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Marin Cilic completed a dream week by steering Croatia into the Davis Cup World Group on Sunday but Spain found themselves out in the wilderness after crashing to defeat in Brazil. |
Less than a week after winning the US Open, Cilic snatched the crucial fifth rubber of Croatia’s World Group playoff tie against the Netherlands in Amsterdam, beating Thiemo de Bakker 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-2, 7-5 to complete a 3-2 victory.
Cilic, rested for the first singles, had won Saturday’s doubles with Marin Draganja. “It was extremely good tennis and I’m extremely happy to be back in the World Group with my team,” Cilic said on court. “We have a young team and we’re only going to be able to improve.”
Almost unthinkably for a nation blessed with so many top 100 players, Spain will not be in next year’s World Group after they were relegated following defeat against Brazil on an indoor clay court in Sao Paulo.
Roberto Bautista Agut’s 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 defeat by Thomaz Bellucci in the first reverse singles after the visitors trailed 2-1 overnight means Spain will be missing from the elite for the first time since 1996. It was also Spain’s first defeat on clay since Brazil beat them 15 years ago, when Gustavo Kuerten got the win that secured victory over Spain’s current captain Carlos Moya.
They have won the title five times since 2000 but this year they have been weakened by the absence of a host of big names including Rafa Nadal and David Ferrer. Moya lamented Sunday’s defeat and vowed they would not spend long in the second tier. “I think it is not a place where Spain belongs,” Moya said of the five-times champions’ relegation from the top tier.
“There have been some circumstances this year that made the Spanish team be in the second division. I am sure that in two years Spain is going to be back in the World Group.”
Bellucci, ranked 83 in the world, was Brazil’s top-performer, winning both his matches, which included a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory over 15th-ranked Agut in three hours in Sao Paulo on Sunday.
Cheered on by a passionate Brazilian crowd, Bellucci hit 61 winners against a shell-shocked Agut and said he had never played better. “I think it is my greatest win,” he said. “For me it was a big challenge to play at home against Spain. I played my best tennis today to get this point which was very important for the team.”
Croatia, the 2005 champions, and Brazil will be joined in the World Group by Belgium, Australia, Serbia and the US who all triumphed at the weekend in their playoff ties against Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Slovakia respectively.
Argentina, finalists three times since 2006, came from 2-1 down on Sunday to beat Israel 3-2 and maintain their World Group status in a tie moved to Miami from Tel Aviv some weeks ago due to the fighting in the Middle East. Canada also progressed to the World Group as Milos Raonic beat Santiago Giraldo in straight sets to give his side an unassailable lead against Colombia in Halifax.
This year’s final will be between France and Roger Federer’s Switzerland. France saw off defending champions Czech Republic while Federer gave the Swiss victory against Italy.
