Russia won the Davis Cup 3-2 over Argentina on Sunday as Marat Safin defeated Jose Acasuso 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) to hand the nation a second trophy after a defeat of France in 2002.
Safin was mobbed by his overjoyed teammates even before he could reach the net to shake hands with Acasuso as the Argentine put a forehand into the net after saving one match point.
The tie was the fourth of the past six finals of the worldwide team competition to reach a deciding fifth rubber. Argentina also lost a final a quarter of a century ago in Cincinnati against the US.
PHOTO: AP
Safin, a two-time Grand Slam winner and former No. 1 who has struggled with knee problems, was thrown into the breach after David Nalbandian upset Nikolay Davydenko 6-2, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 to start the final day.
Safin showed his intentions to seal the tie as he swept up the opening set in 30 minutes, emphasizing his determination with 16 aces during the contest lasting nearly three hours.
"It was a tough fifth match," the winner said. "I was expecting Nikolay to win, but unfortunately he couldn't make it."
"Our captain decided to put me in the final match. I was struggling with my knees and my toes due to this [carpet] surface. There was a lot of pressure for me, but it all came out pretty well," he said.
Acasuso fought back to level as he lifted the second set, only to see Safin regain the momentum as he lifted the third. The fourth went into a tiebreaker, with Safin reaching a 5-2 lead.
Acasuso recovered to 4-5 but a Safin service winner gave the Russian two match points to the thunderous cheers of a capacity crowd waving blue-red and white Russian flags.
As the celebrations began, non-playing Mikhail Youzhny led the jubilation. Former Russian president Boris Yeltsin, the nation's number 1 ticket holder, quickly got into the act, along with Safin's mother -- his first coach -- rushing onto court to hug her son.
"We tried to play our best game," Safin said. "Acasuo was playing well form the baseline. But my experience made the difference today. The crowd enjoyed it, and I'm pretty happy."
Safin called this Davis Cup title "the most valuable" compared to the one the side lifted over France four years ago.
Russia's victory confirmed the country's status as the world's most powerful tennis nation on both the men's and women's sides through the likes of Safin, Davydenko and on the women's side: Maria Sharapova, Elena Dementieva and Nadia Petrova.
A stunning Lamine Yamal strike on Thursday helped crown Barcelona La Liga champions with a 2-0 win over local rivals RCD Espanyol, with victory ensuring Real Madrid cannot catch them at the top of the table. Yamal’s effort and Fermin Lopez’s goal took Hansi Flick’s side seven points clear of Los Blancos with two matches remaining, to clinch Barcelona’s 28th title and complete a superb domestic treble. Only the UEFA Champions League title escaped an exciting young Barca side this season, as they won the league for the second time in six years, at Espanyol’s ground again just as in 2022-2023. Back then,
SSC Napoli will have to wait one more week to seal the Serie A title after on Sunday being held to a goalless draw at Parma, while closest rivals Inter drew 2-2 in a dramatic game with SS Lazio. Antonio Conte’s team stayed one point ahead of Inter and were unfortunate not to win after twice striking the woodwork through Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Matteo Politano, while Scott McTominay also had a free-kick tipped onto the crossbar. The away side thought they would be handed a chance to take the points from the penalty spot in the 96th minute when David Neres
Jannik Sinner on Thursday marched into the semi-finals of the Italian Open after destroying Casper Ruud in straight sets 6-0, 6-1, while Coco Gauff won a marathon three-set battle with China’s Zheng Qinwen to advance to the women’s singles final. American Gauff is to face Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in today’s title match after pulling through 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 7-6 (7/4) in a match that lasted over three-and-a-half hours. Ruud was supposed to be Sinner’s toughest test in Rome since he came back from his three-month doping ban, as the Norwegian came into the match in hot form on clay after winning in
Shohei Ohtani on Thursday delivered his first two-homer game of the season and had six RBIs as the Los Angeles Dodgers poured it on with five long balls in a 19-2 victory over the visiting Athletics. Max Muncy, Andy Pages and James Outman also hit home runs for the Dodgers, who left no doubt by taking a 13-2 lead following a seven-run third inning. Muncy and Kim Hye-seong each had three hits for Los Angeles. Dodgers right-hander Matt Sauer led off a bullpen game by allowing two runs in four innings. Left-hander Justin Wrobleski (1-1) finished with four scoreless innings after he
RSS