The Spanish team are well on course for a fifth straight Davis Cup victory, having taken a strong 2-0 lead in the tournament’s finals against Argentina.
First, Rafael Nadal claimed a straight-sets victory over Juan Monaco in the first rubber. The World number two dropped only four games throughout the entire match, claiming a confident 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 win.
It was a different matter in the second encounter, where David Ferrer and Juan Martin Del Potro spent almost five hours on court, as they had to play all five sets to determine the winner.
Ferrer took the opener rather easily, but he then dropped the next two sets, jeopardizing the outcome of the clash.
But the World No.5 then claimed the fourth and fifth to put Spain in control of the tie, 6-2, 6-7, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Spanish captain Albert Costa revealed the words which helped him to cheer his man up in such a tough encounter to the official Davis Cup website.
“I just said to him that he needs to hold on,” he explained. “Del Potro is going to get tired and tired and he needs to be more aggressive and play every point. And believe in himself because he’s very good physically and I knew if he keeps playing Del Potro will get tired.”
The Spaniards now have great chance to close out the finals in doubles match on Saturday.