Rafael Nadal got Spain off to a winning start in its Davis Cup semifinal against defending champions the United States in Madrid on Friday.
Fighting back from a set and service break down, Nadal went on to beat Davis Cup debutant Sam Querrey 6-7, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 in three hours and 17 minutes. Nadal last lost a Davis Cup singles rubber to Jiri Novak in February 2004 on his debut for Spain against the Czech Republic but is now unbeaten in nine singles rubbers.
The tie was played at the Plaza de Toros Las Ventas, in front of a sellout crowd of 22,000.
David Ferrer then gave Spain a 2-0 advantage as he rallied to defeat Andy Roddick 6-7, 6-1, 6-2, 4-6, 8-6 in three hours and 17 minutes. The encounter ended a nine match winning streak for Roddick in Davis Cup who now has an overall 29-10 record. Ferrer’s Davis Cup record is now 5-2.