Mike Bryan and Mardy Fish rallied to defeat Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 on clay to give the U.S. its first point after being swept in singles on Friday.
“(The win) gives us a big shot of adrenaline,” U.S. captain Patrick McEnroe said.
Top-ranked Rafael Nadal can clinch Spain’s sixth final appearance by defeating Andy Roddick in reverse singles on Sunday. David Ferrer of Spain plays Sam Querrey in the other match.
The winning team will face either Argentina or Russia, with the Argentines leading their semifinal in Buenos Aires.
Spain took advantage of the American pair’s shaky serve early on to register the first break point and first set. Fish, a last-minute replacement for Bob Bryan (shoulder injury), clinched the second set before Bryan’s backhand brought the key break on the way to securing the third set.
It was the first time in 16 Davis Cup matchups that the Bryans didn’t play together.
“I admired the way Mardy stayed with me,” Bryan said. “That kept me up, he kept me positive.”
The U.S. looked set to close it out when Verdasco floated a backhanded volley long for an early break in the fourth set, but Fish netted Lopez’s forehand to force the decisive fifth set.
A costly miss by Lopez gave the U.S. the only break and ultimately the match at the Las Ventas bullfighting arena.
“They did all they could, and I can’t ask for any more,” Spain captain Emilio Sanchez Vicario said. “The other team just managed to do a little bit better than us.”
The U.S. has won a record 32 Davis Cup titles but has rallied just once in 32 attempts when trailing 2-0 — in 1934 against Britain.
The eighth-ranked Roddick has a difficult task against Nadal, a four-time French Open champion who has only lost two of his last 116 clay-court matches.
“I’m not worried,” McEnroe said. “(Andy) knows what he has to do, he’s been in this position many times before.”
The Americans also won the doubles over Spain in the 2004 final in Seville, but the Spaniards went on to capture their second title.
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