SEVILLE, Spain—Juan Martin del Potro and David Ferrer are opposites in every way: Tall/short, youngster/veteran, long backswing/short backswing, aggressive/defensive, hasn't played much in the last two years/when hasn't he played in the last two years. Speaking to the diversity of tennis, both men have shown that their approach works at the highest level.
That was proven again today in the second rubber of the Davis Cup final, where after four hours, del Potro and Ferrer had split the first four sets. Unsurprisingly, they made inroads with the styles of play that define them: Del Potro took sets two and three with forehands that will always make him lethal; Ferrer took the first and fourth sets by applying constant pressure, making his opponent hit one more shot. (In the fourth set, the pressure really got to del Potro, who double-faulted the set away.)
But in the end, it was actually the assertive play of Ferrer that decided this match, a 6-2, 6-7 (2), 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 battle that gives Spain a towering 2-0 lead over Argentina. By the fifth set, del Potro's momentum had subsided, and he was engaged in a tough service game, making two sloppy errors to trail 15-30. He fought back to 40-30, when another long rally ensued. Eventually, a Ferrer shot appeared to land long, and almost the entire stadium decided the point was over. That included del Potro, who tamely hit the ball back, as if he couldn't believe the call didn't come. But he wasn't assured enough to completely stop play, and meanwhile, Ferrer hadn't given up playing the point—of course he didn't. Ferrer would win it with a winner, and then he channeled his inner del Potro, striking a clean return up the line to earn break point, and securing the break with a lovely, cross-court, forehand winner. Del Potro's fade accelerated after that, and despite breaking Ferrer once with the Spaniard serving for the match, the Argentine ultimately succumbed. Most likely, so has his country's chance at an upset.
There were instances throughout the match when I was fairly certain Player X would go on to victory, but none more so than in the third set, after del Potro had recovered from a break of serve down to lead 5-3. We saw a vintage Rafael Nadal performance earlier today, and del Potro turned back the clock at times afterward, hitting blazing forehands and heavy backhands, both stationary and while running. When del Potro is striking the ball as good as he can on the move, we're talking about a Grand Slam champion, and I was reminded of what he did to Roger Federer in the 2009 U.S. Open at times.
But ultimately, del Potro could not sustain this level of play, and in fitting fashion, Ferrer prevailed after a long, arduous contest. It took some serious mental and physical strength to do it, but it didn't hurt to have a massive crowd behind him when things got tough. You could see Nadal in Spain's player box, pumping himself and Ferrer up with some "Vamos!"es. You saw Marcel Granollers implore the local fans to keep loud. And though I didn't witness it today, of course, I can see Spain claiming yet another Davis Cup title, what with a solid doubles team (of Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez) playing tomorrow, and if necessary, a confident Nadal facing a surely winded del Potro.
And if all that fails, there's always Ferrer, who you know will be ready for five sets if necessary.
—Ed McGrogan