Now, 108 years after the Davis Cup began, tennis fans in Israel can celebrate along with their racket-wielding heroes.

Yes, the party is on in Tel Aviv. On a weekend that saw Spain, the Czech Republic, and Croatia win their quarterfinal ties, it was the Israeli Davis Cup team that stole the show. Carried by unlikely heroes–in the spirit of this electrifying international event–Israel filled its cup and then some, defeating Russia, 4-1, to claim the first semifinal berth in the nation’s tennis existence.

Ever heard of the name Harel Levy? Only if you’re a true tennis diehard. Levy carried an ATP Tour singles record of 58-87, plus a world ranking of 210, into this weekend’s tie at Nokia Arena in Tel Aviv. Never able to get past the second round of a Grand Slam singles event, Levy figured to be relatively easy pickings for Russia’s Igor Andreev, a solid top-30 player with a punishing forehand. Levy, however, had a surprise in store for his Russian guest.

Inspired by a fervent home crowd and motivated to win for his country, Levy–doing what other modest pros such as Guy Forget (France, 1991) and Magnus Larsson (Sweden, 1994) managed to achieve in prior years–carried his underdog nation in a Davis Cup tie. Levy’s four-set win over Andreev, in the first rubber of the quarterfinal clash, immediately changed the tone of the tussle between one nation that had never made a deep run in Davis Cup (Israel) and the country that had won two Cups in the past seven years while also reaching the final in another (Russia). With momentum fully on the side of the Israelis on friendly indoor-carpet turf, Levy’s more accomplished partner, world No. 33 Dudi Sela, thumped Mikhail Youzhny in four more sets to give the hosts a 2-0 lead after Friday’s first session. Israel stood one point from the finish line, but that gleaming goal felt a million miles away, given the frailty of the larger situation.

On Saturday, the calculus shifted. Instead of playing merely to stay alive, the Israelis had a chance to clinch the tie with their standout doubles team of Andy Ram and Jonathan Ehrlich. Doubles might provide just one of the four available points in Davis Cup duels, but in light of the relative weakness of his singles players (never mind the aberration of Friday’s opening matches), Israeli team captain Eyal Ran had to be hoping, with all his might, that his doubles team could remove any and all suspense from Sunday’s second pair of singles rubbers. On one hand, Israel had to love its chances with Ram and Ehrlich on the prowl. Then again, an upset loss would have put the Russians back in a fairly favorable position for Sunday. Rarely has a Davis Cup participant faced such pressure while owning a two-rubber lead in the best-of-five-rubber tournament format.

It took awhile, mind you, for Ram and Ehrlich to put all the pieces together, but for a nation that had never tasted the sweetness of a Davis Cup semifinal, no one in Tel Aviv was complaining.

Ram and Ehrlich–clearly nervous in the face of their grand opportunity–blew a two-set lead but rallied to recover on Saturday. The tandem broke Marat Safin’s serve in the tenth game of the fifth set to beat Safin and partner Igor Kunitsyn, locking up the third and deciding point of the tie. The crowd inside Nokia Arena went bonkers, as did a bunch of tennis lifers who delivered the greatest and most meaningful performance they’ll ever produce between the painted white lines.

Sure, Israel will be a huge underdog heading into Sept. 18′s semifinals at defending champion Spain. Know something else? No one will care. Another nation can now sing of a semifinal showing in Davis Cup play.

The cup that is full of joy and laughter will be overflowing with choice beverages tonight and for weeks to come. Israel has arrived, and the Davis Cup party is richer as a result.

DAVIS CUP QUARTERFINAL SCOREBOARD

NOTE: Results exclude specific scores of dead rubbers

Israel d. Russia, 4-1 (Tel Aviv, Israel)

Harel Levy (ISR) d. Igor Andreev (RUS), 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2

Dudi Sela (ISR) d. Mikhail Youzhny (RUS), 3-6, 6-1, 6-0, 7-5

Jonathan Ehrlich and Andy Ram (ISR) d. Igor Kunitsyn and Marat Safin (RUS), 6-3, 6-4, 6-7 (3), 4-6, 6-4

Israel clinches tie, 3-0, before Sunday’s dead singles rubbers

Spain d. Germany, 3-2 (Marbella, Spain)

Fernando Verdasco (ESP) d. Andreas Beck (GER), 6-0, 3-6, 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-1

Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) d. Tommy Robredo (ESP), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4

Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco (ESP) d. Nicolas Kiefer and Mischa Zverev (GER), 6-3, 7-6 (1), 6-7 (6), 6-3

Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) d. Fernando Verdasco (ESP), 6-4, 6-2, 1-6, 2-6, 8-6

Juan Carlos Ferrero (ESP) d. Andreas Beck (GER), 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 (fifth and deciding rubber)

Czech Republic d. Argentina, 3-2 (Ostrava, Czech Republic)

Tomas Berdych (CZE) d. Juan Monaco (ARG), 6-4, 2-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2

Juan Martin del Potro (ARG) d. Ivo Minar (CZE), 6-1, 6-3, 6-3

Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek (CZE) d. Jose Acasuso and Leonardo Mayer (ARG), 6-1, 6-4, 6-3

Juan Martin del Potro (ARG) d. Tomas Berdych (CZE), 6-4, 6-4, 6-4

Radek Stepanek (CZE) d. Juan Monaco (ARG), 7-6 (5), 6-3, 6-2 (fifth and deciding rubber)

Croatia d. United States, 3-2 (Porec, Croatia)

Ivo Karlovic (CRO) d. James Blake (USA), 6-7 (5), 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3), 7-5

Marin Cilic (CRO) d. Mardy Fish (USA), 4-6, 6-3, 6-7 (3), 6-1, 8-6

Bob and Mike Bryan (USA) d. Roko Karanusic and Lovro Zovko (CRO), 6-3, 6-1, 6-3

Marin Cilic (CRO) d. James Blake (USA), 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2

Croatia clinches tie, 3-1; dead fifth rubber won by United States

UPCOMING DAVIS CUP SCHEDULE

SEMIFINALS – September 18-20

Israel at Spain

Czech Republic at Croatia

During his tenure as Argentina’s captain, which began in 2004, the country has lost twice in finals, first against Russia in 2006 and most recently last weekend at home on the fast indoor hard courts of Mar del Plata.

Argentina, heavily favored against a visiting Spanish team that was without Rafael Nadal due to knee tendinitis, fell three matches to one after David Nalbandian opened the tie with a straight-set win over David Ferrer. It was all downhill after that, however, for the host nation. Juan Martin Del Potro lost to Feliciano Lopez, Lopez and Verdasco teamed up to win the doubles rubber over Nalbandian and Agustin Calleri, and Fernando Verdasco clinched the Davis Cup with a five-set win over Jose Acasuso. Acasuso also lost the final match in 2006 in a decisive fifth rubber to Marat Safin.

And now, Mancini has seen enough.

Too many controversies leading up and during the all-important seemed to damage Argentina’s efforts and surely took some of the fun out of it for Mancini. “We have to learn a lot from this but not just the players,” he explained. “The country as a whole, everyone, needs to learn to row in the same direction. It’s very difficult for us to row in the same direction, sometimes an effort is made but we need more. I always said we ought to be talking about tennis and not the venue. Everything became political. We lost focus a bit.

“I think we’ve had four wonderful years. There were very good victories and some other bad moments. Four years are enough. We’ve lived a number of situations together. This is a passion for me, but I know this is the right time to step aside. I want to. I am quite sad. Everybody is sad because we wanted to win the final. Losing the final at home is even more painful. However, sport makes you live difficult moments sometimes. You have to face it and lose with dignity.

“It’s the end of a cycle, and one during which we got to the final twice and the semifinals once,” Mancini said. “I’m satisfied with what I’ve been able to do.”

Some fans disagree, saying that the Argentines have underperformed and failed to capitalize on a golden opportunity by losing at home to Spain.

“After reaching two finals (2006 and 2008) and one semifinal is harsh”, said Mancini of the criticism of his team. “I don’t understand how anyone can think like this, it’s a lack of respect to me and the players.”

Nalbandian, on the other hand, will use the criticism and the disappointment as motivation to return. Just as Spain is losing its captain but getting back its top player, Nadal, so too is Argentina bringing back its No. 1 performer. Nalbandian has put an end to speculation that he is done with Davis Cup by saying that he will return.

“For me, it’s an honor to represent my country,” the Argentine insisted. “I’m going to continue defending the colors. Playing the Davis Cup is the best – I’m upset that people have doubted me.”

Nalbandian also called the loss to Spain “our worst defeat. We had a sinister weekend.” His return, however, will ensure that Argentina has very few of those “sinister” weekends in the future.

