from Tennis Week by Richard Pagliaro
4 April 2003

Before a loud Spanish crowd, that stomped, screamed and shrieked it support in a constant chorus of cheers, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Carlos Moya gave Croatia the silent treatment today.

The singles standouts both scored opening day victories to stake Spain to a 2-0 lead over visiting Croatia in the best-of-five match Davis Cup quarterfinals at the Valencia Tennis Club in Valencia, Spain.

The third-ranked Ferrero started the day with a 6-4, 6-2, 7-6(1) triumph over Mario Ancic. Former French Open champion Moya followed by rallying from a one-set deficit to defeat Ivan Ljubicic 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-4, 6-4.
Spain, which defeated Australia 3-1 in the 2000 Davis Cup final to capture its first Davis Cup championship in history, is one victory away from seizing a spot in the Davis Cup semifinals.

Alex Corretja and reigning French Open champion Albert Costa can clinch a semifinal berth for Spain with a victory in tomorrow’s doubles match over the Croatian team of Lovro Zovko and Ljubicic.

The 23-year-old Ferrero, who defeated Lleyton Hewitt to clinch the Cup for Spain in the 2000 final, admitted feeling the pressure of playing for his country when he stepped on the court. Born in Villena, Ferrero lives in Onteniente, which is part of the Valencia province.

And after a tight start that saw him engaged in a 4-4 tie with Ancic, Ferrero found the depth on his stinging strokes to win eight of the next 10 games and earn a two sets to love lead.

“I was nervous at the start of the game, playing in the Davis Cup in front of my home crowd, although I managed to get over that soon enough,” Ferrero said. “At times I had goose bumps. The fans were great, filling up the stands from the start.”

Ancic celebrated his 19th birthday on Sunday and the teenager who burst onto the professional scene in a memorable Grand Slam debut that saw him shock ninth-seeded Swiss Roger Federer in a first-round victory at Wimbledon, refused to relinquish the match without a fight. Ancic extended the third set to a tiebreaker, where Ferrero’s experience and baseline expertise enabled him to close out the match.

In the day’s second match, Ljubicic continued the lethal serving display that saw him score three victories — two singles and a doubles win — to lift Croatia to an opening-round Davis Cup victory over the United States in February. Ljubicic hit 19 aces in the match, but after dropping the first set in a tiebreaker, Moya began to read Ljubicic’s serve and pick up his play on the return game.

The man from Mallorca broke serve five times and fought off nine of 10 break point chances on his own serve to give Spain a 2-0 lead. Despite its commanding advantage, Ferrero insists Spain will not be complacent as it strives to close out the quarterfinal conquest of Croatia.

“There’s no question of us being overconfident,” Ferrero said. “Things can start slipping away from you very quickly in Davis Cup if you’re not careful. It’s good to get the team off to a winning start. It hurts when you lose at home in Davis Cup, but it wasn’t the case today.”