Berdych and Stepanek 負かす／撃墜する Spanish pair to の近くに in on Davis Cup glory

By マイク Dickson for the Daily Mail

Published: 18:07 BST, 17 November 2012 | Updated: 18:08 BST, 17 November 2012

London's O2 円形競技場 will have seemed a long way off from its Czech 相当するもの for Spanish 二人組 Marc Granollers and Marc Lopez as they slid to a Davis Cup final 敗北・負かす, just six days after the high of winning under the Millenium ドーム.

The 支持する／優勝者s of the Barclays ATP World 小旅行する 決勝戦 were 負かす／撃墜するd by host nation’s Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek in a feverish atmosphere to put the Czech 共和国 within one victory of winning the 100th 版 of the sport’s 首相 team 競争.

In the pivotal （テニスなどの）ダブルス rubber it was again shown that there is no 代用品，人 for sheer ability and big match experience, whatever the 判型, as the two better known players 勝つ／広く一帯に広がるd 3-6, 7-5, 7-5, 6-3, in three hours and 19 minutes.

Czech mates: Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek （警官の）巡回区域，受持ち区域 Spain in the （テニスなどの）ダブルス

It was an impressive 成果／努力 from Berdych, who finished his （テニスなどの）シングルス match not long before midnight on Friday, barely fourteen hours before 再開するing with the partner と一緒に whom he now has a 12-1 記録，記録的な／記録する in （テニスなどの）ダブルス in the team event.

Sunday will 要求する one last slog from the Czech No 1 as he takes on his opposite number David Ferrer, who never gives an インチ.

Assuming he still has enough puff left, 34 year-old Stepanek is 予定するd to play the 決定的な （テニスなどの）シングルス against Nicolas Almagro if Berdych cannot finish off the 職業.

On the basis of what we saw on Friday, when the Spaniards played above themselves and looked comfortable with the pace of the 法廷，裁判所, the home 味方する are still a long way off from emulating the old Czechoslovakia team of 1980 that won this 肩書を与える.

If they did manage to cross the finishing line then what is beyond 疑問 is that it would 誘発する off delirious 祝賀s as the last two days have 供給するd more proof that team 競争 動かすs emotions in a way that the individual 判型 struggles to match.

No answer: Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez were bought 支援する 負かす／撃墜する to Earth

Without the 高級な of a specialist （テニスなどの）ダブルス team to give them a day's 残り／休憩（する）, Berdych and Stepanek were slow off the 示す against the Spanish pair, whose 信用／信任 gleaned from London appeared to have carried over.

It did not help that Stepanek, whose serve was 攻撃を受けやすい on Friday, dropped his in the second game to give the 訪問者s the perfect start.

Only in the second 始める，決める 始める，決める did the Czechs begin to look more co-ordinated, and they were 結局 able to prey upon what 現れるd as two 重要な 証拠不十分s in the 対立 - the reflex ボレーing of Granollers at the 逮捕する and the serving of Lopez, whose profile before this year has been connected to his friendship and いつか 共同 with Rafael Nadal.

By modern 基準s Lopez can only roll in his serve and he was broken at 5-6 to level things up with Granollers 繰り返して poking the ball into the 逮捕する on the 十分な.

The third 始める，決める was a very 類似の story, with the Spaniards 割れ目ing again in the twelfth game on Lopez’s serve.

Pure delight: The 勝利，勝つ sent the 愛国的な （人が）群がる into rapture

In the fourth the 決定的な break （機の）カム for 4-2, and although Berdych looked edgy as he tried to serve the match out at 5-3 they 召喚するd up enough composure to 調印（する） the 勝利，勝つ without ever looking 完全に 納得させるing.

After a mediocre 陳列する，発揮する on Friday St epanek grew into the match, and will feel better about himself if he has to come out to play what would be a 神経-shredding deciding rubber against Alamgro, the talented baseliner who is nonetheless at his least comfortable when playing indoors.

Ferrer looked 極端に 遂行するd in his 開始 match, and Berdych will need to be at his best to try and 攻撃する，衝突する through him on a 法廷，裁判所 designed to enable him to do just that.

So the Spanish may have more energy for the 仕事, but as their Captain Alex Corretja succinctly put it: 'We would still rather be tired and 2-1 up.'