Captain Emilio Sanchez Vicario announced on Monday, one day after his team clinched the 2008 title, that he is stepping down as head man. The Spaniards stunned the host Argentines 3-1 in Mar del Plata, taking the doubles rubber and getting singles wins from Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco, who also teamed up to capture the doubles point.

“I will not be there for the tie against Serbia,” Sanchez said of Spain’s 2009 Davis Cup opener. The defending champs will host Novak Djokovic and company in early March. “I started something three years ago and the cycle is now complete with this reward for all the players, and I hope that whoever replaces me can share all the magical moments I have experienced,” Sanchez added.

Albert Costa, who was a member of Spain’s 2000 Davis Cup-winning squad and now coaches Lopez, is the favorite to replace Sanchez.

As for Argentine captain Alberto Mancini, he has also made a decision, but will not yet disclose his plans. “This is something I have already decided, but the only people who know are me and the people who need to be aware,” Mancini explained. “This is not the right moment to talk about that.” Argentina has still never won a Davis Cup title.

While the Spanish team will lose Sanchez Vicario, one can only assume that it will gain Rafael Nadal, the No. 1 player in the world. After all, he played a role in Spain’s quarterfinal and semifinal Davis Cup wins and he would have been a factor in the final had knee tendinitis not derailed the end of his season. Nadal opened Spain’s quarterfinal victory over Germany with a straight-set defeat of Nicolas Kiefer. He scored two singles wins, including the clincher, against the United States in the semifinals. Nadal overcame Sam Querrey in four sets on Day 1 and then finished off the tie with a straight-set demolition of Andy Roddick.

It also has to be assumed that Nadal will be more than eager to return to Davis Cup action based on what he had to say this week. He was not on hand in Mar del Plata, but he was certainly following all of the action.

Nadal  watched on television, “but not without a huge case of nerves,” as he pointed out.

“I’m so happy for them they really deserved it,” said Nadal. “It’s a pain for me not to be able to be there, but I’m embracing my teammates. The guys have done something impressive, winning away in Argentina. It’s tougher than our two Davis Cups at home (Barcelona, 2000 and Seville 2004). They have made more history in a spectacular way, this is something extraordinary.”

“Not being here is like a punishment for Rafa,” said one member of Nadal’s physio team, with whom the to-ranked player was spending the weekend. “He’s not enjoying his situation at all.”

“It’s impossible for me to be happier,” Nadal added.

Well, he might be even happier if he is on the court whenever Spain wins its fourth Davis Cup trophy.

Spain, without the No. 1 player in the world, went into Mar del Plata and stunned the host Argentines 3-1 to win the 2008 Davis Cup. Verdasco clinched the title with a thrilling 6-3, 6-7(3), 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 over Jose Acasuso in thee hours and 56 minutes in the first reverse singles rubber on Sunday afternoon.

Acasuso was replacing Juan Martin Del Potro, who suffered a thigh injury in a four-set loss to Feliciano Lopez in the second singles rubber on Friday. “We didn’t want to risk starting the match and then, after two or three games, have to retire because of the injury,” Del Potro revealed. “It would have been much worse if that happened.”

Verdasco was subbing in for David Ferrer, who got clobbered by David Nalbandian in the tie’s opening rubber. Ferrer could not have been too surprised or upset with the decision—regardless of how it turned out—not only due to his performance against Nalbandian, but also because his entire second half of the season has been one big slump. He started out hot on the clay and even on grass, but what once looked like a sure-thing Masters Cup appearance ended with Ferrer ranked 12th in the world. “When Ferrer found out he was not playing, he took it well,” Spanish captain Emilio Sanchez said. “He immediately offered his support to Fernando which helped him come out on court.”

A back-and-forth affair saw Verdasco silence the crowd, which had been all over him during Saturday’s doubles rubber, with a 6-3 first-set victory. Acasuso, however, took command in the second and although he failed to serve out the set, he recovered to win the tiebreaker in convincing fashion. The Argentine used that momentum to carry him to a 6-4 win in the third, putting the favored Argentines one set away from a decisive fifth rubber.

Nonetheless, Verdasco was not to be denied of his monumental achievement. He broke early in the fourth and despite the incessant pleading of the crowd, Acasuso never could get back on track. A minor abdominal strain hampered his comeback chances, as well. Verdasco, meanwhile, picked his serve up considerably and stormed through both the fourth and fifth sets. He also began to play much smarter, while minimizing his unforced errors.

