BELGRADE: Veteran Czech tennis player Radek Stepanek was a little too much for Serbian rookie Dusan Lajovic to handle in the fifth and final rubber of the Davis Cup final here on Sunday.
The Czech Republic thereby retained their Cup title, with an overall 3-2 triumph over hosts Serbia.
Stepanek won in straight sets, 6-3, 6-1, 6-1.
World number 117 Lajovic was the lowest ranked player to contest a live fifth rubber since No. 162 Michael Mertinak of Slovakia did so in 2005.
2005 was also the last time an away team (Croatia) won the title in a live fifth rubber.
The Czechs also became the first away team to win the Davis Cup since Spain did so in 2008.
Earlier in the day, Novak Djokovic kept alive Serbia’s hopes of winning their second Davis title in four years by beating Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic to even the final at 2-2.
Second-ranked Djokovic won 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-2 to improve his career record against Berdych to 15-2.
Djokovic, who improved his winning streak to 24 matches since September, converted his first match point with an ace, bringing cheers from the boisterous Serbian crowd at Belgrade Arena.
Serbia won their only Davis Cup title in 2010 against France.
Earlier rubbers saw Djokovic defeat Stepanek in the first singles match, before Berdych took down Lajovic.
Berdych and Stepanek then combined to play the doubles rubber, beating Ilija Bozoljac and Nenad Zimonjic late on Saturday, 6-2, 6-4, 7-6. (AP)
