Cordoba, Sep 16: Rafael Nadal shrugged off his disappointment and fatigue from losing the U.S. Open final to rout Richard Gasquet 6-3, 6-0, 6-1 Friday and give Spain a 1-0 lead over France in their Davis Cup semifinal.
Nadal quickly forgot Monday's loss to Novak Djokovic in New York on his favored outdoor clay surface in hot conditions at Cordoba's bullring.
Gasquet pushed the Spaniard early in the first set before succumbing to his mix of precision and power, with the second-ranked Nadal reeling off 11 straight games at one point to give the hosts the early lead.
Nadal hasn't lost a Davis Cup singles match since his debut in 2004 and, despite draping himself in a towel to hide from the searing heat in the changeovers, that run never looked in doubt.
"Everything worked out for the best. At the start it was complicated and I was at the limit, physically," Nadal, who is 13-0 on clay in the Davis Cup, said. "But the effort was positive and in all moments I did what I had to do."
David Ferrer, who led Spain past the United States in the quarterfinals, looks to extend the lead when he plays Gilles Simon later. Ferrer is 10-0 on clay in the competition.
Temperatures rose past 30 degrees Celsius (86 F) at the Plaza de Toros de Los Califas as Nadal broke for a 1-0 lead. The pair then held serve until Nadal's second break clinched the set as Gasquet netted a backhand when rushing forward.
The French Open champion was pulling away and clinched the second set with a forehand smash after having run Gasquet around with a mix of forehand winners.
Gasquet watched a crosscourt forehand sail past him for Nadal to break for 2-0 in the third set. Although the 15th-ranked Frenchman finally defended his serve in the fourth game to stop Nadal's run, the Spaniard broke for the seventh and final time on his next opportunity.
Nadal's 30th winner, an exquisite drop shot, clinched a 2-hour victory in which Gasquet failed to conjure up a single break point.
Spain hasn't lost a series on home soil since 1999 as it vies to reach its sixth final since 2000, where either Serbia or Argentina await. AP
