The US was eliminated a while ago with the team of Djokovic and Troicki beating Querrey and Isner.  They had to go into qualifying to get back in the main draw.  Given Mardy Fish’s recent success, it was no surprise that he was picked to represent the US.  Andy Roddick had decided that, to avoid injuries, he would no longer play Davis Cup.  James Blake, who was also a Davis Cup stalwart, has found his ranking spiraling downward, and so hasn’t been asked to play.

Although the US was up 2-1 and therefore had a match to “lose”, Fish was the US’s best chance to win the tie.  He would have to beat Santiago Giraldo who beat Querrey in straight sets.  Giraldo took the first set, but Fish was able to take the next two sets, but Giraldo claimed the fourth.  They held serve until 5-all when Mardy Fish lost serve and Giraldo would serve for the set.

But Fish played aggressively and broke Giraldo to 6-all.  He then held to 7-6, and broke a second time to win the match, 8-6, in a match that went around 4 and a half hours.

The US clinched the tie with that point, and Fish pulled off the triple, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished by an American since Pete Sampras beat Kafelnikov and Chesnokov in 1995 at Moscow on clay, and won the doubles with Todd Martin.  Fish needed two five setters to win his singles and a four-setter to win doubles.

The match was tough for the US for several reasons.  First, they played on clay.  None of the US players play their best on clay.  Most play best on hard courts.  The second reason is altitude.  Bogota is around 8000 feet above sea level making it one of the highest altitudes where tennis is played.  This seemed to disrupt Sam Querrey.  However, Fish managed to keep his resolve and play the big points when he needed to.

They may let Ryan Harrison play the fifth match because he was yanked at the last moment in doubles in favor of Mardy Fish.

Lleyton Hewitt injured his hand in Davis Cup and may miss several weeks of play.  Peter Luczak will have to fill in.

Serbia also pulled a comeback with Janko Tipsarevic beating Radek Stepanek in straight sets.  This means France will head to Serbia to try to claim their 10th Davis Cup title while Serbia will attempt to win their first.  Again, a key for France is the doubles.  It appears as if they will play this match on indoor hard courts, although clay might be a better choice for the Serbs (given Djokovic can play either surface).