The fifth-ranked Ferrer defeated No. 8 Roddick 7-6 (5), 2-6, 1-6, 6-4, 8-6 before a near-capacity crowd of 21,000 at the Las Ventas bullfighting arena.
Earlier, top-ranked Rafael Nadal gave the hosts the early advantage with a 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 win over Sam Querrey.
Spain, which hasn’t lost a clay-court Davis Cup series in nine years, could secure its sixth Davis Cup final appearance Saturday when Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez play Americans Mike Bryan and Mardy Fish in doubles.
“Obviously we’re up against it, but we knew that coming here,” said U.S. captain Patrick McEnroe. “We’re going to try and win the doubles.”
Reverse singles will be played Sunday, and the winner will face either Argentina or Russia in the final.
Roddick looked on course for victory after dominating the second and third sets, but Ferrer took the fourth thanks to an early break. Roddick then volleyed a backhand into the net to lose his serve in the 13th game of the fifth, and Ferrer served out for the win.
“I played a bad game at the beginning of the fourth set and after that he definitely raised his level,” Roddick said. “Besides that game, I thought I played well in the fourth and fifth set.”
Roddick, who had a nine-match winning streak snapped, complained to the chair umpire several times about the noise in the final set.
“The crowd played a fundamental role,” Ferrer said. “In the fifth set, there was a lot of tension and it was an emotional game. It was important to have them at my side.”
Roddick dropped to 0-3 against top 10 players in Davis Cup play.
“At the end of the match a couple of guys shouted out in the middle of the game and as I told Andy, that happens,” McEnroe said. “That’s a little frustrating but to be expected in a match like that.”
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