Spanish duo fancied to double up

Spain are favourites to go 2-0 up in the Davis Cup final tomorrow when Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer take on the best that Argentina can muster in the opening-day singles rubbers (Spain 1/6 Outright, Argentina 7/2 with bet365).

Nadal (1/20 in match betting) faces world number 26 Juan Monaco in the first match on the clay at Seville’s Olympic Stadium before Ferrer (8/15), a recent semi-finalist at the ATP World Tour finals, meets former US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro (11/8).

Nadal has a 2-1 head-to-head record against Monaco but they have not faced each other in four years. Monaco won their last encounter in 2007 on a hard court at the Cincinnati Masters when the Spaniard retired a set down, but the ex-world number one has won both previous matches on clay (3/1 Nadal to win 3-1 in Set Betting).

Ferrer and Del Potro are very evenly matched with the Argentine having taken their last two matches to level the series at 2-2.

However, they have never before met on clay – Ferrer’s favourite surface, which could give the man from Valencia the slight edge on Friday.

Del Potro set for team final

Juan Martin del Potro has been included in the five-man Argentina squad for the upcoming Davis Cup final against Spain (bet365 Outright – Spain 1/6, Argentina 7/2).

The 2009 US Open champion is starting to climb his way back up the rankings, after missing the majority of 2010 with a wrist injury.

A two-time ATP Tour winner in 2011, Del Potro (8/1 to win 2012 Australian Open) is now expected to play a key role for his country as Argentina seek their first Davis Cup title.

Captain Modesto Vazquez has also selected David Nalbandian, Juan Monaco, Juan Ignacio Chela and doubles specialist Eduardo Schwank in the provisional squad, which will be cut to four.

Argentina – beaten finalists in 1981, 2006 and 2008 – will start as underdogs against a strong Spanish team, who will be on home soil.

But the match will be played on clay and the South Americans are upbeat about their chances, with the skipper saying their squad was “born on clay”.

Speaking about the clash in Seville, which starts on December 2, Vazquez said: “Day one is the key. Nadal is a tough nut, he’s a motivator and very good for his team mates. If we’re 1-1 at the end of day one we’ll have a real chance of taking the trophy.”

Djokovic hails ‘sweet’ success

Novak Djokovic has described his success over Marin Cilic as the ‘sweetest victory’ of his career, as Serbia (6/4 in the outright market) reached the semi-finals of the Davis Cup.

The Wimbledon semi-finalist defeated world number 13 Cilic 6-3 6-3 6-2 to give his country an unassailable 3-1 lead over their major rivals Croatia, and they eventually took the tie 4-1.

The win gave Serbia a place in the last four of the team competition for the first time in their history, much to the delight of Djokovic (9/1 to win 2010 US Open).

The world number two talked up the success, saying: “We have won in one of the toughest atmospheres against a team that has a lot of success in this competition.”

Serbia will now face Czech Republic in the semi-finals, after they defeated Chile 4-1 in Coquimbo, having been 3-0 up going into the final two matches, so be sure to keep an eye on the tennis betting for that tie.

The other semi-final will see Argentina come up against France, who had little trouble in disposing of defending champions Spain with a 5-0 victory.

Meanwhile, the South Americans had David Nalbandian to thank for a 3-2 win over Russia, with the former Wimbledon finalist coming back from three months out injured to defeat Mikhail Youzhny in straight sets.