Post by SAFINNO1 on Sept 25, 2005 16:30:14 GMT 3
Ljubicic seals Croatia's place in final
Ivan Ljubicic was sitting on break point, but more importantly it was match point at 5-4 in the third set on Nikolay Davydenko’s serve. One more point and Croatia would be celebrating.
A rare bit of silence had crept over the Sportski Centar Gripe as the crowd held its collective breath. Davydenko served. The players engaged in a short exchange but then the ball came onto the Croat’s forehand side. He could see an opening and he struck it down the line. It was a winner. A split second later the place erupted. Ljubicic held his head as joy, relief and euphoria swept over him and the people danced in the aisles.
Ivan Ljubicic had done it. He had beaten Nikolay Davydenko 63 76(6) 64 in two hours and ten minutes.
"It is unbelievable really," said Ljubcic with his voice breaking. "From the first moment I played Davis Cup I wanted to win one match, win one by one, and we’ve gone through to the final. I hope we are gonna win three more points [in the final] because this is an historic performance."
It is a remarkable moment in the sporting annals for this tiny nation that hugs the Adriatic Sea.
In the first set Ljubicic drew first blood when he broke Davydenko’s serve in the sixth game. Ljubicic set it up with a beautifully struck backhand passing shot down the line and a point later he forced Davydenko into sending a forehand long. Ljubicic consolidated by holding serve with an ace to go up 5-2.
However when the Croat served for the set at 5-3 he faced a total of three break points and won the set on his second set point with another winner down the line, this time off the forehand side.
The second set went with serve all the way to the tiebreak. Neither player faced a break point. In the tiebreak Davydenko got the early advantage when he lead 3-0 and then 5-3 but Ljubicic rallied and won five of the last six points. On one of the points he cranked a serve that rocketed through the air at 232 kph.
Ljubicic brought up a set point at 6-5 which the Russian saved and he created a second set point with a forehand winner. The set was clinched when Davydenko netted a forehand off a heavy serve.
The crowd’s cheers and chants of "Lubo! Lubo!" were explosive. The incredible atmosphere was making the hairs on the back of one’s neck stand up.
Davydenko was trying the level best to make inroads into the match. He was getting some opportunities but Ljubicic would soon close the gap. Many were concerned that he may have started to feel the effects of the first two days with the long matches he had played, but it wasn’t the case.
He showed that he was on an adrenaline-high when he faced two break points in the fifth game of the third set but he came up with a couple of booming serves to keep things in check and keep his nose in front.
Things went with serve without any more break points the rest of the set until that tenth game. Davydenko was soon down 0-40 as the enormity of the situation got to him.
Ljubicic had said the day before that he would have to serve well in this match, and that he did. He slammed down 22 aces with his fastest serve being clocked at 232 kph. He won 89% of the first serves he got into play and 87% of the second serves he got into play.
"You can’t serve better than this, that’s for sure," said Ljubicic who was hugging and kissing his tearful wife. "I served unbelievable. Every second serve was 200 km and really few double faults, it was really incredible.
"I can’t put this into words. Maybe tomorrow when I calm down a bit but this crowd is incredible. Not one single person left the stadium even an hour after we finished. It’s unbelievable!"
I hope coratia go on and win it.
oh well there is always next year.
The ITF also announced that the draw for the 2006 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas will be held at the offices of BNP Paribas in Paris on Thursday 29 September.
Ivan Ljubicic was sitting on break point, but more importantly it was match point at 5-4 in the third set on Nikolay Davydenko’s serve. One more point and Croatia would be celebrating.
A rare bit of silence had crept over the Sportski Centar Gripe as the crowd held its collective breath. Davydenko served. The players engaged in a short exchange but then the ball came onto the Croat’s forehand side. He could see an opening and he struck it down the line. It was a winner. A split second later the place erupted. Ljubicic held his head as joy, relief and euphoria swept over him and the people danced in the aisles.
Ivan Ljubicic had done it. He had beaten Nikolay Davydenko 63 76(6) 64 in two hours and ten minutes.
"It is unbelievable really," said Ljubcic with his voice breaking. "From the first moment I played Davis Cup I wanted to win one match, win one by one, and we’ve gone through to the final. I hope we are gonna win three more points [in the final] because this is an historic performance."
It is a remarkable moment in the sporting annals for this tiny nation that hugs the Adriatic Sea.
In the first set Ljubicic drew first blood when he broke Davydenko’s serve in the sixth game. Ljubicic set it up with a beautifully struck backhand passing shot down the line and a point later he forced Davydenko into sending a forehand long. Ljubicic consolidated by holding serve with an ace to go up 5-2.
However when the Croat served for the set at 5-3 he faced a total of three break points and won the set on his second set point with another winner down the line, this time off the forehand side.
The second set went with serve all the way to the tiebreak. Neither player faced a break point. In the tiebreak Davydenko got the early advantage when he lead 3-0 and then 5-3 but Ljubicic rallied and won five of the last six points. On one of the points he cranked a serve that rocketed through the air at 232 kph.
Ljubicic brought up a set point at 6-5 which the Russian saved and he created a second set point with a forehand winner. The set was clinched when Davydenko netted a forehand off a heavy serve.
The crowd’s cheers and chants of "Lubo! Lubo!" were explosive. The incredible atmosphere was making the hairs on the back of one’s neck stand up.
Davydenko was trying the level best to make inroads into the match. He was getting some opportunities but Ljubicic would soon close the gap. Many were concerned that he may have started to feel the effects of the first two days with the long matches he had played, but it wasn’t the case.
He showed that he was on an adrenaline-high when he faced two break points in the fifth game of the third set but he came up with a couple of booming serves to keep things in check and keep his nose in front.
Things went with serve without any more break points the rest of the set until that tenth game. Davydenko was soon down 0-40 as the enormity of the situation got to him.
Ljubicic had said the day before that he would have to serve well in this match, and that he did. He slammed down 22 aces with his fastest serve being clocked at 232 kph. He won 89% of the first serves he got into play and 87% of the second serves he got into play.
"You can’t serve better than this, that’s for sure," said Ljubicic who was hugging and kissing his tearful wife. "I served unbelievable. Every second serve was 200 km and really few double faults, it was really incredible.
"I can’t put this into words. Maybe tomorrow when I calm down a bit but this crowd is incredible. Not one single person left the stadium even an hour after we finished. It’s unbelievable!"
I hope coratia go on and win it.
oh well there is always next year.
The ITF also announced that the draw for the 2006 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas will be held at the offices of BNP Paribas in Paris on Thursday 29 September.
I was expecting a final between Russia and Argentina and now...it's really sad 
) but man...I cannot call it anything but
I mean to the middle of the game, they got so much better and played some amazing tennis from time to time but it was way too obvious they were so not used to it. Shamil my man until we set ourselves a new doubles pair, we are not gonna get far, trust me. If the boys won that third set tie-break (and they were 5:3 up!!!!) till today I am convinced we would have been in that final. Just as I am convinced Kolya would have won that second set tie-break yesterday. But ifs and buts are not useful now, are they?
, there must been some interrupts at the GPS 
