Juan Carlos Ferrero was the unlikely hero for champion Spain as he rode a wave of patriotic fervor to salvage their Davis Cup hopes on Sunday. While Ferrero was spurred on by a frenzied crowd to ensure Spain squeezed into the semifinals with a 3-2 win over Germany, there was no escape route for Davis Cup heavyweight United States and Argentina who were both unceremoniously dumped out. The Americans, champion a record 32 times, had to win both Sunday's reverse singles to reach the last four but Marin Cilic brought a swift end to its challenge when he beat James Blake 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 to give Croatia an unbeatable 3-1 lead. At least Juan Martin del Potro had made sure Argentina's contest against the Czech Republic would go down to the wire when he trumped Tomas Berdych 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in the first reverse singles to level the tie at 2-2 in Ostrava. Although Del Potro won both his singles rubbers, the Czechs proved that the Davis Cup was more than a one-man show. Radek Stepanek had been troubled by a knee injury but appeared to be in a trance as he barely put a foot wrong in a 7-6, 6-3, 6-2 win over Juan Monaco to condemn the 2008 runners-up to a 3-2 defeat. While the Czechs will travel to Croatia for the semis in September, Spain will be eager to make home advantage count again when it hosts Israel, which completed a 4-1 win over Russia. Astonishingly, former world number one Ferrero, could be missing from the line-up as he was only drafted into the team as a last-minute replacement since world number two Rafael Nadal and 22nd-ranked David Ferrer were both out injured. Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber survived a stirring Fernando Verdasco fight-back in the first reverse singles to win 6-4, 6-2, 1-6, 2-6, 8-6 in Marbella to level the tie at 2-2. But captain Albert Costa's gamble to play Ferrero in the decider instead of Tommy Robredo, who lost in straight sets to Kohlschreiber on Friday, paid off as the 29-year-old dispatched Andreas Beck 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. Ram captures title In Rhode Island, Rajeev Ram, a lucky loser from qualifying, made the most of his second chance by winning the ATP Hall of Fame Championship on Sunday, rallying to beat third seed Sam Querrey in the final. The 25-year-old American of India heritage outlasted Querrey 6-7 (3-7), 7-5, 6-3 to capture his first ATP crown at the $500,000 grasscourt event. Ram only reached the main draw after US top seed Mardy Fish was called to the US Davis Cup team because of an injury to Andy Roddick following his marathon Wimbledon final loss to Roger Federer. Szavay wins at home Hungary's Agnes Szavay brought joy for the home fans on Sunday as she claimed victory at the Budapest WTA event, beating Switzerland's top seed Patty Schnyder in three sets, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, in a final that lasted almost two hours. It was Schnyder who carried the first set on Sunday, taking the lead while fourth-seeded 21-year-old Szavay struggled with her serve. The Hungarian then fought back in the second set, winning it 6-4 and giving hope again to the home crowd. Leading 5-1 in the third set, Szavay missed two match points against Schnyder but was ultimately able to claim victory over the Swiss.
