United States and Russia stay alive in Davis Cup after doubles victories

If your goal on Saturday was to see Davis Cup World Group Semifinal underdog United States and Russia keep their chances alive and make Sunday’s matches mean something, then your goal was met. Both teams pulled out remarkable doubles victorious on the road, despite outstanding efforts by their opponents.

At the Plaza de Toros Las Ventas in Madrid, Spain, the American duo of Mike Bryan and Mardy Fish kept their countries dream to win another title alive as they defeated Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco of Spain, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, in just over three hours. Fish, who will be getting married later this month, was asked to step in and play with Bryan after Bob Bryan didn’t make the trip to Spain with an aggravated left shoulder injury. Coming off a solid singles season in which he defeated Roger Federer at the Masters Series Indian Wells and was a quarterfinalist at the recent US Open, Fish was making his first Davis Cup doubles appearance in five years.

Despite losing the first set, the Americans got back on track quickly and took a commanding two sets to one lead behind strong serving and steady volleys and returns. The Americans looked to be closing in on the victory, when Bryan was broken at 4-3 and then Fish was broken at 4-5, as the Spaniards won the set and leveled the match at two sets apiece. In the final set, Verdasco surrendered his serve in the fifth game, as the first-time duo of Bryan and Fish would hold serve the rest of the set to earn the doubles point for the Americans. Bryan and Fish won 84 percent of first serve points, while breaking serve on four occasions. The Spaniards, who entered Saturday’s match with a 3-2 lifetime Davis Cup doubles record, won only 70 percent of first serve points and could only break serve three times, despite having thirteen opportunities.

World No. 1 and four-time defending French Open champion Rafael Nadal will try to clinch a spot in the finals for Spain, as he takes on Andy Roddick during the first match of the day. 74 years ago was the last time the United States came back from a 2-0 deficit in Davis Cup play.

In Buenos Aires, Argentina, the Russian duo of Igor Kunitsyn and Dmitry Tursunov (pictured) won a thrilling five-setter over Argentina’s Guillermo Canas and David Nalbandian, 6-2, 6-1, 6-7(9), 3-6, 8-6. Russian captain Shamil Tarpischev decided earlier in the week to play Igor Andreev with Tursunov, but decided last minute on Saturday to pull the plug on that idea and let Davis Cup rookie Kunitsyn play with Tursunov. The Russians got off to a quick start and earned a two set lead, which ultimately calmed down a very energetic Buenos Aires crowd. After taking a 6-3 in the third set tiebreaker, it looked as if the match was about to end, but Canas and Nalbandian had other ideas. The Argentine’s would fight off three match points to rally and win the tiebreaker 11-9 and then take the fourth set to send things to a final set. The veteran Argentine duo would jump out to a 3-1 lead in the final set, but Canas was then quickly broken. Nalbandian would then lose his serve in the seventh game, while Kunitsyn would lose serve in the next game. After both teams held serve through the 12th game, Canas got broken in the 13th game, as Tursunov then served the match out, to give the Russians the doubles point.

The loss was Nalbandian’s first clay court Davis Cup doubles loss, bringing his career record in Davis Cup to 26-7. Canas’ doubles record drops to 4-3. If the Argentine’s can win one of two singles matches on Sunday, they will advance to the finals, where they will host either Spain or the United States on the weekend of November 21-23.