Prague: The Czech Republic beat holders Spain 3-2 to win the Davis Cup for the first time as an independent nation when Radek Stepanek overcame Nicolas Almagro in four tough sets before a raucous home crowd on Sunday.
Stepanek, who jumped over the net and triumphantly waved his arms to acknowledge the 14,580 fans packed into the arena, was hugged by team mates before going to his wife with tears rolling down his cheeks after clinching victory in the final rubber.
His 6-4 7-6 3-6 6-3 win over Almagro meant the Czechs reclaimed the Davis Cup 32 years after Czechoslovakia won the trophy led by Ivan Lendl, who proudly watched this year's final at the 02 arena with his former team mates.
It also made the Czech Republic the first country to win the Davis Cup and Fed Cup team trophies for men and women respectively and the mixed Hopman Cup event in one year.
Image: Czech Republic's Davis Cup team, left to right, Ivo Minar, Lukas Rosol, Radek Stepanek, Tomas Berdych, and Jaroslav Navratil pose with a tropphy after defeating Spain in their Davis Cup finals tennis match in Prague, Czech Republic, Sunday, Nov. 18, 2012. Czech Republic defeated Spain 3-2 and gained the Davis Cup trophy.
Text: Reuters
Images: AP
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