Lopez rallies back for Spain at Davis Cup

Nov 21, 2008 - 10:55 PM MAR DEL PLANTA, Argentina (Ticker) -- Spain's Feliciano Lopez came from a set down to stun Argentina's Juan Martin Del Potro and level the Davis Cup final at 1-1 in Mar Del Plata on Friday.

Lopez struggled at first to deal with Del Potro's big serve, but held his nerve in successive tie-breaks as injury and exhaustion took their toll on the home favorite to record a 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 win in three hours and 19 minutes.

David Nalbandian had earlier put hosts Argentina ahead with a far more more routine win over David Ferrer, brushing his opponent aside 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 in the opening rubber.

"I played very solid from the first point," Nalbandian said. "That made me confident point by point. I think I played a great match, high level."

Del Potro, the highest-ranked player in the final following the withdrawal of world number one Rafael Nadal, boomed 24 aces and did not drop his serve in the first three sets.

Lopez, though, never looked like he was going to succumb as easily as his teammate and, after losing the first set by a single break, he began to show more aggression and forced his opponent into mistakes.

The Spaniard fired a strong second serve to take the first point in the second-set tiebreak and moved 4-0 ahead, a deficit the Argentinian was unable to claw back.

Del Potro had been plagued by a toe injury going into the final and also came into this match on the back of an exhausting breakthrough season.

And those factors looked like they might be taking their toll as Lopez again proved stronger in the tiebreak to take the lead for the first time in the match.

The Spaniard broke for the first time after correctly challenging a baseline call to go 3-1 up in the fourth, but Del Potro broke right back when Lopez put a volley into the net.

The Argentinian then appeared to hurt his right leg when he slipped as he looked to change direction after stretching for a shot and needed an injury timeout before continuing.

That injury proved telling as he double-faulted to give Lopez the break straight back as Spain leveled the tie.

Earlier Nalbandian had always looked in control as he strolled to a comfortable win in the opening rubber.

Ferrer had no answer to his opponent's explosive forehand as Nalbandian broke the Spaniard's serve seven times to clinch victory in just under two hours.

Ferrer was under pressure from the outset and had to save two break points before taking the opening game of the final.

Nalbandian, though, did break in Ferrer's next service game and again to go 5-2 up thanks to two consecutive cross-court forehands which were too hot for the Spaniard to handle.

Ferrer broke straight back, but it was a short-lived reprieve as a third consecutive game went against serve when he went long with a routine forehand to gift Nalbandian the set.

The former Wimbledon finalist produced another monster forehand which clipped the line to break for an early 3-1 lead in the second set and, even though Ferrer broke straight back, the Argentinian rattled off three games to take the set.

The home favorite then fought back from 15-40 down at 1-1 in the final set to hold serve and that proved to be the last look-in Ferrer would get as Nalbandian closed out the match.