Davis Cup Finals: Spain out after losing to Russians in Madrid
Reigning champs Spain were taken out of the Davis Cup Finals after the Russian Tennis Federation secured an emotional late-night win in Madrid.
Requiring triumph to arrive at the quarter-finals, Spanish pair Feliciano Lopez and Marcel Granollers lost 4 6-2 6-4 to Andrey Rublev and Aslan Karatsev.
Accomplishment in the concluding duplicates implied the Russians - top choices to win the 18-group occasion - beat Group A.
Their success additionally guaranteed Serbia qualified as one of two best-put other participants.
There was a dismal state of mind inside the Caja Magica in the Spanish capital as the host group, without the harmed Rafael Nadal, were beaten at around 00:45 neighborhood time on Monday.
The Russians, contending under the name of their league after the country was restricted from global rivalry for doping infringement, are driven by top-five positioned players Daniil Medvedev and Rublev.
World number five Rublev lost 2 6-3 6-4 to the 40-year-old Lopez in the singles before Medvedev, the world number two and US Open hero, evened out with a 6-2 7-6 (7-3) prevail upon Pablo Carreno Busta.
Prior on Sunday, Kazakhstan arrived at the last eight with an agreeable 3-0 triumph north of 2019 finalists Canada, while Croatia likewise went through to the detriment of 28-time champions Australia.
Incredible Britain secured their spot by retaliating to beat the Czech Republic to complete top of Group C.
Leon Smith's group will confront Group F champs Germany on Tuesday after they beat Austria later on Sunday.
Kazakhstan bested Group B after successes for Mikhail Kukushkin and Alexander Bublik in the singles, in addition to Andrey Golubev and Aleksandr Nedovyesov in the duplicates.
They will currently confront Serbia, who are driven by world number one Novak Djokovic and were given some assistance by the Russians.
Croatia crushed Hungary 2-1, which means Australia completed second in Group D and were wiped out.
Croatia, who won the title in 2018, will confront Italy in the principal quarter-last on Monday.
The United States were disposed of in the wake of losing to Colombia, who completed second in Group E behind Italy.
That was sufficiently not to wrap as perhaps the best second place, with Sweden previously affirmed and Serbia soon to follow.
After last year's occasion was dropped as a result of the Covid pandemic, the Davis Cup Finals returns for its second version with a somewhat unique feel.
The 18-country finals, so called as the 'World Cup of Tennis', was held completely in Madrid when it dispatched in 2019, yet this year extends across three urban communities - Innsbruck and Turin joining the Spanish capital as a host.
The semi-finals and last will be held in Madrid from 3 to 5 December.
