Moscow: Russia won their second Davis Cup title on Sunday, with Marat Safin beating Jose Acasuso of Argentina 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5) in the fifth and deciding match.
The Russians beat Argentina 3-2 in the best-of-five series.
David Nalbandian had evened the score at 2-2 earlier in the day by beating Nikolay Davydenko 6-2, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 in the first reverse singles match at the Olympic Stadium.
Safin, a two-time Grand Slam champion, had been drawn to play Juan Ignacio Chela in the final match, but Argentina captain Alberto Mancini replaced him with Acasuso, who had not yet played in the final but was unbeaten in his four previous Davis Cup matches this year.
Davydenko beat Chela in Friday's opening match on synthetic indoor carpet, but Nalbandian then beat Safin to even the score.
On Saturday, Russia took a 2-1 lead when Safin and Dmitry Tursunov topped Nalbandian and Agustin Calleri in the doubles.
Russia won their first Davis Cup title in France in 2002.
The Russians lost to the United States in the 1995 final, and to Sweden a year earlier.
Argentina lost in their only previous Davis Cup final to the United States in 1981.
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