McEnroe looking forward to semi-final in Spain

US Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe said yesterday that their semi-final in Spain would be the ultimate test for his team.

The holders' reward for wrapping up a 4-1 victory over France on Sunday will be a September battle with the Spanish on their preferred surface of slow red clay courts.

Undeterred by the prospect, McEnroe said: "I was kind of hoping to get a chance to play Spain, it's a great opportunity for us.

"I think it's the ultimate DavisCup challenge to go to Spain, play against them obviously on slow red clay."

"I think we can do it. Obviously, we're the underdog but we have a lot of experience now."

McEnroe, who led the US to a record 32nd Davis Cup title last year, must now prepare for a contest in which both teams could have two top 10 players on their squad.

The US, who hold a 5-3 winning record over Spain in the Davis Cup, will probably be unchanged with number six Andy Roddick, number eight James Blake and the top-ranked pairing of Bob and Mike Bryan for a record 11th consecutive tie.

The Spaniards have a long list of players to choose from, starting with number two Rafael Nadal, the three-time reigning French Open champion, and number five David Ferrer.

Blake was upbeat about his performances on the Spaniards' favourite surface.

"I've had some pretty good clay court wins against guys like (Carlos) Moya and (Andy) Murray and (Nicolas) Almagro and (Gael) Monfils, so I know I can beat top players on clay," he said.

"It's just a matter of putting it together a few in a row. And in Davis Cup I only need two wins, maybe one with this team. It's just a matter of my confidence and executing it."

Roddick had no doubts about the size of the task in Spain, but made it clear the team were ready to fight.

"It's going to be tough," Roddick said. "I don't know if it's going to do any good to sit here and freak out about it for the next three or four months.

"I can assure you one thing. I know it's not convenient for us. I know we're not the favourites, but we're gonna go and try."

Quarter-final results: US bt France 4-1; Germany lost to Spain 1-4; Russia bt Czech Rep. 3-2; Argentina bt Sweden 4-1.