BARCELONA, Spain(AP) David Ferrer rallied for a 1-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, 8-6 victory over Radek Stepanek to give defending champion Spain a 2-0 lead in the Davis Cup final against the Czech Republic.
Rafael Nadal beat Tomas Berdych 7-5, 6-0, 6-2 in the first singles match Friday and Stepanek looked set to even the best-of-five series after steamrolling Ferrer in the first two sets.
But Ferrer, playing his first match in a month after a hamstring injury, battled back and got the decisive break in the 13th game of the final set. He clinched it when Stepanek sent a shot long on match point.
Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco can clinch Spain's fourth title with a doubles win over Lukas Dlouhy and Jan Hajek on Saturday.