Stepanek, Ferrer to open Davis Cup final

PRAGUE: The Czech Republic's Radek Stepanek and Spain's David Ferrer will open the action at the Davis Cup final here, following Thursday's draw.

Ferrer, the world number five and Spain's top player in Prague, will face 37th-ranked Stepanek at 4:00 pm (1500 GMT) on Friday on the hardcourt of Prague's O2 Arena.

After that meeting, world number six and Czech number one Tomas Berdych will take on Spain's Nicolas Almagro, the world number 11.

Ferrer, who has won six out of his nine games against Stepanek, predicted a tough tie, similar to their five-setter in 2009 when Spain thrashed the Czechs 5-0 in the Davis Cup finals.

Spain have won three Davis Cup trophies in the last four years, and they also won the competition in 2000 and 2004.

Czechoslovakia, which split peacefully into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993, won the Davis Cup in 1980 with a team led by the then 20-year-old Ivan Lendl.

On Sunday, Berdych will face Ferrer before Stepanek takes on Almagro to round off the 100th edition of the Davis Cup final. (AFP)