Madrid, November 23: World No. 1 Rafael Nadal led Spain to the semi-finals while Novak Djokovic-led Serbia crashed out of the ongoing Davis Cup Finals. Nadal tallied a singles win and partnered with Marcel Granollers to a doubles victory in the country's 2-1 triumph against Argentina. Guido Pella began on Friday evening by rallying past Pablo Carreno Busta 6-7(3), 7-6(4), 6-1. But Nadal responded with a resounding 6-1, 6-2 victory against Argentine No. 1 Diego Schwartzman. Nadal then partnered with Granollers to defeat Maximo Gonzalez and Leonardo Mayer 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, sending Spain to the last four. Rafael Nadal Goes Down Memory Lane, Shares Video That Will Make Rafa Fans Nostalgic.
Spain, which last won the Davis Cup in 2011, will face Great Britain for a spot in the final. Former World No. 1 Andy Murray did not compete on Friday, but Great Britain defeated Germany 2-0. Earlier, Serbia were eliminated by Russian after suffering a 1-2 defeat in dramatic fashion. Russia made it to its first Davis Cup semi-final since 2008 when Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev defeated Djokovic and Viktor Troicki 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(8), saving three match points in the deciding set tie-break. Davis Cup 2019: India and Pakistan Clash to Be Held in Kazakhstan.
Earlier, Rublev was on fire as he dismissed Filip Krajinovic 6-1, 6-2 before Djokovic leveled the tie at 1-1 with a 6-3, 6-3 triumph against Khachanov to set the stage for the doubles rubber. Russia will next face Canada, which advanced on Thursday, for a spot in the championship.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 23, 2019 12:44 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).