Tennis: Ancic to the rescue for Croatia

Team Croatia (from left), Mario Ancic, Goran Ivanisevic, Nikola Pilic, Ivan Ljubicic and Ivo Karlovic pose with the Davis Cup. Pictures / Reuters

BRATISLAVA - Croatia won the Davis Cup tennis title for the first time yesterday when Mario Ancic beat Slovakia's Michal Mertinak 7-6, 6-3, 6-4 to clinch a 3-2 victory in a rollercoaster final.

Ancic delivered the victory on his second match point, sparking wild celebrations on the court and in the packed Sibamac Arena where chanting Croatian fans lit flares and unfurled a huge flag.

The 21-year-old chose the perfect time to win his first live singles rubber of the year, rescuing his country's hopes after Slovakia's Dominik Hrbaty earlier beat Ivan Ljubicic in a five-set thriller to make it 2-2.

Ljubicic, who woke up with a stiff neck and was sick during his 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 defeat, fell one win short of matching John McEnroe's 1982 feat of 12 straight wins in a Davis Cup year.

"I woke up with a blocked neck completely," said the 26-year-old, who decided he was fit to play only an hour before his match.

"I took a chance, I decided to try. Then after the second set I went to the toilet to throw up. But ... Dominik played an unbelievable match."

At least he could still celebrate with the hundreds of Croatian fans and former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic after Ancic kept his cool to outclass world No 165 Mertinak.

Mertinak, a 26-year-old better known for his doubles, played instead of the more experienced Karol Kucera, who had only been called up for Friday's first singles against Ljubicic because of a knee injury to Slovak No 2 Karol Beck.

Mertinak played a solid enough first set, but Ancic cruised through the tiebreak 7-1 and, apart from a brief wobble in the third set when he was broken, rarely looked in danger.

The atmosphere for the decisive rubber was electric, although nothing like as highly-charged as for the pulsating first singles.

Hrbaty had lost all five meetings with Ljubicic, but as he had done against Ancic on Friday to level the tie at 1-1, he produced tennis of the highest quality.

"In terms of mental pressure it was the most difficult match of my career," said the 27-year-old world No 19, who threw all his rackets into the crowd after the 3h 20m victory that dragged Slovakia back to 2-2.

"It was a fantastic atmosphere, the fans were pushing me all the way.

"I don't quite understand why I play so well in Davis Cup," added Hrbaty.

He was outgunned early on, Ljubicic pumelling seven aces and countless searing winners to take the opener in 34 minutes.

However he launched a stunning counter-attack that rocked an increasingly weary-looking Ljubicic back on his heels.

Hrbaty broke Ljubicic's mighty serve for the first time in the second game of the second set and levelled the match when the Croat sliced a backhand into net.

Hrbaty broke twice in the third set as the momentum shifted completely his way.

Ljubicic clawed one break back but Hrbaty hung on grimly to move two sets to one in front.

Ljubicic dug deep in the fourth set, then pounced for a decisive service break as Hrbaty went 0-40 down at 3-4. He closed out the set in ruthless fashion.

Hrbaty had the advantage of serving first in the fifth, forcing his opponent to serve to stay in the match at 4-5.

With the noise in the hall deafening, Ljubicic saved one match point with a backhand winner and another with a big first serve.

But Hrbaty would not relent and clinched victory when Ljubicic netted an attempted backhand pass.

His efforts proved in vain, though, as Ancic made sure it was Croatia that became the 12th nation to have its name engraved on the famous old trophy.

- REUTERS