Nadal subdues Stakhovsky to put Spain in control

MADRID - A ruthless Rafa Nadal made a seamless transition from hard court to clay when he crushed Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine 6-0 6-0 6-4 to give Spain a commanding 2-0 lead in their Davis Cup World Group playoff in Madrid on Friday.

Turning out for his country only four days after his US Open triumph in New York, the world number two showed no sign of fatigue or sympathy for his 92nd-ranked opponent as he dismantled the hapless Stakhovsky in devastating fashion at the futuristic "Magic Box" venue.

Clubbing winners apparently at will on the Manolo Santana showcourt, Nadal put Spain firmly in control following Fernando Verdasco's 3-6 6-4 6-4 6-2 success against Ukrainian number one Alexandr Dolgopolov in the opening singles rubber.

Stakhovsky, who caused a sensation at Wimbledon this year when he beat seven-times champion Roger Federer in the second round, raised his arms and was given a rousing cheer when he won the opening game of the third set.

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He found the inspiration to hold serve three more times before Nadal secured the crucial break to lead 5-4 and clinched victory on his first match point when Stakhovsky sent a backhand service return sailing beyond the baseline.

It was the first time in 769 career singles matches that Nadal has won the opening two sets of a best-of-five set encounter 6-0.

"Obviously it's not the ideal thing physically to change surfaces in a couple of days," the Spaniard said in a courtside interview with Spanish television broadcaster Teledeporte.

"But it's always special for me to play on clay and it's a surface that I love," the 27-year-old added.

"I had only a very short time to adapt but I more or less felt fine."

Spain need one more point for victory in the best-of-five tie and could wrap things up in Saturday's doubles as they bid to preserve their place in the elite World Group.

Captain Alex Corretja said Nadal would partner Marc Lopez, while Ukraine's designated doubles pair is Denys Molchanov and Vladyslav Manafov.