Ferrer defeats Del Potro for 2-0 lead

 

Originally published on: 02/12/11 21:33

It was a match of epic proportions and one that you can’t but think the Argentines really needed to win if they are to have any chance of achieving their Davis Cup dream. It was poised to be the match of the day as these two gritty players toughed it out, surprisingly for the first time in their careers on clay. The slow court made Delpo’s thumping strokes reverberate off the racket of David Ferrer.

The Spaniard took the first set with relative ease 63. Day turned to night, the temperature dropped but the Argentine turned the heat up, and the second set was decided in a tiebreak, which Delpo won decisively for the loss of only 2 points. With the momentum behind him, the man from Tandil took 57 minutes to take the third set 63 and then in dramatic style the terrier that is Ferrer levelled the tie at 2-2. There was some breath-taking tennis, the crowd played their part and you could be forgiven for thinking from the noise emanating from the stands that you were at Friday night football and not watching a two-man tennis match, but then this is Davis Cup.

And two men they truly were. Although Ferrer galloped into a 5-1 lead in the fifth set, when the Spaniard then dropped his serve, it seemed as if del Potro might stage a huge comeback. But it was not to be. As the players shook hands at the net, you could see how much the Argentinean had given for his country. It was the Spaniard who claimed hero status and the tie is all set for a dramatic doubles on Saturday, which could prove to be the decider in this, the 99th Davis Cup Final. That is, if the top team cheer-leader of today, Fernando Verdasco, can pull off the rubber with partner Feliciano Lopez.

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