The United States advanced to the Davis Cup semifinals as Rick Leach and Jim Pugh dispatched Spain's doubles team in straight sets Saturday, giving the defending champions an insurmountable 3-0 lead.
The American squad, which won all three matches without losing a set, will face Germany and Boris Becker in September.Leach and Pugh, who have a 6-0 record in three years of Davis Cup play, never lost a service game in their 7-6 (8-6), 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) triumph over Emilio Sanchez and Sergio Casal at Newport Casino.
The Spaniards, who are at their best on slower surfaces, could not match the aggressiveness and solid volleying of the Americans. The match paired two of the sport's finest teams; Leach and Pugh own three Grand Slam titles while Sanchez and Casal have captured two.
In London, top seed Stefan Edberg moved closer to his first Stella Artois Grass Court Championships title with a 6-4, 6-2 semifinal victory over American MaliVai Washington Saturday in the $518,000 event at Queen's Club.