Rafael Nadal led Spain to the Davis Cup final as he and Feliciano Lopez won a thrilling late-night doubles to seal a nail-biting 2-1 victory over Britain on Saturday.
Kyle Edmund gave Britain the lead with an emphatic win over the 38-year-old Lopez before Nadal levelled things up with an equally dominant display against Dan Evans.
For the second time in the day a semifinal came down to the doubles rubber and it was the Spanish left-handers who clawed out a 7-6(3) 7-6(8) victory over Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski in a match of unremitting tension.
In its first Davis Cup final since 2012, Spain will face Canada which also won a cliffhanger against Russia. Canada will be appearing in its first final.
Denis Shapovalov and Vasek Pospisil, who have played every rubber for Canada this week, clinched victory in the deciding doubles against Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov.
Pospisil’s incredible run of singles wins here came to an end in the opener against Rublev, the Russian winning 6-4, 6-4.
Shapovalov levelled the tie when he beat Khachanov 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 before the Canadian duo edged the doubles 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(5).
Semifinal results:Canada bt Russia 2-1 [Vasek Pospisil lost to Andrey Rublev 6-4, 6-4; Denis Shapovalov bt Karen Khachanov 6-4, 4-6, 6-4; Pospisil & Shapovalov bt Rublev & Khachanov 6-3, 3-6, 6-7(5)].
Spain bt Britain 2-1 [Feliciano Lopez lost to Kyle Edmund 6-3, 7-6(3); Rafael Nadal bt Dan Evans 6-4, 6-0; Nadal & Lopez bt Jamie Murray & Neal Skupski 7-6(3), 7-6(8)] .
