SANTIAGO, Chile (AP)—Andy Roddick defeated Paul Capdeville 3-6, 7-6 (2), 6-3, 6-3 Sunday, giving the United States an insurmountable lead in a 4-1 win in the Davis Cup first-round series against Chile.
Roddick is 12-0 in matches that can clinch a Davis Cup series for the United States. He has played in 24 career ties since 2001 and has a 33-11 record.
“It’s always sweet, and every time you clinch one you think it’s the sweetest,” Roddick said. “I think it’s also pretty satisfactory when everything is stacked against you—you got the (clay) court, the crowd. It’s a mental grind and you have to try and ignore everything.”
Chile's Paul Capdeville re…
AP - Mar 6, 11:58 am ESTThe Americans will play Spain in the quarterfinal round in July in the U.S. The Spanish team led by Rafael Nadal beat Belgium 4-1 this weekend. Roddick’s hometown of Austin, Texas, is being considered as the host, along with San Antonio and Albany, New York.
The U.S. team last played a home series in March 2009, beating Switzerland 4-1 at Birmingham, Alabama.
“I think it’s been no secret that I’ve wanted that (to play in Austin), so I certainly appreciate the effort put forward and hopefully we can get it,” Roddick said. “It would be a dream come true to play at home a really cool experience.
“A guy named Rafa coming to town will provide a little bit of energy. It’s as good a second round as I’ve ever seen. Any place will be good as I’m just happy it will be on U.S. soil.”
In completed first-round World Group series, Argentina closed out a 4-1 victory over Romania, Russia salvaged two matches in a 3-2 defeat to Sweden, and Germany defeated Croatia 3-2 when Philipp Petzschner beatIvo Karlovic 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5).
Chile and the U.S. could have abandoned the dead-rubber fifth match under a new Davis Cup rule because Sunday’s first reverse singles match went four sets, but John Isner and Guillermo Rivera-Aranguiz elected to play with the American winning 6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-5.
The No. 165th-ranked Capdeville was behind a break in the first set when he broke serve in the sixth and eighth games to go ahead 5-3 and serve out the set in the ninth game.
The No. 8-ranked Roddick patiently waited for his opportunity to pull away from Capdeville in the second set tiebreaker, taking a 5-0 lead.
Capdeville had little to give in the third set, but put up a fight in the fourth.
“I thought the Chilean team showed a lot of character this weekend,” Roddick said. “They competed very hard. They never gave an inch and made us earn our victory.”
The victory was the first for captain Jim Courier, who played in the 1992 and 1995 winning teams, and he paid tribute to Isner for winning his first singles match at his fourth attempt.
“I like the way all of our guys responded to adversity out there,” Courier said. “John’s match was a very important match for us as a team to have him go out there and battle through and have him win in singles.
“It was important for him to come out of this not just feeling he had a win, but that he played his tennis in that last match. And the same thing for Andy. In that match today, he played a better brand of his tennis against a guy who probably had the best weekend of his career.”
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