Bryans set up thrilling last-day Davis Cup clash in Spain

PARIS (AFP) –

US brothers Mike (R) and Bob Bryan return the ball to Spain’s Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez during their Davis Cup semi-final doubles match at the Hermanos Castro park court in Gijon, northern Spain. The Bryan’s won 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, 7-5.

Bob and Mike Bryan beat Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, 7-5 on Saturday as the United States stayed alive in their Davis Cup semi-final against defending champions Spain.

Trailing 2-0 overnight on the clay courts of Gijon, the Olympic and US Open champions secured a crucial point which will mean the tie will be decided on Sunday with a place in November’s final at stake.

Saturday’s rubber lasted three hours 38 minutes as the Bryans took their Davis Cup record to 20-2.

“They’re pretty good in the clutch and they get us to Sunday when we’re in this position all the time. We’ve got a chance,” said US captain Jim Courier.

Five-time champions Spain are defending a run of 23 consecutive home victories in the tournament, a streak stretching back to 1999.

They had edged closer to a sixth final in 10 years on Friday when they shrugged off the absence of Rafael Nadal to open a 2-0 lead.

World number five David Ferrer beat Sam Querrey 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 before Nicolas Almagro won a four-hour slog against John Isner, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5.

Czech Republic’s Tomas Berdych (L) talks with teammate Radek Stepanek during their 2012 Davis Cup semifinal doubles tennis match against Argentina’s tennis players Eduardo Schwank and Carlos Berlocq, at Parque Roca stadium in Buenos Aires.

On Sunday, Ferrer will face Isner in the first reverse singles with Almagro scheduled to meet Querrey.

“Ferrer is such a warrior and a great competitor and John’s going to have to play better than he did yesterday to stand a chance. He’s a little bit more physically taxed than David is for sure,” added Courier.

In Buenos Aires, Argentina, who have yet to win the tournament, and were defeated by Spain in the 2008 and 2011 finals, were 1-1 overnight against the Czech Republic in the other semi-final.

Tomas Berdych recovered from two sets to one down, and 1-4 behind in the fourth set, to stun Juan Monaco 6-1, 4-6, 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 after world number eight Juan Martin del Potro beat Radek Stepanek 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.

In the play-offs, where victory assures a place in the elite World Group for 2013, the Netherlands stayed in contention against Switzerland in Amsterdam when Robin Haase and Jean-Julien Rojer stunned Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka 6-4, 6-2, 5-7, 6-3.

Chris Guccione (R) and Lleyton Hewitt of Australia celebrate after winning their Davis Cup World Group play-off doubles tennis match against the German team in Hamburg, northern Germany. They won 6-3, 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (7/4 over German pair Benjamin Becker and Philipp Petzschner to give Australia a 2-1 lead over Germany.

Federer and Wawrinka, who were doubles gold medallists at the 2008 Olympic Games, had both won their singles on Friday to give the Swiss a 2-0 lead.

The tie will be decided on Sunday when world number one Federer tackles Haase, the world 41, in the opening reverse singles, before Wawrinka takes on Thiemo de Bakker.

“It won’t be an easy job but I will give it everything against Roger,” said Haase.

“It’s cold, the clay is heavy. I know he won’t like that.”

Belgium were promoted to the World Group after Olivier Rochus and Ruben Bemelmans beat Sweden’s Michael Ryderstedt and Johan Brunstrom 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 for an unassailable 3-0 lead in Brussels.

The result means Sweden will not feature in the World Group for the first time since 2000.

In Hamburg, Lleyton Hewitt and Chris Guccione’s doubles victory gave Australia a 2-1 lead over Germany.

Australia are bidding to return to the World Group for the first time since 2007.

Israel’s Jonathan Erlich (R) and his partner Andy Ram (L) try to return a shot during their doubles match against Japan’s Tatsuma Ito and Yuichi Sugita in the Davis Cup World Group tennis play-off tie in Tokyo. The Israeli pair won the match 6-7, 6-3, 6-3, 6-1.

After Bernard Tomic and Florian Mayer won Friday’s singles to make it 1-1 overnight, Hewitt and Guccione enjoyed a 6-3, 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (7/4) victory over Benjamin Becker and Philipp Petzschner.

In Sunday’s final two rubbers, Mayer, ranked 25th in the world, plays teenager Tomic, while Hewitt is due to face 21-year-old Cedrik-Marcel Stebe.

Jonathan Erlich teamed up with Andy Ram to give Israel a 2-1 lead over Japan in Tokyo.

Erlich and Ram stormed back from a set down to emerge 5-7, 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 winners over Tatsuma Ito and Yuichi Sugita.

Elsewhere, Italy lead Chile 2-1 in Naples, Canada led South Africa 2-0 overnight in Montreal while Brazil opened a 2-0 advantage over two-time champions Russia in Sao Jose do Rio Preto.