Croatia, small but mightiest in 2005, cast a covetous eye on the Davis Cup immediately by stunningly evicting the United States from the chase at the starting gate. Nine months later the 105-year-old prize was hoisted onto the triumphant shoulders of Ivan Ljubicic and Mario Ancic.

They were the "Itch Boys," a two-man gang doing it all themselves, itching to give their homeland its only Cup, and scratching out victories over the U.S., 3-2; Romania, 4-1; Russia, 3-2; and finally the Slovak Republic, 3-2. Ivan and Mario made Croatia the 12th member of the exclusive Cup-winning club. Slovakia became the 19th nation to lose a Final. You had to go back to 1980 and Czechslovaks Ivan Lendl and Tom Smid to find two men handling all 5 matches in a final, defeating Italy, 4-1. In 1991 Henri Leconte and Guy Forget did nearly the same for France, defeating the U.S., 3-1.

The tense climax on a hard court at Bratislava's Sibamac Arena - Ancic's 7-6 (7-1), 6-3, 6-4, decision over the home side's Michael Mertinak - completed the most extraordinary of Finals in 30 years: the clash of countries brand new to the championship round. It had happened only twice before: U.S. over Britain in the original, 1900, and Bjorn Borg-propelled Sweden over Czechoslovakia in 1975. Moreover, these countries - both unseeded --were practically newcomers to the competition, Croatia in its 13th year, Slovakia its 12th.

Adding to the Cup's traditional unpredictability were the opening round defeats of both 2004 finalists, champion Spain falling to the Slovaks, 4-1, and the U.S. to Croatia. That had happened only thrice before: 1976, 1993, 1999. The champs Sweden, U.S., Sweden lost respectively to Italy, Australia, Slovakia, and runners-up Czechoslovakia, Switzerland, Italy to Hungary, India, Switzerland.

Spain's difficulties seemed to come about because neither singles starter of 2004, Rafael Nadal (limited to doubles) nor Carlos Moya (injured) reappeared in those roles. But more shocking was the U.S. collapse at Carson, Calif. Only 3 times previously had an American team lost a home opener: 1903 to Britain when only those two countries were entered, 1975 to Mexico, 1999 to Australia.

Capt. Patrick McEnroe, in his fifth campaign, was buoyed by understandably high hopes, what with No. 9 Andre Agassi signing up after a four year absence to complement No. 3 Andy Roddick and unbeaten Cup doublists Bob and Mike Bryan.

However, the howevers were huge: Agassi could cope neither with a hard court, supposedly laid as a home-sweet-home surface, nor an all-time U.S. jinx named Ljubicic, who beat Andre, 6-3, 7-6 (7-0), 6-3, and, in the decisive fourth match, Roddick, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (13-11), 6-7 (7-9), 6-2. If that wasn't unexpected enough, the Bryan twins' 5-0 Cup record and 2-0 edge on their foes, went down the drain to Ljubicic and Ancic, 4-6, 7-6 (10-8), 6-4, 6-4. Thus days before his 26th birthday Ljubicic (No. 14 at the time, and No. 9 at the Final) had lengthened his mastery to 6-0 against the U.S., having taken both singles and the doubles in 2003 as Croatia won the season opener against a weaker U.S. team, 4-1, at Zagreb.

Perhaps fortunately the U.S. will avoid Croatia as 2006 begins, drawn against Romania. Facing the limbo of relegation, the U.S. was assured of a return to the World Group in a difficult second-chance victory over Belgium, 4-1, on indoor clay at Leuven.

Although Agassi and Roddick weren't at their sharpest before crowds of over 6000 (18,760 total) at Carson's Home Depot Center, the cool, confident Ljubicic had a lot to do with that, serving and returning big, nailing most of the critical points. Still it might have been turned around had the Americans grabbed a handful of those points - maybe even just one, the set point on Mike's serve that the Bryans held for a 2-set lead. Having won 16 straight sets since joining the team in 2003, the twins would have been awfully hard to stop with such an edge. That would have left it up to Agassi and Ancic in the fifth match that Ljubicic - dodging set points himself in the 24 point, third set tie-breaker - made meaningless.

Roddick was too strong for No. 22 Ancic, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4. That made it 1-1 after the first day, and took the surprisingly unsure Agassi off the hook momentarily.

Deprived of an encore, Andre, in his 12th year (including the Cup-winners of 1990, 92, 95), tied John McEnroe for most seasons on the U.S. team. His 37th singles job sent him one ahead of Vic Seixas, second to McEnroe's record 49, leaving him with a 30-7 mark, second in wins to Mac's 41. But Andre's career had a greater span than any of his countrymen's: 17 years, starting as an 18-year-old, leading a victory over Peru in 1988.

