Croatia’s Ivo Karlovic served a world record 78 aces, but still lost a six-hour Davis Cup semi-final marathon on Friday as the Czech Republic and holders Spain closed in on a December title showdown.
The Czechs, who haven’t reached the final since their 1980 championship victory, finished the opening day of their last four clash against Croatia, the 2005 winners, with a 2-0 lead in Porec.
Spain, meanwhile, cruised through their opening two rubbers against semi-final debutants Israel in Murcia, shrugging off the absence of injured world No. 2 Rafael Nadal.
PHOTO: AFP
World No. 16 Radek Stepanek won a five-hour, 59-minute epic against Karlovic 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (2/7), 16-14.
The second rubber, which took three hours and 48 minutes to complete, saw Tomas Berdych beating US Open quarter-finalist Marin Cilic 6-3, 6-3, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3.
Karlovic’s 78 aces broke the world record by 23. He also had five match points but was unable to prevent Stepanek carving out the only break for a 15-14 lead in the last set. The match was just one minute short of becoming only the fourth Davis Cup rubber in history to break the six-hour barrier, while the total number of games (82) equaled the highest in a tournament rubber since the tiebreak was introduced.
“It was like putting you in front of a wall and shooting at you,” Stepanek said.
A victory yesterday for US Open doubles winner Lukas Dlouhy and partner Jan Hajek over Roko Karanusic and Lovro Zovko would put the Czechs into the final.
They are likely to face Spain who are 2-0 ahead of Israel after David Ferrer swept past Harel Levy 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 before Juan Carlos Ferrero outclassed Dudi Sela 6-4, 6-2, 6-0.
Ferrero had replaced world No. 2 Nadal, who was ordered to rest by doctors after suffering abdominal problems at the US Open where he was eliminated in the semi-finals.
But Spain were never in trouble on their favored clay courts against an Israel team who had stunned two-time champions Russia 4-1 in the quarter-finals.
Three-time champions Spain have won all three of their previous meetings with Israel and boast an impressive record of 16 straight wins at home and 18 consecutive victories on clay.
They will book a place in their seventh final unless Andy Ram and Jonathan Erlich managed to beat Feliciano Lopez and Tommy Robredo in yesterday’s doubles.
In the World Group playoffs, where the winners will secure places in the elite 16-nation field next year, Roger Federer shrugged off his heart-breaking US Open final defeat to seal a 2-0 lead for Switzerland against Italy in Genoa.
The world No. 1 eased past Simone Bolelli 6-3, 6-4, 6-1 after Stanislas Wawrinka had enjoyed a 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 victory over Andreas Seppi.
“Given the circumstances, I am extremely happy with my performance,” said Federer, who had been beaten by Juan Martin del Potro in the US Open final just 85 hours earlier.
In Johannesburg, India were 2-0 ahead of South Africa with Somdev Devvarman seeing off Izak van der Merwe 7-6 (7/5), 6-3, 6-4 before Rohan Bopanna recovered to beat Rik de Voest 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-4.
In Maastricht, France leveled to finish 1-1 with the Netherlands, Serbia were 2-0 ahead of Uzbekistan, Belgium led Ukraine 2-0 while Sweden and Romania were 1-1.
Chile were facing Austria while Brazil were tackling Ecuador.
■BELL CHALLENGE
AFP, QUEBEC CITY, CANADA
Aleksandra Wozniak of Canada cruised into the semi-finals and top seeded Russia Nadia Petrova withdrew from her quarter-final match on Friday at the WTA Bell Challenge with an illness.
Instead of meeting Russia’s Petrova in the semis, Wozniak will face Hungarian Melinda Cink, who was handed the win when Petrova did not start the second set because of a virus. Cink had won the first set in a tiebreak.
Third seeded Wozniak easily defeated Russian Alla Kudryavtseva 6-1, 6-1.
Meanwhile, fourth-seeded Lucie Safarova of Czech Republic beat wild card Mattek Sands 6-3, 6-4 and eighth-seeded German Julia Goerges stopped American qualifier Lilia Osterloh 6-2, 6-4.
Safarova and Goerges were to meet in yesterday’s other semi-final.
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