Argentina cruised into the semi-finals of the Davis Cup and looked poised for a clash with defending champions Serbia, who moved into a 2-0 first-day lead away to Sweden on Friday.
France were also well placed going into yesterday’s doubles after Richard Gasquet clawed back a two-set deficit against Germany’s Florian Mayer in Stuttgart as last year’s runners-up also won both opening singles.
Spain, despite missing deposed world No. 1 Rafael Nadal, took a commanding 2-0 lead over hosts the US in Austin, Texas, and elsewhere there were rare Davis Cup outings for Roger Federer and Andy Murray in lower-tier ties
Photo: AFP
Federer, the 16-times Grand Slam champion, returned to the competition after a near two-year absence to help Switzerland take a 2-0 lead over Portugal in a European Zone tie with an error-strewn four-set win against Rui Machado in Berne.
Murray made up for his recent Wimbledon semi-finals defeat in brutal fashion, thrashing Luxembourg’s hapless Laurent Bram 6-0, 6-0, 6-0 for a rare “triple bagel” to level the Euro/Africa Zone 2 second-round tie at one apiece in Scotland.
While Federer and Murray went about their business, the serious action was taking place in the World Group, although Serbia’s clash with Sweden was also something of a mismatch.
Photo: Reuters
Even with newly crowned Wimbledon champion and world No. 1 Novak Djokovic pulling out of the singles with a knee niggle, Serbia made short work of the lowly ranked Swedes, who are without their powerhouse world No. 5 Robin Soderling.
Viktor Troicki beat world No. 297 Michael Ryderstedt 6-3, 6-1, 6-7 (6/8), 7-5, before Janko Tipsarevic saw off Ervin Eleskovic in quick time when his opponent retired hurt with a knee injury trailing 6-2, 1-0.
Argentina began Friday already 2-0 ahead against Kazakhstan after their tie in Buenos Aires started a day earlier because of municipal elections today and the south Americans took a decisive lead when Juan Ignacio Chela and Eduardo Schwank beat Evgeny Korolev and Yuriy Schukin in straight sets.
Argentina, for whom Juan Martin del Potro returned to action, did not drop a set in the three rubbers.
The performance of the day was from Frenchman Gasquet.
He trailed by two sets against Mayer, but hit back to win 4-6, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-3 before Gael Monfils then beat Philipp Kohlschreiber 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/5), 6-4.
Mayer, ranked 20th in the world, suffered from cramps as Gasquet turned the match around.
“I’ve never had cramps in my life and I’d drunk enough, both before and after the match, so it must have been the tension,” he said. “I could barely move in the fourth and fifth sets. It’s a very bitter defeat.”
In Austin, Feliciano Lopez gave Spain a winning start when he battled past American Mardy Fish 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-7 (2/7), 8-6 before world No. 6 David Ferrer followed suit with a gutsy 7-6 (11/9), 7-5, 6-3 victory over hometown favorite Andy Roddick.
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