“I was more relaxed after the fourth set,” explained Verdasco. “I understood we needed tactics to win the match and I realised that he was tired so I took advantage of making him run.”A mentally and physically-exhausted Acasuso saved one match point serving at 1-5, but Verdasco capitalized on his second chance and sent the Spanish to team into jubilation.

“It’s a nice sensation,” Verdasco said after the wild celebration. “It’s a great day for all the people in Spain. This is the most beautiful day of my life. This is the most important match and win of my life. I will always remember this. It’s like winning a Grand Slam.”

Nadal did not travel to Argentina, but watched the tie—and the final rubber—and offered his thoughts. “Fernando was brilliant, absolutely amazing from the fourth set,” he told Spanish television. “Emilio has formed a tremendous group with a fabulous atmosphere at its heart.”

“It was an incredible match; all the guys were so nervous,” added Sanchez, who went on to say that the Spanish team would soon be partying with “a lot of wine.”

For the Argentines, who have still never won a Davis Cup title, the mood was somber. “There was a lot of sadness in the locker room after the loss,” Acasuso admitted, “and the fact that three of the four of us lost to Russia two years ago means that the pain was double.”

Spain, meanwhile, won its third Davis Cup championship. It joins six other nations as three-time winners of the Davis Cup.

As for 2009, Spain and Argentina are again in opposite halves of the bracket and both will host opening-round ties in early March. Spain hosts Novak Djokovic and Serbia, while the Argentines will welcome a Dutch squad. Spain could meet up with Germany in the quarterfinals and Russia in the semis en route to its title defense. Argentina, meanwhile, could get France in the quarterfinals and the United States, 2007 Davis Cup champions, in the semis.

Going into the 2008 Davis Cup final, the question was how Spain could win without Nadal, but two days later the question is now the one above.

Argentina took an improbable 2-1 lead over host Argentina on Saturday afternoon in Mar del Plata as Lopez and Verdasco defeated David Nalbandian and Agustin Calleri 5-7, 7-5, 7-6(5), 6-3 in three hours and 18 minutes. The victory puts the Spanish squad on the brink of victory heading into Sunday’s reverse singles.

Argentina originally scheduled for Calleri to play with Jose Acasuso, but that was when the host nation was planning on having a 2-0 lead after Friday’s singles matches. When the favorites found themselves tied up after Day 1, they decided to go with Nalbandian.

The move paid dividends in the first set, as Nalbandian and Calleri seized a decisive service break at 5-5 before serving out the opening frame of play. Spain, however, turned the tables in set two, holding at 5-5 and breaking to level the match.

That set up a thrilling third set in which the Spaniards raced to a 4-0 lead that seemingly would have no chance of being overcome. Spurred on by an energized crowd, the Argentines refused to go away and broke back twice for 5-5. Calleri and Nalbandian then stormed to a 4-0 lead in the ensuing tiebreaker before it all collapsed over and around them. Nalbandian missed an easy backhand volley at 5-3 and Spain won the next three points for a two sets to one advantage.

This time, the Argentine duo could not recover. Lopez and Verdasco, who are an experienced doubles duo and play regular on the ATP Tour, really started to show their team unity, while that of Nalbandian and Calleri deteriorated. “They began to help each other less and less,” Lopez explained. “I was physically down in the third set and Fernando helped me. They did not do that, maybe it’s because we know each other better.” The experienced Spanish team used two more service breaks to finish off the match in three hours and 18 minutes.

Aside from what actually took place on the court, the Argentine fans were far more out of control than they were on Friday. “The crowd didn’t behave well today, they were using bad words and insulting us,” said Spanish captain Emilio Sanchez following the doubles rubber. “I’m disappointed in the way they behaved but we know now and we’ll be ready for tomorrow.” Verdasco, who took the brunt of most of the verbal jabs, added “they actually motivated me and allowed me to play better and their strategy totally backfired.”

“This is Davis Cup, this is normal,” retorted Calleri. “Maybe they went too far. I don’t think they were insulting Verdasco but I don’t know.”

Whatever the case, they will be even more obnoxious with their team against the wall on Sunday. It’s do or die for Juan Martin Del Potro when the hero of Argentina’s semifinal Davis Cup win over Russia battles Spain’s David Ferrer to kick off the action on Sunday.

