Sweden will play Germany for a place in the Tennis World Team Cup final after eliminating the US on Wednesday.
Despite Mardy Fish and Sam Querrey taking a 2-6, 6-2, 10-3 win over Sweden’s Robert Lindstedt and Robin Soderling, the US were eliminated by a 2-1 scoreline after losing Tuesday’s singles matches.
Sweden will play host nation Germany for a place in tomorrow’s final. Germany beat France 3-0 to remain in contention.
PHOTO: EPA
Eight teams are split into two groups and three rounds are played as a round-robin, with each tie consisting of two singles and a doubles played over two days.
The Red Group comprises France, Germany, Sweden and the US, and the Blue Group is made up of Argentina, Italy, Russia and Serbia.
Following Rainer Schuettler’s victory over Gilles Simon on Tuesday, Philipp Kohlschreiber defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-7 (2), 6-3, 6-3, and Nicolas Kiefer and Mischa Zverev completed the German rout with a 6-0, 6-4 win over Jeremy Chardy and Gilles Simon.
In the Blue group, Russia was eliminated after losing to Serbia 3-0. Viktor Troicki and Nenad Zimonjic beat Evgeny Korolev and Stanislav Vovk 6-1, 6-1 after Serbia had claimed victory in the two singles matches on Tuesday.
Argentina also swept Italy 3-0, with Maximo Gonzalez beating Simone Bolelli 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 and Juan Martin Del Potro and Maximo Gonzalez overcoming Francesco Piccari and Andreas Seppi 6-2, 6-3.
■AUSTRIAN OPEN
AP, KITZBUEHEL, AUSTRIA
Jurgen Melzer of Austria reached his first quarter-final of the season with a 6-4, 7-5 victory over Agustin Calleri of Argentina in the second round of the Austrian Open on Wednesday.
The second-seeded Melzer, ranked at a career-high No. 26, had five aces and converted his fourth match point against Calleri, who won the event in 2006.
Melzer will take on seventh-seeded Russian Mikhail Youzhny in the quarter-finals.
Youzhny, who reached the final of the BMW Open in Munich earlier this month, defeated Stefan Koubek of Austria 6-2, 6-4.
Third-seeded Victor Hanescu of Romania also advanced after downing Marcel Granollers of Spain 6-1, 7-6 (2).
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