AUSTIN, Texas — Brothers Bob and Mike Bryan earned the United States its first point of a Davis Cup quarterfinal against Spain, keeping the Americans alive with a 6-7 (7), 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Marcel Granollers and Fernando Verdasco in doubles Saturday.
Granollers and Verdasco were playing their first doubles match together. Granollers was a substitute for Feliciano Lopez, who won a four-hour singles match over Mardy Fish on Friday.
Spain leads the Americans 2-1 heading into Sunday’s singles matches pitting David Ferrer against Fish and Lopez against Andy Roddick.
The U.S. is 1-36 in Davis Cup history when falling behind 0-2. The only time the U.S. rallied to win was 1934 against Australia in London.
The pro-American crowd was eager for a United States victory after the two singles losses Friday night and erupted in chants of “U-S-A!” throughout the doubles match.
The Spaniards caught the world’s No. 1 doubles team by surprise by winning the first set. The Bryans then broke serve in the first game of the second set to get the home crowd roaring.
The Bryans ended the match with their trademark chest bump to send the Americans into Sunday with a fighting chance to advance to the semifinals.
Spain, which is playing without world No. 2 Rafael Nadal, is seeking its third Davis Cup championship in four years.
In other Davis Cup play Saturday, France secured a spot in the semifinals when Michael Llodra and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga swept the doubles in straight sets to give their team an unassailable 3-0 lead over Germany in Stuttgart. France will play either Spain or the United States. France lost to Serbia in last year’s final.
Argentina wrapped up a 5-0 victory over Kazakhstan with Juan Ignacio Chela and Juan Monaco winning their singles matches in Buenos Aires. Chela defeated Evgeny Korolev 2-6, 6-2, 6-0, and Monaco won over Mikhail Kukushkin 6-4, 6-1.
Argentina will face either Sweden or Serbia in the semifinals. Argentina has never won the Davis Cup and has finished second three times: 1981, 2006 and 2008.
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