EINDHOVEN, Netherlands -- Paul Haarhuis and
Sjenk Schalken sent Davis Cup holder Spain spinning to a first-round defeat on Saturday when they beat Alex Corretja and Juan
Balcells 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (12-10) to give the Netherlands a 3-0
lead.
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Defeat cuts deep
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Spain's Alex
Corretja suffered a freak injury during the Davis Cup doubles
defeat by the Netherlands on Saturday after trying to open a
glass door with his foot.
Corretja and his partner, Juan Balcells, lost the third set to
Paul Haarhuis and Sjeng Schalken on a tiebreaker on their way to a
four-set defeat.
The Spanish player, frustrated at letting the chance slip,
suffered the injury on his way back to the changing room for a
break.
"We have a glass door to the changing room and instead of
opening it with my hand like any normal human being I decided to
use my foot," Corretja explained.
"The glass broke and I had to pull out my leg, which was cut
in a lot of places."
Corretja was seen getting treatment on his shin at the start
of the fourth set.
"I was lucky I didn't suffer any more serious injury," he
said. "It was just anger at losing that third set."
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Spain, trailing 2-0 after being outfoxed in Friday's opening
singles, needed its doubles pairing to find the same skill and
spirit that led them to a straight-sets victory over Australia
in last season's final.
But the 34-year-old Haarhuis grew in strength and confidence
as the game went on to haul his side back from a set down and
end Spain's hopes of a dramatic comeback.
Raemon Sluiter, the debutant who outpunched Juan Carlos
Ferrero in five sets on Friday to set the Netherlands on their
way, was in tears at the end after a tense
fourth-set tiebreak was finally won 12-10.
It was only the sixth time in the history of the competition
-- but the third in the last five years -- that the champions
have been beaten in the first round the following year.
"You have to say the Dutch played better than us," conceded
Spain's new captain, Jordi Arrese.
"I believe we have the players to win the Davis Cup again
but circumstances were different this year."
Corretja said: "Of course, it's disappointing, particularly
after the reaction to our win in the competition last year.
"We have our heads held high, though, because we played as
well as we could."
Spain, which played all its ties at home and on clay in last
year's winning run, struggled throughout to adjust to the fast
indoor carpet and they pair complained frequently about a series of
line calls they felt went against them.
Spain took the first set of the doubles thanks to a break in
the first game when Haarhuis, in particular, looked sluggish
around the court.
However, the Dutch held their nerve and broke in game eight
of the second set when Balcells, under increasing pressure on
his serve, volleyed into the net on the second break point.
There were no breaks in the third or fourth sets. The Dutch
took the third 7-3 in the tiebreak but the fourth was a lot
closer.
Spain saved two match points but could not prevent a Dutch
win on the third as Corretja put a volley off his own serve
fractionally wide.
The writing was on the wall for the Spanish after Friday's
disappointing display in the opening singles when Ferrero lost
to Sluiter -- a late replacement for Richard Krajicek -- and
Carlos Moya went down in straight sets to Schalken.
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