Defending champions the US and France, two of the most successful countries in Davis Cup history, will clash in this year's quarter-finals after cruising through their World Group first round ties.
The US, the 31-time champions, saw off Austria 3-0 while nine-time winners France also opened up a 3-0 lead over Romania.
The two nations, who have seven wins each from their 14 meetings, will clash in the last eight in April at Winston-Salem in North Carolina where France will attempt to win on US soil for the first time since 1927.
In Vienna, American doubles powerhouses Bob and Mike Bryan showed no mercy in a 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 hammering of Julian Knowle and Jurgen Melzer to take their personal mark in the competition to 14-1.
Andy Roddick and James Blake had both won their opening singles on Friday.
In Sibiu, Romania, Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra saw off Horia Tecau and Florin Mergea 6-3, 6-4, 6-7 (6/8), 3-6, 6-2 as the French reached the quarter-finals for the eighth year in a row.
After Richard Gasquet and Australian Open runner-up Jo-Wilfried Tsonga had won Friday's singles, Clement and Llodra, the finalists in Melbourne this year, had been expected to cruise through on Saturday against a pair ranked outside the top 500.
But after opening up a two-set lead they wasted two match points in the third set before they settled the affair with a commanding final set performance.
In Moscow, Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic and Nenad Zimonjic kept alive Serbia's chances by defeating Russia's Mikhail Youzhny and Dmitry Tursunov 6-3, 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (7/5).
That made the overall score 2-1 ahead of yesterday's reverse singles.
The winners of the tie will face the Czech Republic, who defeated Belgium 3-0, in the last eight.
Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek beat Olivier Rochus and Kristof Vliegen 6-7 (2/7), 7-6 (8/6), 7-5, 5-7, 6-4 in the doubles in Ostrava as the Czechs made the quarter-finals for the first time in six years.
Argentina eased into the last eight when David Nalbandian and Jose Acasuso beat Jamie Murray and Ross Hutchins 6-2, 7-6 (13/11), 6-0 in the doubles for a 3-0 win over Great Britain in Buenos Aires.
The powerful South Americans will face either Israel or Sweden in the last eight.
"Israel opened up a 2-1 lead in their tie after Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram beat Simon Aspelin and Robert Lindstedt 6-3, 7-6, 7-5 in Ramat Hasharon.
The other last eight tie will see Peru or Spain meet either Germany or South Korea.
Philipp Kohlschreiber and Philipp Petzschner put Germany into a 2-1 lead over the South Koreans after a 6-1, 6-3, 6-3 win over Jun Woong-sun and An Jae-sung.
Spain, without world No. 2 Rafael Nadal, beat Peru 3-0 in Lima after Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco wrapped up the tie when they defeated Luis Horna and Ivan Miranda 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) in Saturday's doubles.
Yesterday's Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group 1 first round results:
Australia 4, Taiwan 1
Alun Jones, Australia, defeated Tsung-hua Yang, Taiwan, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Ti Chen, Taiwan, defeated Paul Hanley, Australia, 7-6 (3), 6-1.
Japan 5, Philippines 0
Go Soeda, Japan, defeated Johnny Arcilla, Philippines, 6-3, 6-2.
Yuichi Sugita, Japan, def. Eric Taino, Philippines, 6-2, 6-3.
Thailand 3, Kazakhstan 2
Danai Udomchoke, Thailand, defeated Syrym Abdulkhalikov, Kazakhstan, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-3.
Alexey Kedryuk, Kazakhstan, def. Weerapat Doakmaiklee, Thailand, 6-3, 6-2.
India 3, Uzbekistan 2
Denis Istomin, Uzbekistan, defeated Rohan Bopanna, India, 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 6-7 (1), 6-8.
Prakash Amritraj, India, defeated Farrukh Dustov, Uzbekistan, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.
■ PARIS INDOOR OPEN
AFP, PARIS
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