Teenage rookie Rafael Nadal blunted the world's fastest serve on Friday to stun Andy Roddick and give Spain a 2-0 lead over the United States in the Davis Cup final at Seville.
The 18-year-old, playing his first year of Davis Cup, whipped a record tennis crowd of 27,200 to a frenzy as he rocked the world number two 6-7, 6-2, 7-6, 6-2.
"It has been a long time since I played at this level," he said, his voice breaking with emotion.
"The fans... they were 50 percent of this victory. Davis Cup is everything -- this win shows me again that I am a good player."
Ranked 51st in the world, Nadal had been preferred to former world number one Juan Carlos Ferrero for this match in a controversial move by coach Jordi Arrese on Thursday.
His whole-hearted performance vindicated Arrese's decision. "Everything went so well, just great," the player smiled as he left the clay court.
Nadal absorbed everything a serve-volleying Roddick threw at him, pummelling returns and blasting groundstrokes all round Seville's Olympic Stadium court to clinch a fantastic victory in three hours 38 minutes.
The burly left-hander fell to the ground in relief after forcing Roddick into an error on his second match point.
"Obviously, emotionally I'm pretty down -- I wanted to get one for the team," Roddick said.
"I just ran into a guy today that was too good. I couldn't have tried any harder. You know, I couldn't have... I gave it everything I had. It just wasn't enough on the day."
FRENZIED CROWD
Roddick said the frenzied crowd had played its part in his downfall.
"It was crazy. You know, it was unlike anything I've experienced before," the American said. "They did everything in their power to support their player."
Nadal's fellow Mallorcan and practice partner Carlos Moya had earlier fired Spain into a 1-0 lead which means the Bryan twins Mike and Bob must now beat Nadal and Tommy Robredo on Saturday to prevent Spain winning their second Davis Cup.
Former world number one Moya bamboozled Mardy Fish 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 for the first point.
"I turned up for the most important date of my life in front of so many people so at the start I was a little nervous," Moya smiled.
"But I played safely, within myself, not taking too many risks. I knew he is a player who, if things are going well for him, can be very strong."
Olympic silver medallist Fish had won two of his three previous matches against Moya but those victories came on hard courts.
On Seville's slow, red, power-blunting clay and against a backdrop of red and yellow flags and banners, Moya tied his opponent up in knots.
Running him from side to side, the Spaniard put on a claycourt masterclass.
Punching winners into the corners off both sides, Moya clinched the opening set on his first set point after 40 minutes play.
The 1998 French Open champion blasted through Fish's defences in the second set and the third proved little more than a formality.
"I tried everything," Fish said. "I tried serving and volleying. You know, I tried coming in on a lot of balls. I tried to stay back a lot... but he had the answers."
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