By Bob Stockton
Mardy Fish defeated Santiago Giraldo 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, 4-6, 8-6 in an epic four-hour-five minute marathon Sunday to clinch victory for the United States against Colombia in the Davis Cup Play-off Round.
The victory keeps the United States into the Davis Cup World Group in 2011 and eligible to win the Davis Cup title. It also sends U.S. Davis Cup Captain Patrick McEnroe out in a winner in his final tie as U.S. Captain.
Playing on a clay-court in a bullring in the Colombian capital of Bogota, situated at an elevation of 8,500 feet, Fish accounted for all three points for the United States, combining to play 14 sets over 10 hours and 59 minutes of playing time. In Friday’s opening singles match, he beat Alejandro Falla 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. In Saturday’s doubles with the score tied 1-1, he and John Isner defeated Robert Farah and Carlos Salamanca 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-3, setting up his match-clinching victory in the fourth rubber on Sunday.
“It was as tough a relegation match as we could have had with the altitude, the balls and a quality opponent,” Fish said. “To win three points in one Davis Cup match under these circumstances, is one of the biggest — if not the biggest — accomplishment of my career.”
Fish was able to steal victory from the jaws of defeat as Giraldo served for the match at 6-5 in the final set and was two-points from victory at 30-15. However, Fish then benefitted from a Giraldo unforced backhand error for 30-30, then advanced to the net hitting an inside-out backhand cross court off a Giraldo second-serve that clipped the top of the tape, landed in and forced the Colombian to miss a down-the-line passing shot to move to break point at 30-40. Giraldo then silenced the enthusiastic home crowd when he floated a forehand long giving Fish the break back.
At 6-6, Fish was passed three times with down-the-line forehand passing shots off backhand down-the-line approach shots and faced two break point opportunities. However, Fish negated both break points and closed out the game in part by then hitting two cross-court backhand approaches away from the Giraldo forehand. Serving at 6-7, Giraldo hit three unforced forehand errors – including on match point – to clinch victory for the Americans.
“A lot of work and a lot of sacrifice went into this,” said Fish, who lost 30 pounds and improved his ranking from outside the top 100 to his current standing of No. 19 in the last 12 months. “A year ago today I wouldn’t have been able to do this. I fought as hard as I could.”
Fish also became the first American to win three live matches in a single Davis Cup match since Pete Sampras in the 1995 final in Moscow. Fish became only the ninth American to win three live matches in a Davis Cup series, joining Sampras (1995), John McEnroe (1983, 1982, 1981), Stan Smith (1972), Dennis Ralston (1963), Alex Olmedo (1958), Vic Seixas (1957), Tony Trabert (1953) and Don Budge (1937).
“What a Herculean effort from Mardy this weekend,” McEnroe said. “Mardy’s was one of the greatest efforts in Davis cup history — forget my 10 years as captain. To win three points in these conditions — with the altitude, the crowd and everything. He is in illustrious company. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to end my captaincy.”
Ryan Harrison was scheduled to play the final “dead-rubber” match for the United States, but rain canceled the final match, making the final score 3-1 for the United States. Had Harrison taken the court, he would have been the eighth youngest American to play in a Davis Cup match at the age of 18 years, four months and 12 days – one month younger than Andy Roddick was when he played his first Davis Cup match in McEnroe’s first tie as U.S. captain against Switzerland in 2001.