Tennis: Fernando Verdasco made light of the absence of world number one Rafael Nadal to steer Spain to their third Davis Cup triumph with a five-set victory over Argentina's Jose Acasuso in Mar del Plata today.
The world number 16 won a tense and gruelling encounter 6-3 6-7 (3) 4-6 6-3 6-1 in four minutes under four hours to give the Spaniards an unassailable 3-1 lead in the best-of-five showdown.
Preferred by captain Emilio Sanchez over the higher-ranked David Ferrer, Verdasco fought back superbly from a set behind and after slamming the winning shot down the line he slumped to his knees in celebration.
It was a stunning win for the Spaniards who had entered the final day ahead after Verdasco had teamed up with Feliciano Lopez to score a marathon five-set doubles win over David Nalbandian and Agustin Calleri on Saturday.
