体坛英语新闻：Spain cruise into last eight of Davis Cup

MADRID, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- Davis Cup holders Spain qualified for the quarterfinals of the competition this Saturday as doubles pairing Marcel Granollers and Marco Lopez won their doubles match 6-2, 6-3, 6-1 against Kazakhstan duo Yuri Schukin and Evegny Korolev.

The win sees Spain take an unassailable 3-0 lead against Kazakhstan following Friday's singles wins for Juan Carlos Ferrero and Nicolas Almagro.

It is a perfect start for new Davis Cup captain Alex Corretja, who was making his debut in the tie, which was held in the northern city of Oviedo.

Granollers and Lopez were never in trouble during Saturday's match, which they controlled from the start. Spain's performance is all the more impressive given that the conutry's best players, Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer have said they will not play in the competition this season in order to concentrate on their own careers.

Meanwhile Feliciano Lopez and Juan Carlos Velasco, who formed Spain's doubles pairing last year announced they were retiring from the competition after the final win against Argentina last December.