Fri Sep 19 10:08:01 2008

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Nadal tops Querrey; Spain leads U.S. 1-0 in Davis Cup semi

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Madrid, Spain (Sports Network) - The best-of-five Davis Cup semifinal between host Spain and the defending champion United States commenced Friday, as Rafael Nadal got the Spaniards out to a 1-0 lead with a victory over Sam Querrey.

The Wimbledon, reigning four-time French Open and Olympic champion Nadal dropped the first set against Querrey before rebounding for a 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 decision in the first of Day 1's opening singles rubbers.

Nadal prevailed in 3 hours, 17 minutes on a temporary clay court at Madrid's Plaza de Toros Las Ventas. The five-time major champion broke Querrey's big serve on four occasions, while the American could manage only one break throughout the match.

The 39th-ranked Querrey tallied 17 more winners (76-59), including 17 aces, against Nadal, but also piled up 74 unforced errors to help the world No. 1 Spaniard along.

Querrey, making his Davis Cup debut on Friday, is filling in this week for James Blake, who helped the U.S. win its first Davis Cup title in 12 years last year, but pulled out of this semifinal last week, citing exhaustion.

Friday's other singles bout pits Spain's David Ferrer against America's best, former No. 1 Andy Roddick.

On Saturday, the doubles rubber here will pit a Spanish team of lefthanders Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco against an American duo of Mike Bryan and Mardy Fish, who joined the draw this week when it was announced that Bob Bryan would be unable to play for the U.S. due to a shoulder injury.

Sunday's reverse singles currently call for Nadal to meet Roddick and Ferrer to take on Querrey.

The Spaniards are captained by Emilio Sanchez, while Patrick McEnroe is guiding the underdog U.S.

The United States and Spain are meeting for the ninth time in their history and for the fifth time this decade. The Americans are 5-3 against the Spaniards, winning the last meeting in a World Group quarterfinal last year in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

The Spain-USA winner will visit the Argentina-Russia victor in the final in November. The Argentines are playing host to the Russians in Buenos Aires.

The U.S. leads all nations with 32 Davis Cup titles and beat a visiting Russian squad in last year's finale in Portland. Spain owns two championships, including a 3-2 victory over the Americans in the 2004 final in Seville.