Janko Tipsarevic emerged as Serbia's hero after he beat Radek Stepanek in the decisive rubber to propel his country to their first Davis Cup final with an nerve-jangling 3-2 win over the Czech Republic.
The often inconsistent Tipsarevic capped an outstanding individual weekend, having also beaten Tomas Berdych on Friday, by sweeping aside Stepanek 6-0, 7-6, 6-4 to power the Serbians into a home showdown against nine-times champions France.
Earlier on Sunday, Novak Djokovic pulled Serbia level at 2-2 after he downed Tomas Berdych 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 in three hours 14 minutes in front of 18,000 passionate home fans in the Belgrade Arena.
It was Tipsarevic who sent the capacity crowd into raptures with a flawless performance which saw him take the opening set in just 23 minutes, allowing Stepanek to win only seven points.
"This was a fairytale end to the tie, I have to thank the crowd for their fantastic support because they brought us back from the dead," Tipsarevic said in an emotional courtside interview.
"Finally, it was my turn to shine for the national team after the others, mostly Djokovic proved to be instrumental so many times," he told a news conference after a flawless performance.
"I am glad I saved my best tennis for the national team in a match of this magnitude. I had to finish it in three sets today because I was getting tired towards the end and Stepanek was getting back into the match."
Tipsarevic seemed to be coasting when he took a 3-1 lead in the second set but after Stepanek broke back to force the tiebreak, the Serbian had to save a set point before clinching it.
He romped away to a 4-0 lead in the third before the nerves started to set in when Stepanek won three games in a row and then saved two match points.
However, the Serbians could not be silenced and after Stepanek sent a backhand wide, the crowd went into a frenzy as they jumped to their feet to hail their hero.
IMPREGNABLE FORTRESS
The Serbian team carried Tipsarevic on their shoulders and lay on the court in a heart-shaped formation, sporting the country's flags as the fans gave them a standing ovation.
The wild celebrations on the court and the terraces have become a regular Davis Cup sight in the Belgrade Arena, an impregnable fortress where Serbia have won all four of their home ties since they reached the World Group in 2008.
Djokovic, who had to dig deep to beat Berdych after a sluggish start to the match, was confident Serbia would beat France in the Dec. 3-5 final in what will be a difficult trip for the nine-times winners.
"No team in the world are favourites in the Belgrade Arena, not even if they have the best singles and doubles players in the world," Djokovic said.
"I am confident we can keep our unbeaten record intact but it's too early to think about the French, we now want to celebrate this historic achievement.
"Tipsarevic was the hero of this magnificent victory, he proved that he is a real champion and kept remarkably cool under great pressure. I am so happy for him," he added.
US beat Colombia to remain in World Group
Mardy Fish won his second five-set match in three days to lead the United States to a 3-1 win over Colombia in the Davis Cup on Sunday in Bogota.
The triumph keeps the US in the Davis Cup World Group, the highest level in the international team competition.
Fish followed up his opening day win over Alejandro Fallo with a 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, 4-6, 8-6 victory against Santiago Giraldo to give the Americans an insurmountable lead in their playoff tie.
With the overall winner decided and rain starting to fall, the final match was cancelled, leaving the US as 3-1 winners and still in the elite World Group for next season.
"Mardy has great variety in his game," U.S. captain Patrick McEnroe told the official Davis Cup website (www.daviscup.com). "He can adapt to the situation and go to his toolbox as needed.
"All during the match, I told him to think about the sacrifice and hard work that he has put in over the ten months."
