ESPN Tennis

MADRID, Spain -- Andy Roddick lost to David Ferrer in five sets, giving Spain a commanding 2-0 lead Friday over the defending champion United States in their Davis Cup semifinal.

The fifth-ranked Ferrer defeated No. 8 Roddick 7-6 (5), 2-6, 1-6, 6-4, 8-6 before a near-capacity crowd of 21,000 at the Las Ventas bullfighting arena.

Earlier, top-ranked Rafael Nadal gave the hosts the early advantage with a 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 win over Sam Querrey. Spain, which hasn't lost a clay-court Davis Cup series in nine years, could secure its sixth Davis Cup final appearance Saturday when Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez play Americans Mike Bryan and Mardy Fish in doubles.

"Obviously we're up against it, but we knew that coming here," said U.S. captain Patrick McEnroe. "We're going to try and win the doubles."

Reverse singles will be played Sunday, and the winner will face either Argentina or Russia in the final.

Roddick looked on course for victory after dominating the second and third sets, but Ferrer took the fourth thanks to an early break. Roddick then volleyed a backhand into the net to lose his serve in the 13th game of the fifth, and Ferrer served out for the win.

"I played a bad game at the beginning of the fourth set and after that he definitely raised his level," Roddick said. "Besides that game, I thought I played well in the fourth and fifth set."

Roddick, who had a nine-match winning streak snapped, complained to the chair umpire several times about the noise in the final set.

"The crowd played a fundamental role," Ferrer said. "In the fifth set, there was a lot of tension and it was an emotional game. It was important to have them at my side."

Roddick dropped to 0-3 against top 10 players in Davis Cup play.

"At the end of the match a couple of guys shouted out in the middle of the game and as I told Andy, that happens," McEnroe said. "That's a little frustrating but to be expected in a match like that."

The U.S. has won a record 32 Davis Cup titles but is using a makeshift squad because of the late withdrawals of James Blake (fatigue) and Bob Bryan (left shoulder injury). The U.S. is 1-31 when dropping the opening two matches. The 39th-ranked Querrey, making his Davis Cup debut, came out strongly and took the first set in a tiebreaker after Nadal hit a shot into the net.

But 74 unforced errors cost Querrey as Nadal won the second set on his second break point to even the match.

"He got himself fired up and got the crowd into it," Querrey said.

The Spaniard broke Querrey two more times to close out the match.

Querrey had 17 aces and 76 winners. Nadal had 59 winners and 35 unforced errors.

"It was very difficult," Nadal said. "Never in my life have I had so many service points scored against me on a clay court. It's very important for us to start with a victory."

Spain, which hasn't lost a clay-court Davis Cup series in nine years, is looking to reach its sixth Davis Cup final. The U.S., winner of a record 32 Davis Cup titles, has assembled a makeshift squad following the withdrawals of Blake and doubles player Bob Bryan. The winner will face either Argentina or Russia in the final.

The Americans are 29-44 when dropping the first singles match.

Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez will team up in Saturday's doubles against American pair Mike Bryan and Mardy Fish, who is filling for Bob Bryan. Nadal plays Roddick and Ferrer faces Querrey in Sunday's reverse singles.

Querrey's previous record against left-handed players (3-5) and on clay (5-9) didn't bode well, especially since he was up against a player who came in with a 155-14 career record and 22 titles on the surface.

The 6-foot-6 American started well with an ace to take the opening game. Nadal, playing for the first time in Spain since winning Wimbledon and Olympic gold, finally had the home crowd cheering after smacking a winner down the line to set up the tiebreaker.

The 20-year-old Querrey took a 4-1 lead in the tiebreaker after serving a 134 mph serve down the middle. Nadal battled back to 5-4 before double-faulting, and Querrey closed out the set two points later.

"It was very difficult for me to return balls and control points," said Nadal, who improved to 9-2 on clay in the competition. "Maybe with the altitude it made it a little bit easier for him ... to score points much easier than normally on a clay court."

Querrey broke Nadal for the first, and only, time to open the second set. The Spaniard, who has lost only twice in his last 116 clay matches, broke back for 2-2.

"With a 2-0 lead, if maybe I had made another shot here or there or if he missed a shot ... I could have gone up 3-0 and made it tougher for him to come back," Querrey said. "But he doesn't go away."

Both players held serve until the 10th game, when Querrey missed two straight backhands and Nadal evened the match at 1-set apiece.

Nadal took control in the third set, breaking Querrey in the fourth game with a crosscourt forehand and celebrating with a running jump and fist pump.

In the fourth set, Querrey saved two break points in the seventh game and held for 4-3. But his serve was wilting in the afternoon sun, and a double-fault in the ninth game preceded a backhand into the net to give Nadal the decisive break.

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press