Sports / Tennis |
Argentina,Russia face off in Davis Cup double(AP)Updated: 2006-12-02 20:09 MOSCOW _ Russia captain Shamil Tarpishchev brought in Marat Safin to replace Mikhail Youzhny in Saturday's Davis Cup final doubles match against Argentina. Safin and Dmitry Tursunov will play Agustin Calleri and David Nalbandian, who beat Safin in straight sets Friday to level the tie at 1-1. Nikolay Davydenko had earlier bested Juan Ignacio Chela, 6-1, 6-2, 5-7, 6-4. The substitution was a surprise given Safin's disappointment with the synthetic indoor carpet at Olympic Stadium, which he said suited Nalbandian's game and blamed for his 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 loss. Tarpishchev is becoming known for late substitutions. In the semifinal, he replaced Youzhny with Tursunov, who clinched Russia's finals berth by beating Andy Roddick of the United States in a near five-hour match. Youzhny has said he has fully recovered from a foot injury that prompted his withdrawal from the St. Petersburg Open in late October, but he has not played a competitive match since. Russia is seeking its second Davis Cup title and its first at home, after beating France for the cup in Paris in 2002. Russia, which hasn't lost a Davis Cup tie at home in 11 years, fell to Sweden in the 1994 finals and to the United States the following year. Argentina has never won the trophy, losing in the final to the United States in 1981. If Argentina wins it will become the 13th champion since the competition's inception in 1900 and the sixth different winner in as many years.
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