Ferrer leads the head-to-head series with Del Potro, but the 6’6” Argentine won most recently in Tokyo just last month. That, of course, was when Del Potro was healthy and on top of his game. The 20-year-old exploded onto the tennis scene almost out of nowhere, winning every single one of the four tournaments he played in between Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. Fatigue and a foot problem hobbled Del Potro throughout the recent indoor swing, however, and a thigh problem crept up to bite him in his four-set loss to Feliciano Lopez on Friday.

Ferrer’s 2008 campaign went south just as Del Potro’s took a turn for the better. The first half featured outstanding tennis from the Spaniard and kept him firmly entrenched in the Top 10. He reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and the French Open and won smaller clay-court titles on both clay and grass. Beginning with the U.S. Open Series, however, Ferrer endured a dismal slump. He now finds himself outside the Top 10 at No. 12 in the world, and on Friday he was not competitive in a three-set loss to Nalbandian.

The first few games of this clash will tell the story. If Del Potro is healthy, a dramatic come-from-behind victory for Argentina could be in the cards. If he is hobbled, Ferrer will grind and grind until Del Potro goes down and Spain has the Davis Cup trophy in hand.

Rumors, not surprisingly, are swirling that Jose Acasuso will replace Del Potro against Ferrer. That won’t be good news for Argentina, but it might have to be done…and it could be worse. After, Acasuso leads his head-to-head series against Ferrer 4-3, although six of the seven encounters have come on hard courts. Acasuso’s 2008 season, however, has been mostly uninspiring, especially away from clay. He would be a considerable underdog against Ferrer, but still a better option than an injured Del Potro.

If Ferrer wins the 2008 Davis Cup for Spain with a win over Del Potro, Lopez and Nalbandian probably won’t even take the court. At most it would be a “dead” rubber. If Del Potro keeps the host nation’s hopes alive, however, Lopez and Nalbandian will battle in one of the biggest matches of the entire tennis season.

In that case, the advantage would be squarely back in the Argentine corner. First, Nalbandian has a perfect 2-0 head-to-head record against Lopez. Furthermore, Nalbandian has recently resurrected a year that started off slowly. During this year’s indoor swing, he won a title in Stockholm and finished runner-up in both Basel (to Roger Federer) and Paris (to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga).

At the same time, Lopez is a formidable opponent. An experienced Davis Cup participant, Lopez is one of the few Spaniards in the history of the game who actually prefer fast hard courts over clay. Lopez’s first half of the 2008 was mostly lackluster except for a surprising runner-up finish in Dubai, but he started to turn it all around at Wimbledon and during the hard-court swing. Lopez reached the quarterfinals at the All-England Club, the semifinals in Vienna, the quarterfinals at the Masters Series Madrid, and the semifinals in Basel. He has himself back in the Top 32 in the rankings (at No. 31) and in position for a seed at the Australian Open.

If this rubber is “live,” look for the Argentine crowd to carry Nalbandian to a dramatic Davis Cup-clinching victory.

“The team is logically down but we have to go through that,” said Argentine captain Alberto Mancini. “We have to wait and stay quiet and plan. Maybe the immensity of the event was too much for my players. We still have to fight, there are two more points tomorrow and we know it will be hard.”

Although Nalbandian failed to break serve in the opening game of the match, he sent a message that life would tough for Ferrer throughout the day by holding two break points. Ferrer saved them both and held serve, but the Spaniard got broken on three other occasions in the opening frame of play. Nalbandian’s second break proved to be vital, because Ferrer broke right back to stay in the set at 2-5. The Argentine returned the favor right back in the form of another break, however, to finish off the set in convincing fashion.

Nalbandian, who struck 18 winners and 11 unforced errors in the first set, remained at a devastating level of tennis throughout the second. He broke Ferrer three more times, striking 16 winners to just eight errors. The No. 11 player in the world did an outstanding job of dictating play from the back of the court and coming forward at opportune times, putting away all five of his net points in the second set with winners.

Ferrer was all but finished after that, as a relentless Nalbandian continued to run Ferrer ragged. A break of serve at 3-2 in the third was all Nalbandian needed to finish things off, which he did with two straight aces while serving at 5-3, 30-0, the last of which came on a second serve.

“I played a very good match. I was very solid from the first point and I was playing at a very high level. It was a great game,” Nalbandian said. “It could not have been better, to win it quickly the way I did. It was a short match so that’s good for the rest of the weekend.”

The crowd of about 11,000 in the stadium was boisterous, but not quite as out of control as it sometime is in Argentine. Things might have been different, however, if the match had been more competitive. “They were fairly calm, but when we need more support we will get it,” Nalbandian explained.

