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Aussies whitewash Taiwan in Davis Cup
AFP
, PARIS, MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA AND OSAKA, JAPAN
Monday, Mar 08, 2010, Page 20
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Julien Benneteau, right, and Michael Llodra of France celebrate beating Philipp Kohlschreiber and Christopher Kas of Germany in their Davis Cup World Group first-round doubles match at the Palais des Sports in Toulon, France, on Saturday.
PHOTO: EPA
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Australia will play Japan in the next round of the Davis Cup Asia-Oceania zonal playoffs after completing a 5-0 whitewash over Taiwan yesterday.
Australia will host Japan on May 7 through May 9, with the winner securing a World Group playoff in September.
Bernard Tomic completed an unbeaten Cup debut by winning his second singles match of the weekend 6-7 (4/7), 6-0, 6-3 over Lee Hsin-han. Peter Luczak beat Yang Tsung-hua 6-3, 6-3 in yesterday’s other dead singles rubber.
Japan comfortably won their remaining two dead rubbers to complete a 5-0 whitewash over the Philippines yesterday.
Japan’s top player Tatsuma Ito whipped Cecil Mamiit 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) in a shortened reverse singles and then Go Soeda trounced Francis Casey Alcantara 6-1, 6-0.
On Saturday, France set-up a potential Davis Cup World Group quarter-final blockbuster against defending champions Spain after extending their 72-year stranglehold over Germany.
France cruised past Germany in their first-round tie when Michael Llodra and Julien Benneteau defeated Philipp Kohlschreiber and Christopher Kas 6-1, 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 to take an unassailable 3-0 lead at the Palais des Sports in Toulon.
France will face Spain in the last eight if the champions get past Switzerland in Logrono.
Spain, playing without the injured Rafael Nadal, opened a 2-1 lead in their tie when Marcel Granollers and Tommy Robredo defeated Yves Allegro and Stanislas Wawrinka 7-6 (10/8), 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.
Croatia, the 2005 champions, saw off Ecuador 3-0 and will face either bitter rivals Serbia or 32-time champions the US for a place in the semi-finals.
Marin Cilic and Ivo Karlovic coasted to a 7-6 (7/3), 6-3, 7-5 win over Nicolas Lapentti and Giovanni Lapentti in Saturday’s doubles to give Croatia an unassailable 3-0 lead.
In Belgrade, Bob Bryan and John Isner kept the US in their tie when they defeated Nenad Zimonjic and Janko Tipsarevic 7-6 (10/8), 5-7, 7-6 (10/8), 6-3 to leave Serbia 2-1 in front going into the final day.
Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi kept India’s hopes alive, beating Russia’s Igor Kunitsyn and Teimuraz Gabashvili in straight sets in Moscow.
The winner of the tie will face either Sweden or Argentina in the last eight.
Argentina took a 2-1 lead over Sweden when David Nalbandian partnered Horacio Zeballos to a 6-2, 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/5) victory over Robert Lindstedt and Robin Soderling.
Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek gave the Czech Republic a 3-0 victory over Belgium in Bree, beating Steve Darcis and Olivier Rochus 7-6 (7/0), 6-0, 6-3.
The Czechs, runners-up last year, will face the winners of the delayed Chile-Israel encounter in the quarter-finals, where they would be away to Chile or home to Israel.
Nicolas Massu and Fernando Gonzalez gave Chile a 2-0 lead on Saturday after Massu won the opening singles against Dudi Sela 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 and Gonzalez defeated Harel Levy 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.
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