Fernando Verdasco and Felciano Lopez made Spain easily forget Rafael Nadal…at least for one monumental weekend.

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.