Australia Clinches Berth in Final With Five-Set Victory in Doubles

Mark Kratzmann and Darren Cahill needed 28 games in the fifth set to beat Argentina’s Javier Frana and Chistian Miniussi Saturday, clinching Australia’s berth in the Davis Cup final.

The doubles victory gave the Australians a 3-0 lead in the best-of-five semifinal competition.

Kratzmann and Cahill, playing as a Davis Cup pair for only the second time, beat the Argentines, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (8-6), 4-6, 15-13. In Davis Cup competition, there is no tiebreaker in the fifth set. Australia will play the U.S.-Austria winner.

At the same time, world group qualifying for 1991 was under way. In Split, Yugoslavia, Goran Ivanisevic and Goran Prpic defeated Switzerland’s Jacob Hlasek and Marc Rosset to give Yugoslavia a 2-1 lead.

In Vasteras, Sweden, Stefan Edberg and Peter Lundgren swept Veli Paloheimo and Olli Rahnasto, 6-2, 6-1, 6-2, to clinch Sweden’s qualifying-round victory over Finland.

In Moscow, Emilio Sanchez and Sergio Casal beat Alexander Volkov and Vladimir Gabrichidze, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, to clinch a victory for Spain.