(CNN) -- Tomas Berdych has hovered around the edge of the "big four" of men's tennis for the past three years, but on Sunday he will take center stage in what could be a historic moment for his country.
The Czech Republic has not won the Davis Cup since its split from Slovakia in 1993, but its men's team are poised follow up its women's success in the Fed Cup after taking a 2-1 lead in the final against defending champions Spain.
The women retained their title in the tournament's 50th staging, and the men are battling to follow up Czechoslovakia's sole 1980 victory as the 100th edition of the Davis Cup comes to a climax in Prague.
"That's all we wanted," Berdych said after helping Radek Stepanek to defeat the ATP World Tour Finals champion partnership of Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez 3-6 7-5 7-5 6-3 in Saturday's doubles rubber.
"We are still missing a lot, it's just one point, but we are looking ahead and we will do everything."
Djokovic beats Federer in ATP final
Novak Djokovic lifts the trophy at the 2012 ATP World Tour Finals after beating Roger Federer in a pulsating final.
Global appeal helps tennis beat economic downturrn
Jubilant Czechs clinch 'amazing' Fed Cup title defense
Berdych is ranked sixth in the world in singles play, and 119th in doubles, but he has come to the fore in the Davis Cup this season with 10 wins from 10 matches.
Friday's victory over Nicolas Almagro, which leveled the final, was his first over a Spanish player after three previous defeats -- including the 2009 final when the Czechs were whitewashed 5-0 in Barcelona.
On Sunday he will play fifth-ranked David Ferrer, who has a leading seven tournament titles this year and 74 match wins -- second only behind world No. 1 Novak Djokovic.
Ferrer has a 22-4 record in Davis Cup matches, including Friday's win over Stepanek, and he holds a 5-3 career advantage in matches against Berdych.
Ferrer is also unbeaten in Davis Cup action this year, and is leading the Spanish team in the absence of the injured Rafael Nadal.
If he beats Berdych in their first encounter this year, then the final will hinge on the fifth rubber between 37th-ranked Stepanek and world No. 11 Almagro.
Almagro has an 8-3 Davis Cup record, but did not feature in last year's final or his country's triumphs in 2004, 2008, and 2009.
© 2013 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Local hero: Andy Murray walks out before an expectant crowd at the O2 Arena in London.
The setting and staging of the ATP World Tour Finals in London has won widespread praise from players and spectators.
A face in the crowd: Hollywood actor Kevin Spacey joined the capacity audiences in London.
The global recession has seen protests across the western world with the Occupy movement taking root outside St Paul's Cathedral in London.
Tennis royalty contested the final of the WTA Championships in Istanbul with Serena Williams beating Maria Sharapova in the final.
Tennis has a global appeal and these fans in Turkey had their own favorite in Russian star Maria Sharapova.
The 2012 tennis season began in earnest in January at the Australian Open. In the final, world No.1 Novak Djokovic and Spain's Rafael Nadal fought a titanic battle before the Serbian emerged on top after five marathon sets.
|