They’ll need it during Saturday’s doubles rubber because, Juan Martin Del Potro, who won Argentina’s decisive fifth rubber against Russia’s Igor Andreev in the semifinals, fell to Feliciano Lopez 4-6, 7-6(2), 7-6(4), 6-3 in the second singles match.

For the big-serving Spaniard, it was one of his best wins ever–and an improbable one as well. Del Potro, after all, won four straight tournaments this summer in between Wimbledon and the U.S. Open and in general has been in considerably better form than Lopez.

From the start, however, it was clear the underdog had upset on his mind. Both Del Potro and Lopez came out serving well, but the Spaniard soon faltered at 2-2. Too many first serves allowed Del Potro to break at love for a 3-2 lead and he never looked back. The Argentine did not face a single break point in his first five service games as he went on to close out the first set in routine fashion.

Lopez raised his level in the second, showing off a brilliant all-court game while cutting down on his unforced errors to an almost bare minimum. Nonetheless, he could not break through against the Del Potro serve, despite losing just four points on his own serve in six games. A tiebreaker ensured, and that’s when Lopez finally began to impose his will with aggressive play. He raced to a 4-0 lead with impressive serving and volleying and he closed it out seven points to two to level the match at one set apiece.

The third set also required a tiebreaker. Lopez got down a quick mini-break, but Del Potro could not put his forehand in the court and that allowed his opponent to storm back. A huge ace out wide gave Lopez the set seven points to four and a 2-1 advantage.

With momentum in hand, the visitor never looked back and silenced the Argentine faithful. He gave back an early break in the fourth, but used a second break to ultimately put Del Potro away. Del Potro, meanwhile, appeared to be suffering throughout the fourth set with a thing problem. Lopez served out the match easily at 5-3 to even the Davis Cup final going into Saturday doubles.

“The doctor just saw me but he can’t give a diagnosis without more tests so I don’t know what is wrong with me,” Del Potro explained. “I think I’m okay but I am tired. At this time of the year all the players feel the same.”

“When I won the second tiebreak, I had a great injection of hope,” Lopez said. “In the last set, he didn’t look 100 per cent fit but I hope he can recuperate by Sunday.”

Del Potro might have to, because there is a good chance Argentina will be starting a 2-1 deficit in the face following Saturday’s doubles clash.

Argentines Nalbandian and Agustin Calleri will take on the Spanish duo of Lopez and Fernando Verdasco on Saturday afternoon.

Argentina originally scheduled for Calleri to play with Jose Acasuso, but that was when the host nation was planning on having a 2-0 lead after Friday’s singles matches. Now, the doubles rubber is absolutely critical, and therefore Nalbandian, who was in flawless form against Ferrer, is getting the call.

Nalbandian expressed an eager willingness to participate after disposing of Ferrer in less than two hours. “I’ll be ready (for tomorrow),” he assured. “I feel good.”

Spanish captain Emilio Sanchez never had much of a decision to deal with, even though Lopez went more than three hours with Del Potro. “It’s the pairing which has done the best for us, so we will stick to it tomorrow (Saturday),” Sanchez said of Lopez and Verdasco.

Even with Nalbandian, however, the Argentine tandem is far less experienced than that of the Spaniards. Lopez and Verdasco have been a doubles combination for several years, playing in multiple ATP events every season. Furthermore, Lopez had his huge serve working against Del Potro and is riding a wave of momentum after the crucial victory.

Nalbandian and Calleri, on the other hand, will have what should be a boisterous crowd behind them; one that is far more enthusiastic than it was on Friday due to the obvious importance of Saturday’s doubles clash.

Will that be enough to overcome the experienced Lopez-Verdasco team? With the home crowd in tow, there’s always a chance, but the bottom line is things are looking far less bright for Argentina than they were heading into Friday.

On Friday it will be Ferrer vs. Nalbandian and Lopez vs. Del Potro. Let’s take a look at the Day 1 singles participants.

David Ferrer – In 2008, Ferrer has almost endured two different seasons in one. The first half saw the Spaniard pick up where he left off in 2007 by producing outstanding tennis and keeping himself firmly entrenched in the Top 10. Ferrer made it to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and the French Open and won smaller clay-court titles on both clay and grass. Beginning with the U.S. Open Series, however, he endured a brutal stretch of poor form. He now finds himself outside the Top 10 at No. 12 in the world.

David Nalbandian – Nalbandian’s 2008 path has also been up and down, but for the moment he and Ferrer are going in opposite directions. In 2007, Nalbandian ended an otherwise-brutal season with back-to-back Masters Series titles on the indoor hard courts of Madrid and Paris, and while he wasn’t quite as on fire at the conclusion of this season, the Argentine experience a similar fate. During this year’s indoor swing, he won a title in Stockholm and finished runner-up in both Basel (to Roger Federer) and Paris (to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga).

Ferrer-Nalbandian outlook – They have played nine times in their rivalry, and Ferrer holds a 6-3 advantage. All three of Nalbandian’s victories, however, have come on hard courts, while Ferrer has picked up most of his wins on clay. So the record is a bit of a misnomer. Ferrer is capable on fast surfaces, but Nalbandian is an indoor force. Not only does Nalbandian have the surface in his favor, he will also have a raucous Argentine crowd, looking for its country’s first-ever Davis Cup title, behind him. Nalbandian in four sets is the pick.

Feliciano Lopez – Lopez is an experienced Davis Cup participant and he is one of the few Spaniards in the history of tennis who actually prefer fast hard courts over clay. Lopez’s first half of the 2008 was mostly full of disappointing results except for a surprising runner-up finish in Dubai, but he started to turn it all around at Wimbledon and throughout the year-end hard-court swing. Lopez reached the quarterfinals at the All-England Club, the semifinals in Vienna, the quarterfinals at the Masters Series Madrid, and the semifinals in Basel. He is back near the Top 30 of the world rankings (at No. 31) and in position for a seed at the Australian Open 2009.

Juan Martin Del Potro – Lopez is in solid form, but Del Potro was absolutely on fire this summer. The 20-year-old Argentine tore up the tennis world almost out of nowhere, winning every single one of the four tournaments he played in between Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. He went on to reach the quarterfinals in New York before falling to U.S. Open runner-up Andy Murray in a tough four-set contest. Fatigue and a foot problem hobbled Del Potro throughout the recent indoor swing, but he did enough in the Masters Series events and in Basel to secure a spot at the Masters Cup.

Lopez-Del Potro outlook – The head-to-head series stands at Del Potro 2, Lopez 1, although Lopez won their only meeting this year in Miami. Del Potro has several factors going for him: current form, home-court advantage, and a recent huge win in Davis Cup play. He won the decisive fifth rubber against Igor Andreev to give Argentina a 3-2 win over Russia in the Davis Cup semifinals two months ago, so he knows how to handle this kind of pressure. Spain needs a Lopez victory to have a real chance of ultimately pulling off a Davis Cup upset, but it does not look like that will happen. Del Potro in four sets is the pick.

The Argentines have two main advantages. One, they have home-court advantage and have chosen to host the proceedings on the indoor courts of Mar del Plata. Second, Spain will be without Nadal, the top-ranked player in men’s tennis. Nadal’s tendinitis forced him out of his Masters Series Paris semifinal match against Nikolay Davydenko and also prevented him from playing the Masters Cup. He had hoped not going to Shanghai would allow him to be ready for the Davis Cup final, but that did not turn out to be the case. Tommy Robredo has been on vacation and decided that he would not be able to help the team, so the Spanish squad turned to unheralded Marcel Granollers, who was a surprise title winner in Houston this spring, as Nadal’s replacement. That’s not particularly what I would consider an even swap.

Granollers joins David Ferrer, Feliciano Lopez, and Fernando Verdasco as the Spanish foursome. Argentina is countering with Jose Acasuso, Agustin Calleri, David Nalbandian, Juan Martin del Potro.

On paper, Argentina looks like a heavy favorite, especially with the home court and surface advantages. As a result, Spanish captain Emilio Sanchez is going to concoct some kind of borderline miracle in order to pull off an upset over the Argentines. Because the final is on indoor hard courts (Argentina chose that surface to keep the Spaniards off their beloved clay), Lopez will probably get the nod in singles on both Friday and Sunday. He is one of the few Spaniards in history who actually prefers hard courts to clay, which he does due to his booming serve and prowess at the net. Furthermore, Ferrer has been mired in a dismal slump ever since the start of the U.S. Open Series. Verdasco has been up-and-down in 2008, but he has not enough to make Sanchez’s decision between Verdasco and Ferrer a difficult one.

Granollers is an accomplished doubles player, but it might not be in Spain’s best interest to break up the Lopez-Verdasco duo. Lopez and Verdasco are not only stalwarts of Davis Cup doubles, but they also play regularly in ATP tournaments. If one of them performs at a sub-par level during Friday’s singles matches, however, Granollers could get the call.

