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Djokovic helps send Serbia into Davis Cup final

Janko Tipsarevic was the hero © Getty Images

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Novak Djokovic and Janko Tipsarevic both claimed vital singles victories to send Serbia into a Davis Cup final against France in December.

The two triumphs helped Serbia complete a stirring comeback against last year's runners-up, the Czech Republic.

With Serbia trailing 2-1, Djokovic came to the rescue as he battled through pain to get the better of Tomas Berdych - and keep his country in the competition.

The world No. 2 looked in desperate trouble when he succumbed to a knee injury in the second set, having already lost the first.

But Djokovic, who was beaten in the US Open final by Rafael Nadal, is nothing if not resilient - as he showed by battling past Roger Federer at Flushing Meadows. He refused to be affected by the knee problem and went on to record a 4-6 6-3 6-2 6-4 triumph against Berdych, levelling the scores at 2-2.

That meant the match between Tipsarevic and Stepanek was now a high-stakes, winner-takes-all affair. "What matters now is Tipsarevic's decisive match against Stepanek," Djokovic said. "We expected this tie to go down the wire."

Tipsarevic made no mistake to send Serbia into their first Davis Cup final, showing remarkable composure under intense pressure to cruise past his opponent 6-0 7-6 6-4.

Earlier in the day, Gilles Simon - in for the rested Gael Monfils - put France one win away from a whitewash over Argentina by beating Eduardo Schwank 7-6(5) 6-7(6) 6-3. Simon repaid captain Guy Forget's faith in him by producing an impressive performance - he didn't face a break point across the three sets.

Arnaud Clement completed the 5-0 whitewash, and heaped more misery on Argentina, when he brushed aside Horacio Zeballos 7-5 6-1 in a little over an hour.

Australia's Peter Luczak, who replaced the injured Lleyton Hewitt, and Belgium's Olivier Rochus were locked at 4-4 when rain forced the abandonment of play. Australia currently hold a 2-1 lead in the tie, meaning they are one victory away from entering the World Group for the first time since 2007.

Mardy Fish became the first American to win three times in a single Davis Cup match since 1995 when he handed his nation an insurmountable lead over Colombia that keeps them in the World Group.

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