Davis Cup Tennis Final : Wilander, Nystrom Clinch Sweden’s Win

After losing two Grand Slam finals and the Masters title match earlier this year, Mats Wilander finally won a big one Saturday as Sweden regained the Davis Cup title.

Wilander, who did not play in last year’s Cup final in Australia because of personal reasons, teamed with Joakim Nystrom to defeat India’s Anand and Vijay Amritraj, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, in doubles for the clinching point.

The victory on the red indoor clay court at the Scandinavium Arena gave the Swedes an unbeatable 3-0 lead over India in the best-of-five match series.

Swedish captain Hans Olsson decided Friday evening to use Wilander and Nystrom in the doubles “because Stefan Edberg was not 100% fit and he was a bit afraid of playing.”

Wilander, ranked third in the world, and Anders Jarryd had not dropped a set in the opening singles matches Friday. Wilander, who lost to Ivan Lendl in the French and U.S. opens, as well as the Masters, beat Ramesh Krishnan, and Jarryd downed Vijay Amritraj.

Except for a second-set lapse, Wilander and Nystrom were always in control against the Amritraj brothers.

“We sort of fell asleep in the second set,” Wilander said. “They played much better. They didn’t miss like they did in the first set. But in the third set we picked up the rhythm again.”

Anand Amritraj, at 35 the oldest player in the final, and his 34-year-old brother were simply playing a pair with stronger legs.

It was the fourth Davis Cup for Sweden, which won for the first time in 1975, when Bjorn Borg led the Swedes to victory over Czechoslovakia at Stockholm.