Argentine hero David Nalbandian fired his nation into the Davis Cup semi-finals Sunday to complete a 3-2 defeat of Russia in a World Group quarter-final struggle, DPA reported.
The 28-year-old hip surgery victim from 2009, his ranking down past 150, iced the tie with a defeat of Mikhail Youzhny, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, 6-3 in the deciding rubber. It was the first time Argentina had defeated Russia in Moscow after two losses in the capital.
The match was a must-win after Russia’s Nikolay Davydenko finally came alive in the first of the reverse singles, keeping the hosts in the chase as he beat Eduardo Schwank 4-6, 6-3, 6-1, 6-4 to square the weekend at 2-2.
Nalbandian, playing for the first time in three months after post-operative injuries, won his opening rubber Friday and sealed the victory to send the three-time finalist to France in September for the semi-final showdown.
Youzhny produced a double-fault to hand over two match points, saving one before crashing a forehand into the net to spell the end.
“I won playing great tennis and that makes me happy,” said Nalbandian. “The matches were all tough and I had my doubts about my fitness. Luckily it turned out fine. I got really lucky today.”
