BUENOS AIRES, Sept 21, 2008 (AFP) - Nikolay Davydenko pulled Russia level with Argentina in the Davis Cup semi-final here on Sunday when he defeated David Nalbandian 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/2), 6-0 to make the tie score 2-2.

Juan Martin del Potro was due to face Igor Andreev in the deciding singles with a home tie against Spain in the November 21-23 final at stake for the winning side.

'I?m very happy to have given Russia the second point,' said world number six Davydenko whose team had been 0-2 down after Friday's opening day.

'I was playing very bad in the first set but I was fighting and fighting in the second, and I felt a different player. I started to run more, and as you can see after three and a half hours, I?m physically fit.'

Sunday's result was a disaster for world number seven Nalbandian who had come into this semi-final having won all of his 15 Davis Cup rubbers on home soil.

That record was extended to 16 with his win over Andreev in Friday's opening singles.

But the decision to play in Saturday's doubles, when he and Guillermo Canas lost in five sets to Igor Kunitsyn and Dmitry Tursunov, backfired as he ran out of steam in the fourth set on Sunday.

Nalbandian got off to flying start, breaking Davydenko in the fourth game on his way to clinching the first set.

He also broke the Russian in the first game of the second set but the dogged Davydenko broke twice in succession on his way to levelling the rubber.

In the third set, Davydenko broke in the fifth game and served for the set at 5-4, only to be broken back by Nalbandian much to the delight of the 13,000 fans inside the Estadio Parque Roca.

He held for 6-5 before Davydenko complained that his opponent was encouraging the crowd to chant excessively.

However, Davydenko turned adversity to his advantage and stormed through the third set tiebreaker before Nalbandian wilted in the fourth set, paying a heavy price for playing three days in succession.