Spain defeated Great Britain 2-1
Kyle Edmund bt. Feliciano Lopez 6-3 7-6(3)
Rafael Nadal bt. Daniel Evans 6-4 6-0
F. Lopez/R.Nadal bt. J.Murray/N.Skupski 7-6(3) 7-6(8)
Rafael Nadal and Feliciano Lopez carried Spain into the final of the Davis Cup by Rakuten Madrid Finals thanks to a 7-6(3), 7-6(8) triumph over Great Britain’s Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski in a deciding doubles clash on Saturday.
The Spaniards will take on Canada in Sunday’s final where they will be bidding for a sixth Davis Cup crown.
“This competition is dramatic and with this new format even more,” said Nadal. “It was very close, we were not able to have not one break throughout the whole match, I think we played a great match. Feli served amazing and I think in the important moments he did everything well. We are super, super happy, has been an amazing and unforgettable evening for all of us. Just can say thank you very much to Feli, to the rest of the team because without them it is impossible and especially to the crowd that is always amazing here.”
Lopez added: “For me, personally, this is something that I will never expect, to be honest. I'm 38 years old. I'm playing the last years of my career probably. And honestly, I never thought that I will have the opportunity to play another Davis Cup Finals, first of all, in Madrid, and playing today, the deciding point with Rafa to be in the final.
"So I'm living a dream, to be honest. And this is the truth.”
In singles, Nadal was in ruthless form against the 40th-ranked Daniel Evans, who put up an impressive fight in the opening set before succumbing 6-4, 6-0 in 85 minutes in front of a 12,500 capacity crowd at Caja Mágica’s Centre Court.
“Had been a tough first set, he played great, changing a lot the rhythm, playing very aggressive, then I played I think a great game on the return at 5-4 and after that I think I started to play with more freedom on the shots, less pressure, the ball started to go to the right spots, so I’m super happy for the victory,” said Nadal after recording his 28th consecutive Davis Cup singles victory.
The Spanish team welcomed the return of their world No.9 Roberto Bautista Agut, who was absent during their quarter-final tie due to the death of his father, but was back with his team-mates on Saturday.
Source: Davis Cup
• Rafael Nadal vs. Daniel Evans
• Highlights
• Doubles match
Photos: Davis Cup; Getty Images; AFP; EFE; ZUMA Press
• Tie Break
• Interview