Spain clean sweeps Kazakhstan in the first round – Davis Cup World Group 2012
Defending champion, Spain, crushed Kazakhstan 5-0 in the opening round tie of the World Group, Davis Cup in Oviedo, Spain on Sunday. The Spaniards, Nicolas Almagro and Marcel Granollers, won their dead reverse single rubbers
to complete the white wash.
Nicolas Almagro breezed past Evgeny Korolev of Kazakhstan in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, in the fourth match to give a 4-0 lead to Spain.
Almagro dominated the match right from the start, breaking Korolev in the second game and then held his serve in the third to take a 3-0 lead. The Spaniard didn’t allow his opponent to break back throughout the set, serving
it out at 5-3.
World number 11, Almagro, was the highest ranked player in the tie. The Spaniard and Korolev won their serves in the first eight games of the next set. Almagro broke Korolev in the ninth game and capitalised on the single
break of serve to win the set 6-4.
In the last rubber of the tie, Marcel Granollers of Spain prevailed over Andrey Golubev of Kazakhstan in three sets 6-3 6-7(2) 6-3 to complete the clean sweep.
Granollers took an early lead, breaking Golubev in the fourth game and winning his next serve to go ahead 4-1. Consolidating on the only break of serve, the Spaniard grabbed the set 6-3.
Golubev and Granollers held their serve in the first 12 games of the second set, levelling the score at 6-6 and taking the set to a tie-break. The Russian lost just two points in the tie-break, sealing it 7-2.
Granollers started to play aggressively in the final set. He broke Golubev in the eighth game and served out the set at 5-3.
Earlier, the Spanish team of Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez sealed the tie for Spain; they defeated the Kazakh duo of Evgeny Korolev and Yuriy Schukin in straight sets 6-2, 6-3, 6-1 in the doubles match on Saturday.
Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain battled past the Kazakh, Mikhail Kukushkin, in five sets 6-1, 4-6, 7-6(2), 4-6, 6-4, in the first match on the opening day of the tie. Nicolas Almagro further strengthened Spain’s position, beating
Andrey Golubev of Kazakhstan in four sets 6-3, 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 in the second match.
The Spaniards were without their top two players, Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer. Ranked 2nd in the world, Nadal and the world number five, Ferrer, have decided not to play Davis Cup this year due to
tough ATP World Tour schedule.
Spain will face Austria in the second round. Austria upset Russia 3-2 in their first round tie, held at the Arena Nova, Wiener Neustadt in Austria. Austria leads Spain 3-1 in the head-to-head record.
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