World No 1 Rafael Nadal blitzed hapless Andy Roddick inside a Madrid bullring on Sunday to lead Spain into a Davis Cup final showdown against Argentina.
Spain, the champion in 2000 and 2004, saw off defending champion United States 4-1 while Argentina, which has never lifted the trophy, needed teenager Juan Martin del Potro to deliver a gripping 3-2 win over Russia in Buenos Aires.
Nadal, who has already picked up the Wimbledon, French Open and Olympic titles this year, cruised to a 6-4, 6-0, 6-4 victory over Roddick to hand Spain an unassailable lead in the 22,000-capacity Las Ventas bullring.
"Today I play an almost perfect match and it is very, very exciting," said Nadal who played in the 2004 final win against the US.
He was just 18 at the time, virtually unknown, but still beat Roddick, then the world No 2.
Sunday saw Roddick lose for the fourth time in six meetings to the swashbuckling Spaniard and he never looked like taking victory on a clay court made sluggish by morning rain.
Feliciano Lopez beat Sam Querrey 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/4) in the final dead rubber to hand Spain a 4-1 win.
In Buenos Aires, world No 6 Nikolay Davydenko pulled Russia level with Argentina at 2-2 when he defeated David Nalbandian 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/2), 6-0.
But 19-year-old del Potro then registered his 25th win in his last 26 matches when he brushed aside Russia's Igor Andreev 6-4, 6-2, 6-1.
Del Potro, with four titles under his belt this summer and with his only loss coming against Andy Murray in the US Open quarterfinals, secured victory with a smooth crosscourt winner.
"It's amazing," said Del Potro. "I served really well today and it's like a dream.
"If someone had told me in July that I would win four titles and reach the Davis Cup final, I would not have believed them."
Russia, which lost both of Friday's singles, had stayed alive on Saturday when Igor Kunitsyn and Dmitry Tursunov beat Nalbandian and Guillermo Canas 6-2, 6-1, 6-7 (9/11), 3-6, 8-6 in a marathon doubles.
That loss also ended world No 7 Nalbandian's proud record of 16 wins in 16 Davis Cup rubbers on home soil.
Crucially, Argentina, the runner-up in 1981 and 2006, will have home advantage in the Nov 21-23 final when Spain will be appearing in its sixth title match.
In the play-offs, where the winners are assured of places in the 2009 World Group, Austria defeated Great Britain 3-2 at Wimbledon.
World No 4 Andy Murray saw off bitter rival Jurgen Melzer 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 to pull the home side level at 2-2. But Alex Bogdanovic, whose brittle temperament has often been his undoing, then squandered a first set lead to lose to Alexander Peya 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.
Australia, the 28-time winners, was condemned to another season in the Asia/Oceania zone after losing its play-off to Chile in Antofogasta.
Olympic silver medalist Fernando Gonzalez clinched a straight sets victory over Chris Guccione to give the Chileans a 3-1 winning lead.
Gonzalez, the world No 11, beat the 88th-ranked Guccione 7-6 (7/3), 7-5, 6-3 before Carsten Ball salvaged a little pride for the Australians, who were playing without the injured Lleyton Hewitt, when he edged Paul Capdeville 6-3, 7-6 (7/3) in the dead rubber.
Romania retained its place in the World Group after beating India 4-1 in Bucharest.
With a 2-1 overnight advantage, victory was assured when Romania's Victor Hanescu defeated Prakash Amritraj, 6-2, 6-3, 6-1. Victor Crivoi wrapped up the win beating Somdev Devvarman 4-6, 7-5, 6-3.
The Netherlands completed a 3-2 win over South Korea in Apeldoorn.
Thiemo De Bakker secured the vital last point beating Jun Woong-sun 6-2, 6-1, 6-3 after experienced Lee Hyung-taik had defeated Jesse Huta Galung 1-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7/5), 6-2 to pull the Koreans level at 2-2.
At Ramat Hasharon, Israel also booked its place in the 16-team World Group after taking a winning lead over Peru thanks to Dudi Sela seeing off Luis Horna 6-7 (6/8), 6-4, 6-1, 6-2.
Croatia, the 2005 champion, saw off Brazil when Ivo Karlovic beat Thomaz Bellucci 7-6 (7/5), 6-4, 6-7 (6/8), 7-6 (7/4).
(AFP via China Daily September 23, 2008)