Ferrer Puts Spain In Control

© AFP/Getty ImagesDavid Ferrer has a 12-0 record in Davis Cup clay-court singles rubbers for Spain.

SPAIN 2, ARGENTINA 0 - Olympic Stadium, Seville (Clay - Indoors)

David Ferrer and Rafael Nadal handed four-time champion Spain a 2-0 lead against Argentina on Friday in the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Final in Seville. The tie is a repeat of the 2008 title match, which Spain won 3-1 in Mar del Plata.

World No. 5 Ferrer backed up Nadal's win over Juan Monaco earlier in the day, with a hard-fought 6-2, 6-7(2), 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory over Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro in four hours and 45 minutes. It improved his unbeaten record in clay-court singles rubbers to 12-0. He is 17-4 overall for Spain. "Today I played one of the best matches of my career. I'm very happy as it's in the final of the Davis Cup and it's very important to us," Ferrer said in an on-court interview. "Now I want to relax and enjoy this moment. I will see how the doubles goes tomorrow and if we lose, I will be prepared for Sunday."

Though del Potro was deflated afterwards, he credited Ferrer for stepping up when it counted. "He took all the opportunities to close the match and he made it really difficult for me," assessed del Potro. “All the points were very long and that’s the way he likes it."

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Ferrer and del Potro's fifth meeting started with an 18-stroke rally, which ended when del Potro hit a forehand into the net. Ferrer proved to be the more consistent in the early exchanges, as del Potro began to mis-fire on groundstrokes. The Argentinean was broken to 15 in the fourth game.

Ferrer then survived a 10-minute game at 4-2 to keep Spain in control. He saved two break points, with del Potro attacking any short ball. Minutes later, del Potro then fell to 0/40 and lost the 43-minute set when he hit a backhand crosscourt wide - one of 20 errors. Ferrer won 11 of del Potro's 20 service points.

Ferrer suffered a dip in form early in the second set, which gave del Potro an opportunity to break. At 2-2, Ferrer dropped to 0/40 and gifted his opponent the lead with his third forehand error of the game.

It should have given del Potro the impetus he needed, but Ferrer regained control of the baseline rallies to win the next three of the next four games. He eventually broke back for 4-4 - after del Potro hit successive groundstroke errors. The World No. 11 had saved two break points from 15/40 when Ferrer hit two forehands long.

As temperatures dropped inside the Olympic Stadium, del Potro squandered one break point chance on Ferrer's serve at 5-5, 30/40, when he failed to attack the net during a rally that he had controlled. In the tie-break, del Potro was gifted a 3-0 lead and grew in confidence with a couple of big unreturned serves. From 4-2, he won three straight points to level the score after two hours of play with his eighth forehand winner.

In the third set, the momentum shifted back to Ferrer as the Spaniard broke serve with a forehand winner down the line at 30/40 in the opening game. His resilience kept him in lengthy rallies and he withstood two break points minutes later for a 2-0 lead. Del Potro came close to levelling at 2-2, but his go-for-broke style on the short ball did not reap dividends and his frustration at not breaking Ferrer's serve became evident. 

A lapse in concentration soon hindered Ferrer, who lost four straight points from a 40/15 lead at 2-3. Del Potro broke serve with a forehand return that hit the net cord and dropped dead. The 23 year old went onto take a 5-3 lead, courtesy of two straight forehand winners, and closed out the 57-minute set with a hold to 15, much to the delight of a small pocket of the 24,000-strong crowd.

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Encouraged by his team-mates, sitting courtside, Ferrer regained control by taking a 3-1 lead. He broke del Potro to 30 in the fourth game, when the Argentine hit his fourth double fault of the match. But the two-game cushion didn't last as del Potro responded immediately with the ninth service break.

At this stage, del Potro combined well-placed serves with deep groundstroke winners to give Ferrer little chance of engaging in lengthy rallies. But his purple patch was brief. Ferrer did well to stay in contention mid-set and could have taken a 5-3 lead, but del Potro saved a break point at 30/40 with a forehand that clipped the baseline.

Del Potro looked weary at 4-5, when he made two forehand approach errors that gave Ferrer two set point chances at 15/40. He hit his 10th ace of the match to save one point, but then struck his fifth double fault to take the second singles rubber of the tie to a deciding set.

Ferrer made his move at 2-1 in the fifth set, with two straight forehand winners, to leave del Potro flat-footed. He converted his first break point opportunity with a forehand approach winner. Ten minutes later, del Potro was broken to 15 to leave Ferrer a shot at clinching a 2-0 lead after the first day's play. Ferrer was broken, but made sure when he served for the match the second time - at 5-3 - with a hold to 15. He is now 15-9 lifetime in fifth sets.

Ferrer hit 47 winners and converted eight of his 14 break point opportunities, while del Potro - who left the court in tears - struck 71 winners and committed 55 unforced errors. He won one more point (149) than Ferrer.

Argentina is bidding to become the first nation from South America to capture the trophy. There have been just seven comebacks from 0-2 down in World Group ties. Sweden has produced four of these comebacks, including the most recent one in 1998 (Sweden d. Slovak Republic 3-2, 1st Round). In the Davis Cup overall there have been 48 since the competition began in 1900.

ABOUT DAVIS CUP
Fans wanting to learn more about the history of the competition can explore a virtual tour of the Davis Cup trophy. The tour showcases the trophy within an interactive 360-degree design that rotates to allow visitors to explore the entire image. Clicking on any of the engraved plaques displays the names of the nations and players from each final and also provides audio histories of each final. To view the virtual tour, visit the official Davis Cup website.