Rafael Nadal [Images] secured Spain's place in the world group of the Davis Cup for 2007 by beating Italian number one Filippo Volandri 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-3 with a typically combative display on Sunday.

With one singles rubber left to play, Spain held an unassailable 3-1 lead thanks to the world number two, who beat Andreas Seppi on Friday in the second singles rubber and helped Fernando Verdasco to win the doubles on Saturday.

"It was a team effort, no one is special in this group. Circumstances dictated that I played three matches but the team is everything," Nadal said.

Rain delayed the start of play on Sunday by half-an-hour and dampened the spirits of the home crowd who failed to find their voice as Volandri started strongly.

Perhaps showing the effects of having played tough encounters over the previous two days, Nadal looked sluggish early on.

The 25-year-old Volandri, ranked 36 places below Nadal, had not played since seeing off Tommy Robredo in straight sets on Friday morning and confidently moved the Spaniard round the court.

Errors from the French Open champion cost him three breaks of serve in the first set and his opponent continued to look sharper in the second.

After an exchange of breaks midway through the second set a fierce baseline drive from Nadal gave him the crucial break in the 11th game. It proved the turning point as he served out to win 7-5.  

Volandri dropped his next two service games at the start of the third and the reinvigorated Nadal was rarely troubled thereafter as errors crept into Volandri's game.

Nadal cruised to victory in the fourth set to wrap up the decisive point in just over three hours and 15 minutes.

"It was clear that I did start very well and Volandri was controlling the court quite easily at first," Nadal added.

"I started playing my shots longer and mixed it up a bit more which allowed me to take control and this changed the nature of the match."

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