Bob Bryan's winning forehand broke Ancic for a 3-1 U.S. lead in the doubles. Settling down, the spindly 6-5 Ancic became Ljubicic's solid accomplice in the right court (they were 4-0 for the Cup season), and neither would lose serve to the twins thereafter. Thrice the Yanks were at set point in that vital tie-breaker. Ancic's service winner saved the first to 6-6, but he lost the next point, and it was 7-6 where Mike's serve launched a rat-a-tat-tat exchange ended by his volleying error. At 7-8 Ljubicic kept it going with a service winner, and 2 points later he finished it with a bold backhand return of Bob's serve.

Those 3 set points would loom as mountain peaks 24 hours later. Roddick, a victor in their 5 previous matches, started well, but his vaunted serve and forehand became unreliable under Ljubicic's pressure. The longest ever Cup tie-breaker involving an American zigged and zagged - 3 set points for Andy at 6-5 (with serve), 7-8 and 9-10 - 4 for Ivan at 7-6 (with serve), 8-9, 10-11. On the 28th point the last mini-break was lost to Andy's forehand error.

Though the Croat had forged ahead, Roddick hung in and caught up. But, needing 5 set points to win the 16 point breaker, he reached the fifth set strangely flat. He lost serve at love to start, and was finshed in 3:57 - along with the U.S.

That meant flirting with a free fall into the Cup depths, last suffered 19 years ago. Although the U.S. has dropped 6 first rounders since the World Group's formation in 1981 - 1983, 87, 93, 2001, 03, 05 - only in 1987 did the Yanks plummet to the boonies by losing to Paraguay and Germany. It was largely rookie Agassi who lifted them back to the World Group in 1989 on the strength of 1988 wins over Peru and Argentina.

Andre, drained by his magnificent drive to the U.S. Open final, declined the invitation to go to Belgium and was replaced by James Blake of the 2003 team. Like Agassi (his quarter-final conqueror), No. 34 Blake was suffering a post-U.S. Open melt. Sportplaza Leuven was the wrong place for James not to be at his best because the weekend's show-stealer was in his face: diminutive-and-dangerous No. 31 Olli Rochus. Quick on the dirt, sure-handed, elevated vocally by about 3000 packed-in homebodies, 5-foot-4 Olli, 24, pushed James all over the lot, 6-4, 7-5, 6-1, staking Belgium to a 1-0 lead. Roddick and the Bryans made sure it got no worse, although Olli made Andy miserable for 4:32 in the decisive fourth match, 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 6-3.

That followed Andy's brisk 6-1, 6-2, 6-3, beating of No. 54 Cristophe Rochus, Olli's older brother, 26, and the Bryans' victory over ever-present Olli and Kristof Vliegen, 6-3, 6-7 (2-7), 6-1, 6-3, in 2:45.

Andy's serve, which should make him supreme in tie-breakers (but didn't against Ljubicic), was the slim difference against Olli. He blasted 35 aces, 5 in the third set breaker. "Olli was beating me from the baseline, moving me. Luckily I pulled out some great serves when I need them."

Maybe luckily, too, were a couple of other things. In the sixth game of the ultimate set, Olli serving at 2-3, 15-40, appeared to win the point on a smash. It was called out - arguably incorrectly -- by the sideline judge. Argument did ensue, but the long, fruitless protest by the Belgians gave Andy a chance for a needed rest with his 4-2 lead. Curiously the Belgian Federation declined to invite Xavier Malisse, who had nearly beaten Agassi in 5 sets at the Open, and won the French Open doubles with Olli in 2004.

Dominik Hrbaty started the year as the Slovakian backbone, and continued strongly, winning 6 of 7 singles - beating both Ancic and Ljubici in the finale. The Slovaks feasted on Spain, 4-1. Hrbaty (over Fernando Verdasco, 6-3, 6-4, 6-7 (7-9), 6-3) and Karol Beck (over Feliciano Lopez, 6-4, 7-5, 6-3), virtually settled it the first day.

Closest of the other first rounders were two that came down to the fifth match and 3-2 decisions: Victor Hanescu for Romania over Vladimir Voltchkov of Belarus, 7-6 (7-2), 6-4, 7-6 (8-6), and Paul-Henri Mathieu for France over Tom Johansson of Sweden, 6-1, 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4.

