Argentina beats Croatia to play in Davis Cup semifinals

BUENOS AIRES - Four-time Davis Cup runners-up Argentina entered the semifinals of the 2012 edition on Sunday, beating Croatia 4-1 at home.

Croatia's Marin Cilic and Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro shake hands at the end of after their single Davis Cup World Group quarterfinal tennis match in Buenos Aires April 8, 2012.[Photo/Agencies]

Argentinean tennis player Juan Martin del Potro, ranked 10th worldwide, crushed Croatia's Marin Cilic, ranked 23rd, 6-1, 6-2 and 6-1 at Parque Roca's outdoor clay courts in Buenos Aires to end the three-day quarterfinal.

The duel began Friday at Mary Teran de Weiss stadium, which was packed with 14,500 spectators on each of the three days.

In the men's singles, Juan Monaco (ranked 16th) beat Antonio Veic (150) with a double 6-1 to close the series 4-1.

On Saturday, Cilic beat David Nalbandian (50) 5-7, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (2) and 6-3 in doubles that lasted more than five hours.

In the following match, Del Potro, still suffering from a stomach ailment,beat Ivo Karlovic (52) 6-2, 7-6 (7) and 6-1.

In another five-hour match Saturday, the Nalbandian-Eduardo Schwank doubles team defeated the team of Cilic-Karlovic by 3-6, 7-6 (6), 6-3, 6-7 (6) and 8-6.

Argentina will face the Czech Republic in semifinals on September 14-16, also in Buenos Aires.

Argentina's team, captained by Martin Jaite,has made it to the Davis Cup finals four times, but lost each time, last year to Spain.

Team Argentina lost to the US team in Cincinatti (1-3) in 1981, to the Russians in Moscow (2-3) in 2006, and twice to Spain (1-3 in 2008 in Mar del Plata and 1-3 in 2011 in Seville).