Romania’s tennis team has failed to qualify for the Davis Cup quarterfinals after Ignacio Chela and Eduardo Schwank won their doubles game against Victor Hanescu and Horia Tecau on Saturday in Buenos Aires, score 6-2, 7(8)-6, 6-1. On Friday, David Nalbandian defeated Adrian Ungur, score 6-3, 6-2, 5-7, 6-4, and Juan Monaco defeated Victor Hanescu, score 7-6 (7/5), 1-6, 6-1, 6-1. Thus, ahead of the last two singles games that took place on Sunday after the closing of this edition, Argentina was in the lead, score 3-0.
On September 16-18 Romania will play a game counting for a continued presence in the World Group.
Romanian skipper Andrei Pavel tried to explain what had happened in the lost doubles game: “It was a bleak day for us. We had the chance to come back in the game in the second set. But we squandered that chance. Then the Argentinean pair was like a steamroller. It wasn’t a good day for Victor Hanescu and for Horia Tecau. We shouldn’t be ashamed. We have to keep our heads up,” Andrei Pavel stated for Radio Romania News. Pavel complained of the fans’ lack of fair-play: “It’s not easy to focus for a long time, especially in front of fans that keep booing.”
Spain advanced to the Davis Cup World Group quarter-finals for the fifth year in a row on Saturday in Charleroi as Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco defeated Belgium’s Steve Darcis and Olivier Rochus 7-6(0), 6-4, 6-3 to give the visiting nation an unassailable 3-0 lead, according to atpworldtour.com. “In sport, everything can change on a few points. What is now 3-0 could easily have been 2-1, so we are happy,” said Spain captain Albert Costa. “We have done a good job all week, and my players adapted to the court really well. It’s now time to enjoy this victory.” On Friday Verdasco had opened the tie by beating Xavier Malisse in straight sets, before World No. 1 Rafael Nadal returned after a five-week lay-off to dismiss Ruben Bemelmans also without the loss of a set. After losing in the quarter-finals to France last year, Spain is bidding to regain the Davis Cup trophy it previously won in 2000, 2004, and 2008-2009.
Sweden wrapped up victory over Russia with a day to spare in Boras as Simon Aspelin and Robert Lindstedt defeated Igor Kunitsyn and Dmitry Tursunov 6-4, 6-7(6), 7-6(6), 6-2 in three hours and 25 minutes. On Friday Robin Soderling and Joachim Johansson had given the host nation a commanding lead with victory in the singles rubbers.
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