By DPA,
Madrid : A fighting David Ferrer put Spain into 2-0 command on the opening day of the Davis Cup semi-final as he ended Andy Roddick’s nine-match winning streak in the competition.
The Spaniard squeezed out a 7-6 (7-5), 2-6, 1-6, 6-4, 8-6 victory against the American as Roddick and teammate Sam Querrey both lost in just over three hours each on a court set up inside a famed Madrid bullring with 21,000 capacity here Friday.
Ferrer now leads their head-to-head 4-2 after winning his last three matches over Roddick. The pair had never played on clay. Roddick struck 22 aces and broke six times to no avail.
World No.1 Rafael Nadal struck the first blow for the hosts, recovering after losing the opening set to impose a 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 defeat of Querrey.
“I didn’t feel like a bullfighter, more like a suffering tennis player,” said the winner, complaining of fatigue after a gruelling season.
At the other semi-final in Buenos Aires, David Nalbandian started Argentina with a 1-0 win as he defeated Russia’s Igor Andreev 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, 6-4.
“I played great, and I feel great,” said the winner, whose season has been poor. “I had an amazing feeling on court.”
Teenaged hero Juan Del Potro, winner of four straight titles over the summer, made it 2-0 over Nikolay Davydenko 6-1, 6-4, 6-2.
Nadal, the French Open, Wimbledon and Olympic champion, owns eight tournament titles this season, all won between April and August. The Mallorcan improved to 9-1 in Davis singles, with a formidable 7-0 on clay.
Spain hopes to move into a sixth Davis Cup final in a revenge win over the US, winner in their last meeting, the 2007 quarter-finals. Spain beat the Americans in the 2004 final in Seville in front of an even larger crowd of partisans
Nadal spoiled the debut of Californian, Querrey, the number 39 whom he beat less than a month ago in the US Open fourth round, producing a comeback victory.
Big-hitting American Querrey, standing 1.98 metres, put in a Herculean effort on serve with 17 aces and 76 winners but paid the price with 74 unforced errors as he went for his shots.
Nadal kept his error count to 35 in the three-hour, 17-minute encounter.
“The match was very difficult,” said Nadal. “It’s important for us to begin with the first point.”
Querrey was called into action as James Blake ruled himself out of competition due to lack of results and motivation. The US is also missing doubles ace Bob Bryan with a shoulder injury, replaced soon-to-be-married Mardy Fish.
Querrey, now 0-3 against Nadal after a match played on clay inside a famed Madrid bullring, looked like getting the upset edge as he claimed the first set in a tiebreaker, only to see Nadal stage a powerful fightback at home.
“I showed him that I can play a little bit,” said the challenger. “I played well in a tough four sets.”
Nadal slowly began to squeeze as he turned the tables, claiming victory on the first of three match points from a concluding Querrey error but still uncomfortable on a court located 600 metres above sea level.
The Spaniard said he is still feeling the effects of a season with eight titles and a near-nonstop schedule. “I was a bit short of energy and strength, but I got good support from the crowd.”