Sweden Returns to Cup Final
The strongest Davis Cup nation in the last two decades is going back to the final.
Defending champion Sweden eliminated Spain in the semifinals Saturday, easily winning the doubles after a difficult singles sweep Friday.
“The Swedes moved like fish in the water,” Spanish captain Manuel Santana said.
Jonas Bjorkman and Nicklas Kulti defeated Javier Sanchez and Julian Alonso, 6-2, 6-2, 6-2, giving Sweden an insurmountable 3-0 advantage in the best-of-five tie.
Sweden, which will play at Italy in the Dec. 4-6 final, has appeared in 11 finals since its first victory in 1975, when Bjorn Borg anchored the team. It has won the championship six times, and no country has been better during that span.
Bjorkman and Kulti were not broken once during a doubles match that lasted 77 minutes. Sanchez lost his serve four times in six service games, and Alonso was broken twice.
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