MOSCOW -- David Nalbandian and Lukas Arnold handed Argentina a lifeline in their Davis Cup semifinal against Russia, outlasting Marat Safin and Yevgeny Kafelnikov 6-4, 6-4, 5-7, 3-6, 19-17 in an epic doubles match.

At six hours 20 minutes, it was the longest doubles match in Davis Cup history and just two minutes short of the longest Cup encounter ever - a singles clash between John McEnroe and Mats Wilander in 1982 when there were no tiebreaks.

The final set alone of Saturday's astonishing battle lasted three hours six minutes.

The success brought Argentina back into the tie at 2-1 after Safin and Kafelnikov had given Russia a 2-0 lead as they beat Juan Ignacio Chela and Gaston Gaudio in Friday's singles.

The Russians are bidding to clinch their first Davis Cup title this year to send Kafelnikov into a happy retirement.

After saving two match points in the 34th game of the fifth set with Safin serving for the match and the rubber, the Argentines finally clinched victory by breaking Kafelnikov's serve two games later.

"Tennis is often like this, we survived two match points, then it was our turn to close the match," Arnold said. "I hope we win tomorrow."

The Argentines thought the tie was over when Wimbledon singles finalist Nalbandian lost his serve in the 33rd game, double-faulting on a break point.

"At the changeover I thought we had just lost the match," Arnold said. "With Safin serving like he was, I didn't think it was possible to get back."

Kafelnikov, who battled for four hours against Gaudio on Friday, saving two match points in the process, insisted he would be ready for Sunday.

"Honestly, right now I have more desire than actual physical strength to play on Sunday," he said. "But you can count on me, I'll be ready tomorrow."

Hewitt leads Aussies to win
ADELAIDE, Australia -- Lleyton Hewitt, the world's top-ranked player, has combined with Todd Woodbridge to give Australia a winning 3-0 lead over India in their Davis Cup qualifier.

The doubles victory means the Davis Cup runners-up last year have avoided failing to qualify for the 16-nation World Group next year and relegated India to the second tier.

Hewitt and Woodbridge beat Indian veteran Leander Paes and newcomer Vishaal Uppal 6-3, 7-6 (7-5), 6-1 at Memorial Drive as the home team finished strongly after a tight second set.

Hewitt and Wayne Arthurs won the opening singles matches on Friday. The reverse singles in the now dead rubber will be played Sunday.

"I felt like we raised our game at the right time. The second set could have gone either way," Hewitt said in an on-court interview after the doubles match.

Down 4-5 and 0-30 on serve, the 21-year-old showed his fighting qualities.

Woodbridge, the Wimbledon doubles champion, and Hewitt, the Wimbledon singles champion, breezed through the first set in 29 minutes.

The Indians forced a tiebreak in the second set before a clearly nervous Uppal, ranked No. 703, double-faulted to give the Australians the set in 44 minutes.

Uppal, playing in his second Davis Cup, dropped serve twice in the third set before Hewitt served it out in just 21 minutes.

India's U.S. Open doubles champion Mahesh Bhupathi had pulled out of the tie with a shoulder injury while Australia were without former U.S. Open singles finalist Mark Philippoussis, who has a knee problem.

Germany escapes low point, clinches vs. Venezuela
KARLSRUHE, Germany -- Three-time Davis Cup champion Germany escaped relegation by taking an unbeatable 3-0 lead over Venezuela in its world group qualifier.

David Prinosil and Nicolas Kiefer outplayed Jose de Armas and Jimy Szymanski 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 in the doubles match to make sure the home side, who have been through hard times lately, would win the tie whatever the outcome of Sunday's reverse singles.

Rainer Schuettler crushed De Armas 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 before Tommy Haas beat Szymanski 6-1, 6-2, 6-1 in Friday's opening singles.

Haas said just before Saturday's doubles match that all four players who were involved in the Karlsruhe tie would make themselves available for Germany's campaign in the world group in 2003.

"It is true that we have not always had the best team in the past and that's why we have decided that we would stay together next year and all give our best to win the trophy," Haas said.

Germany, who won the Davis Cup in 1988, 1989 and 1993, were in danger of dropping out of the world group after losing 4-1 to Croatia in a first round tie last February in Zagreb.

Caretaker captain Patrick Kuehnen, who was named for the tie against Venezuela after former Wimbledon champion Michael Stich stepped down last week, should now be appointed on a permanent basis.

German Tennis Federation (DTB) president Georg von Waldenfels said before the tie that he was planning with Kuehnen for the future.

Stich resigned after his plan to ask the retired Boris Becker to play doubles against Venezuela was met by withdrawal threats from Haas and Schuettler.

Haas said Germany should concentrate on building a team for the future and bringing back Becker would send out the wrong message.

Kuehnen, 36, was a player in all three of Germany's winning campaigns.