin del Potro and Leonardo Mayer, the combination that lost the doubles match in the semifinal against Great Britain in Glasgow. On the other side, Cilic and Dodig had a great year together.
They upset Bob and Mike Bryan in the quarterfinal to spark Croatian comeback in Portland from being 0-2 down after the first two singles and went on to beat the world's best doubles at that time, Frenchmen Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut, in the semifinal in Zadar.
Argentinean fans took the charge at the beginning of the match when their heroes on the court were puting a home team under a lot of pressure. It took some time for Cilic and Dodig to settle in and start to play on the level they showed in the previous rounds and perfectly executed tie-break of the first set was a huge boost for the Croatian team and the home crowd.
Croatian pair managed to break Argentinean serve in the second set but let that advantage slip away. Second set tie-break saw first five points going against the servers before Cilic hit an ace. Argentineans managed to stay with Croatians until 4-4 but then lost next three points and fell two sets behind.
Such a scenario took the wind out of the sails of Argentinean team and around 3,000 of their supporters that were very loud during the first two sets. Croatians became the dominant force on and off the court for the rest of the match.
After two hours and 42 minutes and four service winners Marin Cilic produced in the last game Arena Zagreb erupted with joy.
"You were unbelievable today and this is the win for all of us," Marin Cilic said during the courtside interview.
"This is a once in a lifetime experience. Thank you," Ivan Dodig added.
Croatia will take the 2-1 advantage to the final day of the tie and has two chances to become the 10th nation to win more than one Davis Cup title. In the first match on Sunday (14.00 CET) Marin Cilic will take on Juan Martin del Potro. Two great friends out of the court will be on a different mission. Cilic will play for the Cup and Del Potro will try to keep Argentinean dream of the final win alive.
It will be a blockbuster, the match everyone talked about even before the first ball in the final was struck. Del Potro can build his confidence on head-to-head stats 8-2 in his favor.
"I know it will be a very difficult match. Marin is playing at home and he will have a support of the crowd on his side. That will be his great advantage. It will be a great challenge for me and I will do my best, as I always do," Juan Martin del Potro said of the upcoming clash.
Cilic will look for the same kind of support he and Dodig got on Saturday.
"The atmosphere was great from the first to the last point in doubles. With that kind of support it will be easier for me to win. I expect very tough match but totally different from all the other matches we played," Marin Cilic said about his upcoming clash with Del Potro.
If Cilic wins, he will become only the sixth player since World Group was formed in 1981 to win three points in the final joining tennis greats John McEnroe (1981, USA vs. Argentina), Pat Cash (1986, Australia vs. Sweden), Boris Becker (1988, Sweden vs. Germany), Pete Sampras (1995, USSR vs. USA) and Andy Murray (2015, Belgium vs. Great Britain).
"I don't need that kind of motivation. It was the great team spirit that led us to this position and it will be that same spirit that will lead us to victory. We win and we lose as a team," Marin Cilic said about the possibility to join the group of tennis legends on Sunday.
