So close but yet so far.
Russia's bid to win the Davis Cup in its first finals appearance fell short when Sweden narrowly won a third straight five-set thriller in Saturday's doubles match, leaving the home side to salvage a point and a little pride in Sunday's meaningless reverse singles play.
"I think it's the most extraordinary Davis Cup final I've ever seen," said Bud Collins, the dean of American television tennis commentators, who covered his first in 1963. "With a couple more shots, it's a different match. They were five shots from winning the Cup."
Instead, a squandered match point by Alexander Volkov in Friday's singles opener against Stefan Edberg, a subsequently unnerved Yevgeny Kafelnikov and three critical missed break points for the Russian team in the decisive doubles tie gave Sweden a 4-1 triumph, its fifth title since 1975 in tennis' most prestigious team event.
"Those were unbelievable matches," retiring team captain John Anders Sjogren said Sunday as his team was showered with generous applause and gleaming trophies on center court at Moscow's Olympic Sports Center. "I want to congratulate the Russian team. We were very lucky to win Friday and Saturday."
The home side stood by smiling, wondering what might have been, as it was awarded its silver medals and was cheered by the crowd of more than 10,000.
"We just lacked luck and experience," a disappointed Kafelnikov said Saturday, after he and partner Andrei Olkhovsky fell to world doubles champions Jan Apell and Jonas Bjorkman, 6-7 (7-4), 6-2, 6-3, 1-6, 8-6. "We couldn't overcome the pressure because we haven't played in these finals before.
"We felt we were playing not just for ourselves but for 200 million Russians. But this is tennis."
A jubilant Swedish side savored its first Davis Cup championship since 1987 and a fitting cap to Sjogren's nine years as team coach. Edberg in particular enjoyed a good finish to what has been a difficult year, with a first-round defeat at the French Open and early exits at the U.S. Open and Wimbledon.
"We have really worked together," Edberg said. "This is a great memory for me."
The Swedes' victory certainly was a team effort, with all four players contributing to the four points earned. While Friday's singles wins by the veteran Edberg and rising star Magnus Larsson put Sweden in the driver's seat, it was the young team of Apell and Bjorkman that clinched the title Saturday behind dominating net play and strong service.
A dramatic first set picked up where Friday's singles left off. The teams fought to 6-6, with Bjorkman's serving staving off two set points for the Russian side in the 12th game, before Kafelnikov and Olkhovsky coasted to a 7-4 win in the tiebreaker.
The Swedes, however, fought back in the next two sets, behind strong serving from the big left-hander Apell and fierce volleying at net that more often than not coped with Kafelnikov's attempts at down-the-line forehands. But the Russians earned a break in the second game of the fourth set and raced to a 6-2 victory, setting up the decisive fifth set.
Kafelnikov and Olkhovsky had their chance in the fourth game on Apell's serve, gaining double-break point at 15-40 before spectacular saves by the Swedes off Russians' volleys knotted the game at deuce, and Bjorkman's net play rescued the game after another break point.
The sides fought on evenly until the 14th game, and it looked like it would be more as Olkhovsky served to a 30-0 lead. At 30-15, Kafelnikov flubbed a return into the net, and then Olkhovsky -- whose strong serving had kept the Russians in the match -- made a critical double-fault. On match point, Kafelnikov fielded a volley at net with the whole left side of the court open to him, but sent his return wide. He clutched his head in despair as the Swedes celebrated.
Sunday's singles matches, limited to best-of-three sets since the outcome was already decided, were lackluster before a more subdued crowd of approximately 10,000.
Edberg started strongly against Kafelnikov, but the Russian rallied and won the third set in just 17 minutes, finishing 4-6, 6-4, 6-0. Larsson beat Volkov, 7-6 (7-4), 6-4, to close the tie.
Russia's bid to win the Davis Cup in its first finals appearance fell short when Sweden narrowly won a third straight five-set thriller in Saturday's doubles match, leaving the home side to salvage a point and a little pride in Sunday's meaningless reverse singles play.
"I think it's the most extraordinary Davis Cup final I've ever seen," said Bud Collins, the dean of American television tennis commentators, who covered his first in 1963. "With a couple more shots, it's a different match. They were five shots from winning the Cup."
Instead, a squandered match point by Alexander Volkov in Friday's singles opener against Stefan Edberg, a subsequently unnerved Yevgeny Kafelnikov and three critical missed break points for the Russian team in the decisive doubles tie gave Sweden a 4-1 triumph, its fifth title since 1975 in tennis' most prestigious team event.
"Those were unbelievable matches," retiring team captain John Anders Sjogren said Sunday as his team was showered with generous applause and gleaming trophies on center court at Moscow's Olympic Sports Center. "I want to congratulate the Russian team. We were very lucky to win Friday and Saturday."
The home side stood by smiling, wondering what might have been, as it was awarded its silver medals and was cheered by the crowd of more than 10,000.
"We just lacked luck and experience," a disappointed Kafelnikov said Saturday, after he and partner Andrei Olkhovsky fell to world doubles champions Jan Apell and Jonas Bjorkman, 6-7 (7-4), 6-2, 6-3, 1-6, 8-6. "We couldn't overcome the pressure because we haven't played in these finals before.
"We felt we were playing not just for ourselves but for 200 million Russians. But this is tennis."
A jubilant Swedish side savored its first Davis Cup championship since 1987 and a fitting cap to Sjogren's nine years as team coach. Edberg in particular enjoyed a good finish to what has been a difficult year, with a first-round defeat at the French Open and early exits at the U.S. Open and Wimbledon.
"We have really worked together," Edberg said. "This is a great memory for me."
The Swedes' victory certainly was a team effort, with all four players contributing to the four points earned. While Friday's singles wins by the veteran Edberg and rising star Magnus Larsson put Sweden in the driver's seat, it was the young team of Apell and Bjorkman that clinched the title Saturday behind dominating net play and strong service.
A dramatic first set picked up where Friday's singles left off. The teams fought to 6-6, with Bjorkman's serving staving off two set points for the Russian side in the 12th game, before Kafelnikov and Olkhovsky coasted to a 7-4 win in the tiebreaker.
The Swedes, however, fought back in the next two sets, behind strong serving from the big left-hander Apell and fierce volleying at net that more often than not coped with Kafelnikov's attempts at down-the-line forehands. But the Russians earned a break in the second game of the fourth set and raced to a 6-2 victory, setting up the decisive fifth set.
Kafelnikov and Olkhovsky had their chance in the fourth game on Apell's serve, gaining double-break point at 15-40 before spectacular saves by the Swedes off Russians' volleys knotted the game at deuce, and Bjorkman's net play rescued the game after another break point.
The sides fought on evenly until the 14th game, and it looked like it would be more as Olkhovsky served to a 30-0 lead. At 30-15, Kafelnikov flubbed a return into the net, and then Olkhovsky -- whose strong serving had kept the Russians in the match -- made a critical double-fault. On match point, Kafelnikov fielded a volley at net with the whole left side of the court open to him, but sent his return wide. He clutched his head in despair as the Swedes celebrated.
Sunday's singles matches, limited to best-of-three sets since the outcome was already decided, were lackluster before a more subdued crowd of approximately 10,000.
Edberg started strongly against Kafelnikov, but the Russian rallied and won the third set in just 17 minutes, finishing 4-6, 6-4, 6-0. Larsson beat Volkov, 7-6 (7-4), 6-4, to close the tie.
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