Mario Ancic proved Croatia's surprising hero in Sunday's Davis Cup final,
delivering his country with its first trophy after producing a confident win in
the decisive fifth rubber against the Slovak Republic.
With the title on the line, Ancic prevailed in the tense first set tie-break
and controlled the rest of the match, defeating Michal Mertinak 7-6(1), 6-3,
6-4 in two hours and 50 minutes.
Countryman Ivan Ljubicic had the first chance to seal the title for Croatia
when he faced off against Dominik Hrbaty in the first reverse singles match.
With the chance to write himself into the history books as the first player
since John McEnroe in 1982 to achieve a perfect 12-0 Davis Cup season, Ljubicic
faltered at the crucial moment. He lost his serve at 5-4 in the third set,
falling to Hrbaty 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in three hours and 20 minutes.
Hrbaty's victory levelled the tie at 2-2, and set the stage for the decisive
battle between Ancic and Mertinak before the crowd in Bratislava.
Mertinak, brought in at the last minute to replace Karol Kucera, faced an
uphill climb despite playing in front of home supporters. History stood against
the Slovak Republic, with only three nations having won the Davis Cup after
losing the final doubles rubber since 1972.
Although he came out strong in the opening set, the 26-year-old was ultimately
outmatched by Ancic, currently No. 17 in the INDESIT ATP Entry Ranking.
Ancic's title-clinching win set off a huge celebration for a Croatian team that
included veteran player Goran Ivanisevic, honored earlier in the day with the
Davis Cup Award of Excellence, and captain Nikki Pilic, who had previously led
Germany to three Davis Cup titles.
Croatia, a first time Davis Cup finalist along with the Slovak Republic, is the
12th champion nation in Davis Cup history and the first unseeded nation to win
the title.
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