Australia planted grass in Sydney's Olympic Tennis Centre to trip up clay-lovers, and it did work (5-0 over Austria). Astoundingly the court was a 4-1 burial ground for the hosts when No. 10 David Nalbandian and Argentina came to town. The homeboys were all right for a bit. No. 2 Lleyton Hewitt beat No. 15 Guillermo Coria in an ill-tempered get-together, 7-6 (7-5), 6-1, 1-6, 6-2 (for which each was fine $ 2500). But Nalbandian knocked off No. 76, lefty Wayne Arthurs, 6-3, 7-6 (10-8), 5-7, 6-2, continuing alongside debuting lefty Mariano Puerta to beat Arthurs and Hewitt, 7-6 (8-6), 6-4, 6-3. As a climax David stunned Hewitt, 6-2, 6-4, 6-4. Hewitt had won 10 straight Cup matches since 2001.

Despite Nalbandian's first day derailing of Hrbaty, 3-6, 7-5, 7-5, 6-3, Argentina couldn't keep up with the Slovaks on the hard court in Bratislava. Striking efficiently, the locals took the semi, 4-1, the same score as their quarter over Netherlands. No. 57 Karol Beck beat Coria, 7-5, 6-4, 6-4 and collaborated with Michael Mertinak, 7-6 (7-5), 7-5, 7-6 (7-5), over Nalbandian and Puerta. That put matters in Hrbaty's strong hands for a forceful 7-6 (7-2), 6-2, 6-3, clincher over Coria.

Meanwhile that man Ljubicic, playing 13 sets in 3 days, brought cheering Croats to their feet at Split like this: 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, over No. 26 Misha Youzhny, to tie Russia, 1-1. Then, allied with Ancic, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 6-4, over Igor Andreev and Dmitri Tursunov. For the sweet decider he got No. 7 Nikolay Davydenko, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6), 6-4.

Moscow's Olympic Stadium had gone wild as their guys rebounded from 1-2 on the third day of the quarter-final (as they had in the Paris Final of 2002). Davydenko and No. 46 Andreev, standing in for Youzhny, were the men of the day, Nikolay over No. 14, rookie Richard Gasquet, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, and Igor over pitiable Mathieu, 6-0, 6-2, 6-1. Mathieu had lost to Youzhny with the Cup at stake three years before.

Unusual was Slovakia never having to leave home during the the entire campaign. It wasn't quite enough even though No. 19 Hrbaty, who grew up in the Arena's neighborhood, and was 0-5 against Ljubicic, shattered the Croat's unbeaten Cup year splendidly, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, in 3:20. The full-house gathering of 4100 raised the roof. It was probably the smallest venue ever for a Final, but Cup-sponsoring BNP Paribas must have been pleased by the enthusiasm and the historic essence of these two countries outlasting the game's giants.

At 2-2 it was the 19th time that possession of the Cup would be determined by the fifth match. Ancic, 0-3 in 2005 Cup singles matches that mattered, was pained by losing the first day to Hrbaty, but the opportunity remained for a hero's laurels, and he seized it. His foe, No. 165 Mertinak, essentially a doubles operator, was a sub for a sub, and wandering in unexplored territory. What little hope the Slovaks had was effectively squelched by Ancic's offensive, punctuated by winning volleys, 7-6 (7-1), 6-3, 6-4, in 2:50. Mertinak, loser with Hrbaty, 7-6 (7-5) 6-3, 7-6 (7-5), to Ancic-Ljubicic, pinch-hit for faded No. 297 Karol Kucera. Kucera had replaced No. 57 Beck (gimpy left knee), and was beaten by Ljubicic at the outset, 6-3, 6-4, 6-3, in 1:59. In the doubles the Slovaks reached 5-4 in the tie-breaker, Mertinek serving. But Ljubicic scored with a neat lob, and sealed the set with an ace following Mertinek's volleying error.

Unfortunately for Capt. Miloslav Mecir's Slovaks they were scraping the bottom of their talent pool at the end, Mertinek opposing Ancic.

"In a match like that it doesn't matter what guys are ranked. You either win or lose the Cup. It felt great to win," said 21-year-old Ancic of his newly-found place in the Davis Cup pantheon. "You have it for the rest of your life."

For native Croat, Capt. Nikki Pilic, this was the sweetest of his 4 Cups. He had led victorious Germany in 1988-89, 93.

Since the 1981 inception of the World Group, limiting the competition to four rounds, Ljubicic has posted the best record: 11-1 (7-1 in singles), each victory scored when it mattered. John McEnroe was 12-0 in 1982, but 3 of his singles had no affect.

A crowd of 134 nations entered the run for aged Cup. But only the 16 of the World Group eligible are eligible for peripatetic punchbowl, now residing in Croatia.