Argentina’s Del Potro outlasts Murray in Davis Cup epic

THRILLER: Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro celebrates after winning his Davis Cup match against Great Britain's Andy Murray at the Emirates Arena, Glasgow, Scotland, on Friday. (Reuters)

GLASGOW, Scotland: Juan Martin del Potro ended Andy Murray’s 14-match winning streak in the Davis Cup, coming through a grueling five-setter to give Argentina a 1-0 lead over titleholder Britain in the semifinals on Friday.
Del Potro won 6-4, 5-7, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4 in 5 hours, 7 minutes to gain a measure of revenge after losing the Olympic final to Murray in Rio de Janeiro last month.
Being taken the distance was exactly what Murray didn’t need at the end of his long summer of tennis in which he won both the Wimbledon and Olympic titles for the second time. He looked almost out on his feet at times in an energy-sapping final set, and couldn’t handle the barrage of forehand shots by the rejuvenated Del Potro.
Del Potro gained the crucial break in the fifth set at the third opportunity, reaching Murray’s volley with a forehand winner down the line to go 4-3 ahead, and he served out for the match, clinching victory with an ace and a big growl.
Murray had never previously lost a home singles match in the Davis Cup.
Argentina is playing its 11th Davis Cup semifinal in 15 years. The south American country has never won the team event, finishing runner-up in 1981, 2006, 2008, and 2011.
Del Potro, the 2009 US Open champion, is a force in tennis once again after returning from three wrist operations that nearly ruined his career. He is Argentina’s top player but is ranked a lowly No. 64 on his comeback trail, meaning he had to play Murray in the opening match.
“I cannot imagine this moment in my career,” Del Potro said. “This was the type of match I was missing when I was at home.”

Spain took a commanding 2-0 lead over India in the Davis Cup World Group playoff despite the last-minute pullout of star player Rafael Nadal in New Delhi on Friday.
Feliciano Lopez, who took court in place of Nadal in the first match, and David Ferrer claimed contrasting victories in their respective singles matches.
The left-handed Lopez served past Ramkumar Ramanathan 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 while the 13th-ranked Ferrer outplayed Saketh Myneni 6-1, 6-2, 6-1.
Nadal’s absence proved to be an anti-climax for the packed crowd at Delhi’s RK Khanna Tennis Stadium, but Lopez and Ferrer made up for it with some quality tennis.
Although the Indian organizers reported that Nadal was down with a stomach bug, his Spanish teammates insisted that a wrist niggle made the 14-time Grand Slam winner sit out.
“Rafa is OK. Nothing with his stomach. He had some problems with the wrist and hopefully he will play in the weekend,” Lopez told reporters.
Spain will stay in the premier World Group next year if they win one further match in the best-of-five rubber at Delhi’s RK Khanna Tennis Stadium.
Japan grabbed the initiative in their Davis Cup World Group playoff against Ukraine on Friday as Taro Daniel and Yoshihito Nishioka put the home side on the brink of victory.
With world No.5 Kei Nishikori rested for the opening day’s singles following his exertions over the summer, Daniel set the tone by beating an ailing Sergiy Stakhovsky 7-6, 7-6, 6-1 in sweltering conditions in Osaka.
Nishioka then upset Illya Marchenko 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 7-5 to leave Japan needing to win Saturday’s doubles to retain their World Group status next year.
Richard Gasquet gave France a 1-0 lead over Croatia in the Davis Cup semifinals, winning the opening tie against Borna Coric in straight sets on Friday.
Gasquet, who found out he would play in singles after Gael Monfils left the injury-hit France team on Wednesday, was in complete control and prevailed 6-2, 7-6 (5), 6-1, limiting his mistakes to just 13 unforced errors.
Jan-Lennard Struff and Florian Mayer won their respective matches to give Germany a 2-0 lead over Poland in the countries’ Davis Cup World Group playoff on Friday.
Struff was made to work hard to beat the 20-year-old Kamil Majchrzak 6-7 (8), 6-3, 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 in three hours and 43 minutes, while Florian Mayer had a similarly tough time against 19-year-old Hubert Hurkacz, winning 1-6, 7-6 (6), 6-4, 7-5 in just under three hours.