czech
Stepanek won the rubber match in four sets on Sunday. Reuters

In front of roaring fans, Czech Republic defeated defending-champion Spain on Sunday at the O2 Arena in Prague to win the Davis Cup, 3-2.

Radek Stepanek held off Nicolas Almagro 6-4, 7-6, 3-6, 6-3 in the final match to give the Czechs the double in 2012: a Davis Cup and a Fed Cup for men's and women's team tennis.

On Friday, Tomas Berdych defeated Almagro 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-3 to give Czech Republic a 1-1 result after the opening singles matches.

The Davis Cup title marks the first time Czech Republic have won the tournament as an independent nation. It won in 1980, when the nation was Czechoslovakia, which split in 1993.

The 1980 team was led by Ivan Lendl, who had been watching this tournament with his former teammates.