USA and Russia keep Davis Cup hopes alive

PARIS, Sept 21: Defending champions USA and two-time winners Russia kept their hopes of reaching the Davis Cup final alive on Saturday after both teams clinched marathon doubles wins in their semi-finals.

In Madrid, the makeshift pairing of Mike Bryan and Mardy Fish enjoyed a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 win for the 32-time champions over Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco to trail Spain 2-1.

Meanwhile, in Buenos Aires, Russia, who slumped to a dispiriting 2-0 deficit against Argentina on Friday, saw Igor Kunitsyn and Dmitry Tursunov defeat David Nalbandian and Guillermo Canas 6-2, 6-1, 6-7 (9/11), 3-6, 8-6.

Both ties will be decided in Sunday’s reverse singles when Spain’s world number one Rafael Nadal tackles Andy Roddick and David Ferrer meets Sam Querrey.

Argentina, who have never won the Davis Cup, will have Nalbandian up against world number six Nikolay Davydenko and teenage sensation Juan Martin Del Potro facing Igor Andreev.

Bryan said he was pleased the way he and Fish had responded to the pressure of playing in the intimidating 22,000-capacity Las Ventas bullring in Madrid.

“The crowd was very loud and it wasn’t easy, but we stayed tough,” said Bryan who was paired with Fish for the first time after his twin brother, and regular playing partner, Bob withdrew from the tie with a shoulder injury.

At stake on Sunday is a place in the final which takes place from November 21-23.

Tursunov and Kunitsyn could have wrapped up their rubber in straight sets but squandered three match points in the third set.

However, Tursunov said that Russia’s captain Shamil Tarpischev had wanted a five-set win more than straight sets.

“When we were up two sets to love he basically said: ‘Keep David out there as much as you can because if you win in three sets it’s not really helpful because he’s still going to be able to play tomorrow,’ so we tried our best to keep him out on the court,” said Tursunov.

In the play-offs, where the winners will secure places in the World Group in 2009, Olympic doubles champions Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka came back from a set down to beat Belgium’s Olivier Rochus and Xavier Malisse.

The Swiss duo won 4-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-3, 6-3 in Lausanne to give their team an unassailable 3-0 lead.

Serbia also opened up a 3-0 winning lead over Slovakia in Bratislava.

Viktor Troicki teamed with Nenad Zimonjic, the 2008 Wimbledon doubles champion, to defeat Michal Mertinak and Filip Polasek 7-6 (10/8), 6-4, 6-7 (7/9), 7-6 (7/5).

Troicki, the world 128, came in as a late replacement for Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic.

Great Britain’s hopes were left hanging in the balance after Austria won the doubles to take a 2-1 lead into the final day at Wimbledon.

Jurgen Melzer and Julian Knowle made short work of Jamie Murray and Ross Hutchins, racing to a 6-4, 6-3, 6-1 win.

In the day’s other play-off, Croatia were 2-1 ahead of Brazil in Zadar after Marcelo Melo and Andre Sa defeated Ivo Karlovic and Lovro Zovko 6-7 (3/7), 6-2, 7-5, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3 to keep the South Americans in the tie.

Saturday’s results (World Group):

At Buenos Aires (clay):

Argentina 2 Russia 1 (Igor Kunitsyn/Dmitry Tursunov (RUS) bt David Nalbandian/Guillermo Canas 6-2, 6-1, 6-7 (9/11), 3-6, 8-6)

At Madrid (clay):

Spain 2 USA 1 (Mike Bryan/Mardy Fish (USA) bt Feliciano Lopez/Fernando Verdasco (ESP) 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4)

World Group Play-offs (winners advance to World Group in 2009):

At Antofagasta (clay):

Chile 2 Australia 1 (Chris Guccione/Carsten Ball (AUS) bt Nicolas Massu/Fernando Gonzalez (CHI) 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (10/8), 6-3, 5-7, 7-5)

At Wimbledon (grass):

Great Britain 1 Austria 2 (Julian Knowle/Jurgen Melzer (AUT) bt Ross Hutchins/Jamie Murray (GBR) 6-4, 6-3, 6-1)

At Lausanne (hard):

Switzerland 3 Belgium 0 (Roger Federer/Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) bt Olivier Rochus/Xavier Malisse (BEL) 4-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-3, 6-3)