David Ferrer whipped Stanislas Wawrinka in Sunday's first reverse singles match, sending Spain into the Davis Cup quarterfinals with a first-round victory over Switzerland. The two-time defending champion Spaniards beat the visiting Swiss 4-1.
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Ferrer gave the hosts an unassailable 3-1 lead by blasting Wawrinka 6-2, 6-4, 6-0 in 2 hours, 34 minutes to send the champs into the quarterfinals against France.
A dead rubber on Sunday saw Nicolas Almagro dust Swiss Marco Chiudinelli 6-1. 6-3 to put the finishing touch on the Spanish win.
Spain grabbed a 2-1 lead here on Saturday when its doubles tandem of Tommy Robredo and Marcel Granollers defeated a Swiss pairing of Wawrinka and Yves Allegro 7-6 (10-8), 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 on the red clay at the Plaza de Toros de la Ribera.
On Friday, Wawrinka gave the Swiss a 1-0 lead with a marathon 3-6, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory over Almagro before Ferrer leveled the tie for Spain with a 6-2, 7-6 (7-5), 6-1 victory over Chiudinelli.
Switzerland played without world No. 1 superstar Roger Federer, while Spain did not have its great star, Rafael Nadal, in the lineup. Federer had previously announced that he would not play this week, while the former No. 1 oft-injured Nadal is nursing a bad knee.
Powerful Spain is captained by former French Open champ Albert Costa, while the Swiss was led by Severin Luthi.
The Spaniards are now 5-1 all-time against the Swiss, in a series that dates back to 1946.
Spain beat the Czech Republic in last year's final and won four Davis Cup titles in the 2000s, including two straight to close out the decade. The Spaniards are now unbeaten in 19 home ties stretching back to 1999.
SOURCE: The Sports Network
