Rafter â€˜crampsâ€™ Aussie hopes

Barcelona, December 9: The Davis Cup winds of change smiled on Spain here in Catalonia as Australia were dealt a blow that only the harden...

Barcelona, December 9: The Davis Cup winds of change smiled on Spain here in Catalonia as Australia were dealt a blow that only the hardened shell of tennis players bent on revenge could be sure to overcome.

Lleyton Hewitt, who threw off the memory of two singles losses in last year’s Davis Cup final to give Australia the opening point of this year’s final against Spain, had to watch in anguish as Pat Rafter conceded his rubber as his teammate fell victim to cramp.

Hewitt beat Albert Costa in a tough five-setter lasting more than four hours to prove that he had finally exorcised the ghosts of Davis Cup past.

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But his joy lasted only temporarily as Juan Carlos Ferrero had the noisy Spanish crowd in fuller voice than ever as he ousted Rafter 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (7/2), 6-2, 3-1.

Rafter, who missed last year’s win over France in Nice through injury, would have given anything to survive that final hour in his match — but at 1-3 down in the third set against Ferrero and in severe discomfort from cramp, he was forced to concede the tie.

That ensured today’s doubles rubber between Alex Corretja and Juan Balcells of Spain and Aussie Tandem Mark Woodforde and Sandon Stolle takes on new dimensions as the Spaniards would have been firmly on the ropes had Rafter won his opener.

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