GOTCHA: Spain's Rafael Nadal eyes the ball during the first game of the Davis Cup World Group semifinal against Sam Querrey at Las Ventas bullring in Madrid on Friday.(AP/Victor R. Caivano)Top-ranked Rafael Nadal led Spain to within one victory of knocking out defending Davis Cup champion United States on Friday, while Argentina has the same 2-0 advantage over Russia in the other semifinal.
Nadal rallied to beat Sam Querrey in four sets and David Ferrer overcame a mid-match slump against Andy Roddick to give Spain a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series, putting the U.S. on the brink of elimination ahead of Saturday's doubles.
Argentina is close to avenging its 2006 final loss against Russia after sixth-ranked Nikolay Davydenko fell to Juan Martin del Potro, and No. 7 David Nalbandian beat Igor Andreev in straight sets.
In the World Group playoffs, Roger Federer helped Switzerland take a 2-0 lead at the Czech Republic, Novak Djokovic put Serbia ahead against Australia, and Andy Murray pulled Britain even with Austria at 1-1.
At Madrid's Las Ventas bullfighting arena, Nadal was back on court for the first time since his U.S. Open semifinal defeat to Murray and the French Open champion beat Querrey 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 in the opening singles on his favorite clay surface.
The fifth-ranked Ferrer then defeated No. 8 Roddick 7-6 (5), 2-6, 1-6, 6-4, 8-6 to put Spain's sixth final within reach.
The 20-year-old Querrey - a late substitute for James Blake - showed early promise on his Davis Cup debut, but Nadal recovered after the first-set tiebreaker defeat to take control.
"It was very difficult," Nadal said. "Never in my life have I had so many service points scored against me on a clay court. It's very important for us to start with a victory."
Querrey broke Nadal for the first, and only, time to open the second set. The Spaniard, who has lost only twice in his last 116 clay matches, broke back for 2-2.
Unforced errors then cost Querrey as Nadal took the second set on his second break point to even the match. The Spaniard never looked back, hitting winner after winner and breaking Querrey two more times to close out the match.
"With a 2-0 lead, if maybe I had made another shot here or there or if he missed a shot ... I could have gone up 3-0 and made it tougher for him to come back," Querrey said. "But he doesn't go away."
Roddick looked on course for a victory after dominating the second and third sets, but Ferrer took the fourth thanks to an early break. Roddick then volleyed a backhand into the net to lose his serve in the 13th game of the fifth, letting Ferrer serve out for the win.
"The key is that I have two excellent players," Spain captain Emilio Sanchez Vicario said.
The U.S., meanwhile, is struggling with injuries and Bob Bryan's shoulder problem has forced him out of the crucial doubles match, leaving his twin brother Mike to partner with Mardy Fish against Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez.
In Buenos Aires, the sellout crowd of 14,000 was in jubilant mood after Nalbandian won 7-6 (5), 6-2, 6-4 at Parque Roca Stadium.
In a tight first set, Nalbandian fell behind 4-1 in the tiebreaker before winning six of the next seven points. He then broke the 25-year old Russian in the fourth game of the second set, and then again in the eighth.
The third set went with service up to 5-4, with the umpire repeatedly having to ask the raucous crowd to be silent, before Nalbandian broke to clinch the match.
The 19-year old Del Potro - whose ranking soared from 81st in April to 13th - dismantled Davydenko 6-1, 6-4, 6-2.
"I had a great debut and I hope we win one more point and get to the finals," del Potro said. "The support of the crowd made some really nerve-racking moments easier."
U.S. Open champion Federer, making his first appearance of the year before his native crowd, beat Kristof Vliegen 7-6 (1), 6-4, 6-2 to give Switzerland a 2-0 lead over Belgium with a spot in next year's World Group on the line.
At Wimbledon, Murray, who lost to Federer in the Flushing Meadows final, swept Alexander Peya 6-4, 6-1, 6-3 to pull Britain even with Austria at 1-1 after the first day of their World Group playoff.
Third-ranked Novak Djokovic brushed aside Dominik Hrbaty 6-2, 6-4, 6-3 to give Serbia a 1-0 lead over Slovakia.
