UPDATE 1-Tennis-Czechs reach Davis Cup final after 29 years

                                
 * Czechs Stepanek and Berdych win doubles for 3-0 lead
                                
 * Reach first Davis Cup final since Czechoslovakia in 1980
                                
 * Will face Spain in December showdown
 (adds details, Cilic quote)
                                
 POREC, Croatia, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Czech Republic reached
the Davis Cup final for the first time when Radek Stepanek and
Tomas Berdych beat Marin Cilic and Lovro Zovko 6-1 6-3 6-4 to
open an unassailable 3-0 lead over Croatia on Saturday.
                                
 They will travel to Spain, winners in 2000, 2004 and 2008
for December's final, most likely on clay, after the Spaniards
took a 3-0 lead over Israel in Murcia on Saturday.
                                
 "This is an unbelievable success for our country," Czech
captain Jaroslav Navratil told Croatian TV. "We made it to the
final after 29 years and I am exceptionally proud of our players
who put up a great performance in all three matches."
                                
 The former Czechoslovakia won the Davis Cup in 1980 by
beating Italy with a team led by Ivan Lendl but this is the
first time the Czech Republic have reached the final.
                                
 The Czech doubles pair won in two hours and 15 minutes in a
contest that was much less difficult than their singles matches.
                                
 "It was really hard to play after the dramatic matches on
Friday but the Czech players were better and I congratulate them
on the well-deserved win," said Cilic.
                                
 On Friday, Stepanek had put the visitors ahead by beating
Karlovic 6-7 7-6 7-6 6-7 16-14 in a marathon opener in which the
82 games played equalled the highest number in a Davis Cup
rubber since the introduction of the tiebreak in 1989.
                                
 Even Karlovic's record 78 aces were not enough to win an
extraordinary match that had the fans on the edge of their seats
at the Zatika Arena in the northern Adriatic town of Porec.
                                
 In the second singles rubber, Berdych needed three hours and
47 minutes to beat 15th ranked Cilic 6-3 6-3 3-6 4-6 6-3.
                                
 
                                
 GREAT SUCCESS
                                
 The noisy Czech supporters again made sure Stepanek and
Berdych felt at home on Saturday and not even two delays caused
by power cuts could spoil the atmosphere or disrupt them from
playing at the top of their game throughout the doubles match.
                                
 The Czechs broke serve five times, saved both break points
they faced and hit 64 winners to 11 unforced errors. They are
unbeaten together in Davis Cup doubles, with a 5-0 record.
                                
 The Czech Republic had beaten nine-time champions France and
three times runners-up Argentina to reach the semi-finals while
Croatia had got past the United States as they tried to reach
the final for the second time in five years.
                                
 With Sunday's reverse singles rubbers now dead, Czech
captain Navratil is likely to rest Stepanek and Berdych and give
U.S. Open doubles champion Lukas Dlouhy and veteran Jan Hernych
a chance after they were replaced for Saturday's match.
                                
 (Reporting by Zlata Zsolnay, editing by Ken Ferris)
                                
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