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Nalbandian gives Argentina 1-0 lead

Fri 21st, November 2008

Mar del Plata, Argentina (Sports Network) - The 2008 Davis Cup final commenced Friday, as David Nalbandian gave host Argentina a 1-0 lead with a lopsided victory over Spaniard David Ferrer in the best-of-five affair at Mar del Plata.

The world No. 11 Nalbandian outclassed the 12th-ranked Ferrer 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 in just under two hours on the indoor hardcourt here at Estadio Islas Malvinas.

Ferrer failed to take a lead at any point on Day 1 and was under constant pressure due to some solid serving and tremendous net play by Nalbandian.

The former Tennis Masters Cup champion and former Wimbledon runner-up Nalbandian whipped Ferrer with the help of seven aces, and the gritty Argentine broke the Spaniard's serve a whopping seven times, compared to only two breaks for the eventual loser.

Nalbandian improved to 4-6 lifetime against Ferrer, including wins now in three of their last four encounters. This marked their first meeting this year and their first-ever Davis Cup matchup.

Friday's other opening singles rubber currently pit the hosts' world No. 9 star Juan Martin del Potro versus Spanish lefthander Feliciano Lopez.

Saturday's doubles bout currently calls for an Argentine duo of Jose Acasuso and Agustin Calleri to meet a Spanish tandem of Lopez and fellow southpaw Fernando Verdasco, while Sunday's reverse singles currently pit the 20-year- old del Potro against Ferrer and Nalbandian versus Lopez.

The Spaniards, captained by Emilio Sanchez, also have Davis Cup rookie Marcel Granollers at their disposal. Granollers joined the squad last week when world No. 1 superstar Rafael Nadal announced his withdrawal, citing a knee injury. The amazing Nadal is the reigning Wimbledon, French Open and Olympic champ.

The powerful Argentine squad, captained by Alberto Mancini, is seeking its first-ever Davis Cup title, while the Spaniards already own two championships, with both coming this decade, in 2000 and 2004.

Spain is 2-0 all-time versus Argentina, which is hosting for the first time ever in this series. The Spaniards prevailed at home way back in 1926 and again in 2003.

The Spaniards reached this year's final by beating the 32-time and defending champion United States 4-1 in a semifinal in Madrid, while Argentina got past Russia 3-2 in Buenos Aires, with del Potro winning a fifth and deciding rubber.

The Argentines have won 13 straight Davis Cup ties as the host.