Spain captain Albert Costa faces an agonising selection headache for the Davis Cup final against the Czech Republic when Rafael Nadal will be banging on his door for inclusion.
World number two Nadal, as well as the ninth-ranked Fernando Verdasco, were injured and missed the 4-1 win over Israel where David Ferrer and veteran Juan Carlos Ferrero stepped in to spearhead the defending champions into a fifth Davis Cup final.
Nadal skipped the weekend tie with an abdominal strain picked up on his way to the US Open semi-finals; Costa will also be aware that the six-time Grand Slam title winner sat out the 2008 final victory over Argentina with a knee injury.
‘It will be a very tough decision,’ admitted Costa. ‘I have six, seven, eight players I could use but only four can be in the team. They have to understand that they are the rules.’
Spain made sure of victory over semi-final debutants Israel by Saturday after Ferrer and Ferrero had won Friday's opening singles before Tommy Robredo and Feliciano Lopez combined to take the doubles.
Sunday's action in Murcia was academic with Ferrer beating Andy Ram 6-3, 6-1 and Harel Levy getting Israel on the board, seeing off Lopez 7-5, 6-2.
It will be Spain's seventh Davis Cup final, and the third at home in the last six years.
‘In Spain, tennis is at a great level. We are winning Davis Cups and Grand Slams with Rafa, but we still need to make it even bigger,’ added Costa.
Unlike Spain, the Czechs, who were also 3-0 ahead by Saturday against 2005 champions Croatia in Porec, have no selection problems with top 20 players Radek Stepanek and Tomas Berdych automatic first choices.
The Czechs haven't reached the final since 1980 when they won their one and only title.
On Sunday, they wrapped up a 4-1 win over Croatia with Jan Hajek beating Roko Karanusic 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 before Lovro Zovko salvaged Croatian pride with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Lukas Dlouhy.
‘Spain have the best claycourt players in the world and definitely we are going to be outsiders but we've been in that situation a couple of times this year and we used it to our advantage and I believe we are going to do the same thing in December,’ said Stepanek.
In the World Group play-offs, world number one Roger Federer cruised past Potito Starace 6-3, 6-0, 6-4 to make sure of victory - and a place in the elite 16-nation field next season - over Italy in Genoa.
Federer had been rested from Saturday's doubles loss and said he was happy to have had the break.
‘Thanks to the rest I was able to play my best against Potito,’ said Federer.
‘I did really well because I've had a problem with my leg for a few days, which was better today. In the end everything worked well.’
Nine-time champions France also preserved their World Group place with victory over the Netherlands in Maastricht where world number seven Jo-Wilfried Tsonga won his third rubber of the weekend, a 7-6 (7/5), 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (7/4) victory over Thiemo De Bakker.
Belgium, India and Serbia too made sure of their World Group spots with wins over Ukraine, South Africa and Uzbekistan respectively.
While Federer and Nadal can look forward to World Group action in 2010, world number three Andy Murray was facing life in the third tier after Great Britain lost 3-2 to Poland in a Euro/Africa Group One relegation play-off in Liverpool.
Murray won both his singles rubbers, but teenager Dan Evans, playing in his first Davis Cup tie, was no match for Michal Przysiezny and a 6-2, 6-1, 7-5 defeat in the decisive clash sealed a fourth consecutive defeat for Britain.
Ireland lost 3-2 to Cyprus in July and so remain in Euro/Africa Group Two next year.