Argentine captain Alberto Mancini should have fewer decisions to make. Nalbandian is phenomenal indoors (he won both Masters Series titles in Madrid and Paris last year) and he recently resurrected his game by reaching the Paris final, where he lost to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Del Potro is not quite as on fire as he was this summer when he won four straight events in between Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, but the 6’6’’ 20-year-old is still playing well. Nalbandian and Del Potro will be the go-to guys in singles on both Friday and Sunday. Argentina will be favored in all four singles rubbers, and all they need is three points, so there is probably no reason to put Nalbandian or Del Potro in doubles. Calleri and Acasuso are more than capable of at least being competitive in the doubles rubber, but they will be underdogs against whatever combination the Spaniards throw out there among Granollers, Verdasco, and Lopez. Still, it will be of little importance as long as the Argentines take care of business in singles.

For now, the Friday singles should be expected to feature Lopez and Ferrer for Spain and Nalbandian and Del Potro for Argentine, in no particular order (and the order has yet to be determined). Regardless of the combination, Argentina should have a decisive 2-0 lead after one day of play.

It’s hard to predict a specific score for a Davis Cup tie since 3-2 could mean a thrilling tie that came down to the fifth rubber just as it could mean one team went up 3-0 before losing to meaningless singles matches on Sunday. Nonetheless, I’ll take the host Argentines to take it four rubbers to one, clinching it in the first of the two reverse singles matches.

If Rafael Nadal is unable to play in the Davis Cup, it is quite possible that Verdasco could be called upon to play singles. He is only a couple of places behind compatriot David Ferrer in the ATP rankings, and would be the logical choice for coach Emilio Sanchez. The dynamic duo would be history and a new partner for Verdasco would have to found. At the 2008 US Open the pair was beaten in the quarter finals by a pair who was comprised of fellow Spaniard Tommy Robredo and Sergio Roitman, a player strangely enough from Argentine. It will be a difficult decision for the coach, and one that he will be second guessed about should Spain lose.

Feliciano Lopez lives in Madrid and he has just one singles title to his credit, he won in Vienna in 2004, and he has one doubles title he won in Stockholm with Verdasco. He suffered a severe injury when he was 18, breaking both wrists, and the long recovery set his career back by at least a year or two. This year saw him reach the final of the Dubai Open where he lost to Andy Roddick 7-6, 4-6, 2-6.

Fernando Verdasco has won two ATP titles and in Australian open 2008 rose through the rankings to #11. He has developed a powerful forehand which may be the best of all the players. He has the ability to put a great deal of spin on the ball in much the same way that Nadal does. I wonder if Ana will be in Argentine for the Davis Cup to watch her new boyfriend?

Emilio Sanchez is faced with a tough decision. He knows that without Rafael Nadal the Spanish team will be the under dogs, he also knows that his choice of players has to be based not only on their current rankings but also on their ability to rise to the occasion and play their best on the unfamiliar courts in Buenos Aires. Spain does have many top players that Sanchez can select, David Ferer was to be Nadal’s teammate as the second singles player even though he has been in a slump and has dropped from 6^th. to 12^th. place. The doubles pair were to be Fernando Verdasco (ranked #16) and Felix Lopez(ranked #31). Veteran Tommy Robredo who is currently ranked at #19 might be the choice to join the team, this would provide Coach Sanchez with several options as to who he uses for singles and who he pairs up to play doubles.

The team from Argentine now looks to be the strongest in singles, but has made a change in the selection of the doubles pairing which lost to the Russian team in the semi final. Guillermo Canas has been replaced by Jose Acasusa, since his ranking has dropped to 77^th.

Without Nadal in the mix, the whole picture changes. Spain is no longer guaranteed to win any singles matches, it would have been hard to believe that had he played Nadal would have lost both of his matches, and winning a two singles matches out of the four that comprise the Davis Cup might rest on the shoulders of Ferrer and Verdasco. Tommy Robredo is a ‘big’ match player, he sometimes plays better than his ranking would suggest, he is also experienced and might just take a match from the young Argentine player Juan Martin del Potro who will be under extreme pressure playing in front of his home country fans, and tired from playing in the Shanghai Masters Cup. Spain should win the doubles with any combination of players, and it will be the coaches decision as to who he uses against David Nalbandian and del Potro in singles.