Spain Down Argentina To Win Davis Cup Final

Spaniard Fernando Verdasco beat Argentine Jose Acasuso 6-3, 6-7(3), 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 in the 4th rubber of the tie to clinch 2008 Davis Cup World Group final for Spain. This is for the 3rd time that Spain has won the ITF Mens team tennis championship.

Verdasco vame back from 2 sets to 1 down to win the match and improved to a 9-6 Davis Cup record since making his debut versus the Slovak Republic in 2006

This is also for the first time that Spain has won the Davis Cup title on foreign soil with the previous two wins coming on home soil in 2000 and 2004. Spain also becomes the seventh nation to win the Davis Cup title three times or more.

Spain was the underdog after suffering the blow of World No. 1 Rafael Nadal being declared unfit to play, they - captained by Emilio Sanchez - rallied to produce a weekend of enthralling tennis to upset the home nation and become the first team to win a Davis Cup tie in Argentina since 1998.

Lopez had leveled the tie for the visitors on Friday with victory over Argentine No. 1 Juan Martin del Potro after David Ferrer had fallen in the first rubber to David Nalbandian. In Saturday’s doubles, Lopez and Verdasco combined for a four sets victory over Agustin Calleri and Nalbandian to give Spain the final day advantage. The fifth rubber - scheduled to be between Nalbandian and Lopez - was not played.

The Argentine, in devastated tears after the match, unfortunately becomes the first man to lose two decisive fifth rubbers in a Davis Cup final, having also succumbed to Marat Safin in five sets in 2006. He had the mental tenacity during this match, and had saved a match point at 1-5 30-40 down, but he simply ran out of gas and at one point after losing the fourth set, had the trainer out on court to fix an abdominal strain.

“There was a lot of sadness in the locker room after the loss," said Acasuso after the match, "and the fact that three of the four of us lost to Russia two years ago means that the pain was double.”

It’s a devastating blow for the Argentines who came into this final as the firm favourites following the withdrawal of the injured Nadal. What the defeat has left is an unbeaten record in tatters and a shell-shocked team who will need a long time to reform and recuperate as a unit, ready to start all over again in the first round ties in March. But this time it will be without Alberto Mancini, who announced he will now step down as Argentine captain.