Davis Cup Final 2016: Argentina vs. Croatia Winner and Reaction

Argentina came from behind to beat Croatia 3-2 in a thrilling Davis Cup final on Sunday, with Federico Delbonis beating Ivo Karlovic 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in the deciding rubber. Juan Martin del Potro had beaten Marin Cilic 6-7 (4), 2-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-3 in a five-hour epic earlier in the day.

Both sets of fans held terrific voice at Arena Zagreb, where one would have hardly guessed Cilic was the home favourite in a balanced venue. But it was Del Potro who pulled clear at the end of a tremendously fierce battle.

The result meant the Davis Cup final went to a decider, where veteran Karlovic had no answers for Delbonis. The title is Argentina’s first in five trips to the final.

Here’s a look at the full results for the 2016 Davis Cup final:

Recap

As far as finals go, Cilic could hardly have dreamed of a better start at Arena Zagreb on Sunday, breaking his opponent at the first request before rampaging into a 4-1 lead that appeared to leave Del Potro stunned.

The fifth of those games was where the Argentinian started to show some fight. It was to no avail, though, as Cilic battled through an onslaught of near-break points, per the official Davis Cup Twitter account:

#Cilic fends off five break points in the fifth game, including one that just clipped the line, and holds for a 4-1 lead in the opening set! pic.twitter.com/334rTwaJJv

— Davis Cup (@DavisCup) November 27, 2016

Del Potro salvaged that break with his next bite at the cherry, however, replicating the three-game win streak his foe put together at the beginning of the match to draw level at four games apiece.

The serving sets were far more decisive for the remainder of the opening set as the scoreline trickled to 6-6, where it was a tremendous Cilic backhand that bested his South American foe to take a crucial 1-0 lead:

Here is the moment Marin #Cilic went 1-0 up in the fourth rubber of the #DavisCupFinal against #DelPotro pic.twitter.com/R2Vt7VyD6d

— Davis Cup (@DavisCup) November 27, 2016

The second set proved to be far more incisive from Cilic, however. It was again the Croat who broke first, as tennis writer Chris Goldsmith noted, in what proved to be a turning …

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