The Czech Republic won the Davis Cup after Radek Stepanek stunned Spain’s Nicolas Almagro in the decisive rubber of the 100th final of the men’s teams tennis competition on Sunday.
Stepanek, the world number 37, beat 11th-ranked Almagro 6-4 7-6 (7-0) 3-6 6-3 in three hours and 52 minutes in a clash of the teams’ number-two players on the hardcourt of Prague’s O2 Arena.
The Czech Republic claimed their first Davis Cup since gaining independence following a 1993 split from Slovakia. Former Czechoslovakia won the event in 1980.
The victory has also handed the Czechs a rare team double after their women lifted the Fed Cup at the same venue two weeks ago – a feat last achieved by the United States in 1990.
In Sunday’s key rubber, a wild home crowd of more than 14,000 fans was all that Stepanek needed to shake off the fatigue from Friday’s singles and Saturday’s doubles.
His game against a rested Almagro went with serves until Stepanek capitalised on a single set point to break the Spaniard for a 6-4 win in the first set.
The crowd got even louder as Stepanek, combining patience with aggressiveness, topped up with put-away volleys, came back from 4-2 down in the second set.
He failed to convert four set points but then thrashed Almagro 7-0 in the tiebreak.
Almagro fought back and held on to his serve to take the third set.
But Stepanek, red hot and propelled by the crowd, refused to bow and took the fourth and final set after breaking Almagro’s serve once again.
In the first game on Sunday, Spain’s David Ferrer beat Tomas Berdych in straight sets.
Ferrer, the world number five, needed just two hours and 25 minutes to see off sixth-ranked Berdych 6-2 6-3 7-5.
On Friday, Ferrer beat Stepanek 6-3 6-4 6-4 and Berdych then put the Czechs level after beating Almagro 6-3 3-6 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 6-3.
In Saturday’s doubles rubber, Berdych and Stepanek beat Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez 3-6 7-5 7-5 6-3 for their 12th victory in Davis Cup doubles against a single loss.
The Spanish, who won the Davis Cup three times in the past five years, were missing world number four Rafael Nadal, who is recovering from a knee injury.
