Goffin's 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 triumph in front of a boisterous home crowd gave Belgium a 3-1 lead and sent them into a home semi-final against Australia who also wrapped up victory over the United States thanks to Nick Kyrgios's defeat of Sam Querrey.
"I think especially Rafa playing singles and doubles almost every day, he's been our MVP this week," Lopez said.
Faced with problem of plenty, India's Davis Cup coach Nandan Bal said, the doubles combination for the Davis Cup tie against New Zealand will be decided on the basis of players' fitness levels and weather conditions.
The Japanese are not in the Indian capital with towering expectations or claims, they have lost 17 of the 20 Davis Cup ties against India, and don't have games tailor-made for the grass court.
Britain will attempt to win the Davis Cup for the first time in 79 years this weekend when they take on Belgium in Ghent, although if they do succeed the Scottish town of Dunblane could argue its name should be enscribed on the trophy.
Roger Federer toughed out a 5-7, 7-6 (5), 6-2, 6-3 victory over Australia's Lleyton Hewitt to level Switzerland's Davis Cup World playoff tie at 1-1 on Friday.
Serbia's Novak Djokovic pummelled France's Gael Monfils on Sunday to tie the Davis Cup final at 2-2 and set up a nailbiting climax later in the Belgrade Arena.
India are due to be in Islamabad for the tie after the ITF allowed Pakistan the right to host the tie on September 14 and 15.
Tennis Australia will appeal the International Tennis Federation's (ITF) decision to confirm Chennai as the venue for next month's Davis Cup tie between India and Australia, citing security concerns, local media reported. Security worries have grown around sporting events in south Asia following the ambush on the Sri Lankan cricket team bus in Lahore, Pakistan, by armed gunmen last month.
'You'd also be wrong if you tried to lump me in the same category as Bernard Tomic'
Rohan Bopanna and Saketh Myneni lost the do-or-die doubles rubber against Serbia as India conceded an unassailable 0-3 lead to lose the Davis World Group Play-off tie, in Kraljevo, Serbia on Saturday.
Rafael Nadal fired hosts Spain into the Davis Cup final as he joined Feliciano Lopez to win a thrilling late-night doubles and seal a nail-biting 2-1 victory over Britain on Saturday.
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.
Vijay Amritraj gets Padma Bhushan; Rohit Sharma, Harmanpreet Kaur receive Padma Shri
Mats Wilander has quit as Sweden's Davis Cup coach, the country's tennis federation said on Tuesday.
The US has selected the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut as the stage for the Davis Cup first-round tie against Austria in February.
Holders Serbia avoided any more scares to complete a 4-1 victory over India in the Davis Cup on Sunday and Germany joined them in the quarter-finals as Philipp Petzschner edged them to victory in a thriller in Croatia. The United States also booked a home quarter-final against favourites Spain as Andy Roddick gave them a 3-1 lead in Chile with victory over Paul Capdeville.
India badly missed Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhuapthi as Rohan Bopanna and Somdev Devvarman lost the crucial doubles rubber to hand a 2-1 lead to top seeds and defending champions Serbia in the Davis Cup World Group first round tie, in Novi Sad, Serbia, on Saturday.
Somdev Devvarman learnt a good tennis lesson from Mikhail Youzhny and was outclassed 2-6, 1-6, 3-6 in the first reverse singles, resulting in India's ouster from the elite World Group of the Davis Cup tournament in Moscow on Sunday.
There was just gut-wrenching despair as Serbia's hopes slipped away in the cruellest fashion imaginable.
Andy Murray is prepared to switch from grasscourts to clay in a matter of days to play for champions Britain against Serbia in the Davis Cup, the world number two said on Friday.
Andy Murray has withdrawn from Britain's Davis Cup match against Ukraine this weekend after failing to recover from a virus, officials said on Monday.
India consolidated its place further in Davis Cup history on Sunday when it scored a come-from-behind 3-2 win over Brazil in the world group play-off tie in Chennai.
Thomaz Bellucci helped Brazil draw first blood in the Davis Cup World Group play-off tie against India, scoring a fighting five-set victory over Rohan Bopanna. The 22-year-old held his nerve to overcome the 30-year-old Indian 6-7 (2), 7-6 (7), 7-5, 4-6, 10-8 in a baseline slugfest that lasted a little less than four-and-a-half hours.
Yannick Noah is looking to restore old-fashioned values to the French Davis Cup team as he embarks on his third stint as captain.
Leander Paes has pulled out of the crucial Davis Cup World Group play-off tie against South Africa due to shoulder and elbow injuries.
A spate of recent successes on the ITF circuit has fetched Delhi lad Yuki Bhambri a place in the Indian Davis Cup squad for the crucial World Group play-off tie against South Africa scheduled on September 18 to 20.
An Indian tennis team will travel to Pakistan after 55 years. The last time they sparred on Pakistan soil was way back in March 1964 in Lahore, where India won 4-0.
An angry Lleyton Hewitt labelled the ITF's actions a disgrace after the tennis governing body fined Australia $10,000 over their decision to boycott a Davis Cup zonal tie in India because of security concerns. Tennis Australia had asked the International Tennis Federation to move the May 8-10 Asia/Oceania tie out of the southern Indian city of Chennai but the request was rejected and the 28-times champions forfeited the contest.
Marin Cilic overcame Federico Delbonis 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 1-6, 6-2 after a titanic tussle in the opening singles rubber to give hosts Croatia a 1-0 lead over Argentina in the Davis Cup final on Friday.
Seasoned pros Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi showed their class and chemistry by recording a clinical win over Igor Kunitsyn and Teimuraz Gabashvili to keep India's chances alive in the Davis Cup World Group tie against Russia in Moscow on Saturday.
The Swedish tennis federation has been fined $25,000 and Malmo banned from hosting Davis Cup matches for five years after the city's authorities opted to play last month's tie against Israel behind closed doors. The ITF also said in a statement Sweden would have to pay an additional $15,000, which it would have received in gate receipts had the March 6-8 match been open to spectators.
Mahesh Bhupathi may not be considered again for the job as India's non-playing captain after he refused to be part of the Davis Cup tie against Pakistan.
Yuki Bhambri, the country's No 1 singles player, will open India's Davis Cup campaign when he takes on world No 85 Lukas Rosol in the first singles of the World Group play-off match against the Czech Republic, in Delhi, on Friday. The second singles will be played between Somdev Devvarman and Czech No 1 Jiri Vesley.
Spain secured their second successive Davis Cup triumph, and their fourth in all, when they extended their lead over Czech Republic to an unassailable 3-0 in Saturday's doubles.
Non-playing captain Shiv Prakash Misra on the new Davis Cup team, the ban and future of Indian tennis.
India's non-playing captain Anand Amritraj was upbeat ahead of the Asia Oceania Group I Davis Cup tie against New Zealand, to be played in Pune from February 3 to 5, but cautioned the Kiwis should not be taken lightly.
Rohit Rajpal will continue as India's non-playing captain. He took over as captain last year after the country's top players and then captain Mahesh Bhupathi refused to travel to Pakistan in November. India is scheduled to travel to Croatia for their next tie on March 6 and 7.
Coming into the do-or-die match, Rohan Bopanna and Leander Paes, with a combined age of 86, won 6-3, 6-7(9), 7-5 after two hours and 21 minutes against Pavic and Skugor, ranked 15 and 32 respectively.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances