Associated Press
MADRID, Spain ó The U.S. reign as Davis Cup champion ended Sunday, with a commanding performance by a player having a commanding year.
Buoyed by the cheers of a home crowd in a bullring, Rafael Nadal played the role of accomplished matador to the fullest, defeating Andy Roddick 6-4, 6-0, 6-4 Sunday to send Spain to the final for the sixth time.
Nadal, a master on clay, dropped to his knees and pumped his fists after giving his country an insurmountable lead in the best-of-five format.
“It’s one of the nicest sensations you can experience in your career,” he said.
Spain will play for the title in November against Argentina, which defeated Russia 3-2 in a semifinal in Buenos Aires. Juan Martin Del Potro beat Igor Andreev in the deciding match.
Nadal said he nearly didn’t play Sunday because an MRI scan a day earlier showed a strained buttock muscle.
In the finale before 20,000 fans at Las Ventas arena, Feliciano Lopez defeated Sam Querrey 7-6 (3), 7-6 (4) in a match that had no bearing to complete a 4-1 victory.
Nadal was playing in Spain for the first time since capturing the top ranking.
“It was one of my most emotional matches of the past few months,” Nadal said. “This was a weekend I will always remember in my career.”