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Davis Cup Roundup Gaudio downs Schuettler to lift Argentina to a 2-0 leadPosted: Friday February 07, 2003 1:24 PMUpdated: Friday February 07, 2003 9:28 PM BUENOS AIRES, Feb 7 (Reuters) -- Australian Open finalist Rainer Schuettler crashed to a straight-set defeat against Gaston Gaudio as Argentina raced to a 2-0 lead over Germany on the first day of their Davis Cup world group first-round tie on Friday. Gaudio, who has won 10 rubbers and lost only one in his Davis Cup career, dispatched Schuettler 6-2, 6-3, 6-0 in the first rubber after a rain-delayed start. Then David Nalbandian, a Wimbledon finalist last year, beat Lars Bergsmuller 6-1, 7-6 (4), 7-5 to put Argentina on the brink of a second-round berth. "It was easier than I really thought it would be, he couldn't find his game and that helped me," said Gaudio. "I don't think he was comfortable with the weather conditions and the surface because the ball was very heavy and wasn't bouncing." Gaudio took only 30 minutes to wrap up the first set 6-2, helped by a flurry of unforced errors from the German. The Argentine broke serve three times to take the second and then quickly wrapped up the third 6-0 against a dispirited opponent. Germany had deposited its hopes in Schuettler after injuries to Tommy Haas and Nicolas Kiefer, but he admitted the conditions were not to his liking. "I like to play in the heat on reasonably fast courts, but today I had everything I didn't like. It was cool, and the court very slow," he said. "Leaving all this aside, Gaudio had an answer for everything I tried to do. He played very well today."
Spain 2, Belgium 0SEVILLE, Spain (Reuters) -- Juan Carlos Ferrero and Carlos Moya swept to straight-set singles wins against Belgium on Friday to give Spain a 2-0 lead in their Davis Cup first-round tie and light up a cold, grey day in Seville. Ferrero gave Spain the start they wanted on the outdoor clay court, the world number three needing just one hour 45 minutes to see off Christophe Rochus 6-3, 6-2, 7-5. Heavy rain then held up the Spanish charge, with Moya and Xavier Malisse forced to leave the court in the second game of the first set with the red clay threatening to turn to mud. After a delay of close to two hours, Malisse made the first break but Moya came from 3-5 down in the opening set to take it 7-2 on the tiebreak and go on to complete Spain's second win 7-6 (2), 6-1, 7-6 (5). Spain will now look to Alex Corretja and Albert Costa to beat Olivier Rochus and Kristof Vliegen in Saturday's doubles for an unbeatable 3-0 lead to take them through to a clash with either Croatia or the United States.
Sweden 1, Brazil 1HELSINGBORG, Sweden, Feb 7 (Reuters) -- Sweden's Jonas Bjorkman overcame Andre Sa in an uneven five-setter 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 to move level at 1-1 with Brazil in their Davis Cup World Group first-round match on Friday. Earlier, former world No. 1 Gustavo Kuerten gave Brazil the lead by outclassing Andreas Vinciguerra 6-1, 6-4, 6-4. Bjorkman, who will team up with Magnus Larsson on Saturday against Sa and Kuerten in the doubles, looked stronger than Sa for most of the clash but let the Brazilian back into the match despite breaking his serve three times in the fourth set. After two close first sets, Bjorkman looked likely to win in four sets when he won the third 6-2 and broke serve for a 3-0 lead. But Sa broke back three times in the set then finally took it 6-4. Bjorkman, who clenched his fist many times to pump himself and the crowd up, moved up a gear in the final set and won it 6-1. Three-time French Open winner Kuerten did not give Vinciguerra a chance and was never threatened on his own serve, firing 14 aces in the match. Meanwhile, Vinciguerra struggled to keep his as he was broken in his opening service game and then again in the fifth game before Kuerten served to clinch the set 6-1. The match got more even in the second and third set but Kuerten proved too strong, hitting spectacular winners on both sides.
Netherlands 1, Switzerland 1ARNHEM, Netherlands (Reuters) -- Roger Federer swept aside Raemon Sluiter to draw Switzerland level 1-1 with the Netherlands in their first-round Davis Cup tie on Friday. The world number six brushed aside his Dutch opponent 6-2 6-1 6-3 in the second singles rubber. Sjeng Schalken had earlier nosed the Netherlands into a 1-0 lead by edging a five-set win over Michel Kratochvil. Federer dominated the day's second encounter with commanding baseline shots, powerful serves and deft volleys on a fast indoor carpet, setting up a crunch doubles encounter on Saturday. Raemon Sluiter, ranked 77th in the world, struggled to counter the 21-year-old Swiss star's fierce onslaught despite putting up a brave fight. Federer powered to a straight sets victory despite meeting some determined resistance in the third set. Dutch spirits were high after a tight victory in the opening encounter.
France 2, Romania 0BUCHAREST, Romania (AP)-- Nicolas Escude and Sebastien Grosjean gave France a 2-0 lead over Romania after the opening singles in their first-round World Group Davis Cup tie. Grosjean beat Adrian Voinea 6-2, 6-3, 7-6 (10) in the first match in front of a crowd of 8,000 accompanied by a Latino band. Escude defeated Romania's No. 1, Andrei Pavel, 7-6 (2), 6-2, 7-6 (5). Grosjean, the world's No. 12 and France's top-ranked player, showed great form and took control of the match early on, capitalizing on his precise serve and powerful forehands. "I was not intimidated, even though there was great pressure from the crowd," Grosjean said. "I wanted to stay calm and I succeeded." Voinea, who is 78th in the ATP rankings, lost the first two sets without putting up much resistance but came back to take a 5-4 lead in the third set. Grosjean regained his composure and won the next two games to make it 6-5, but Voinea wasn't ready to bow out, returning well to break Grosjean's serve for the first time and taking the match into a tie-break. The two players battled hard for the decisive tie-break point, with Voinea missing a critical set point at 10-9. Grosjean recovered to win the next three points and wrap up the match. Pavel, the world's No. 30, did not seem to have fully recovered from a back injury which has sidelined him since the Australian Open last month, moving stiffly at times and making numerous unforced errors. Escude, No. 40 on the ATP Tour, fired 14 aces and capitalized on aggressive play on the net. In the third set, Pavel had a rare chance to break Escude at 6-5 but the Frenchman regained his composure, leveling the set and winning the ensuing tie-break 7-5 to seal the match. On Saturday, France has a chance to gain an unassailable 3-0 lead in the best-of-five tie when one of the world's best pairs, Fabrice Santoro and Michael Llodra, takes on Andrei Pavel and Gabriel Trifu.
Peru 2, Bahamas 0LIMA, Peru (AP)-- Luis Horna and Ivan Miranda gave Peru a 2-0 lead over the Bahamas Friday after the opening singles matches in their first-round American Zone Davis Cup tie. Miranda defeated Mark Knowles 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, with Knowles forfeiting the match after the third set due to back pains. Horna beat Mark Merklein 6-2, 6-1, 6-3 in the second match. Knowles, the world's top-ranked doubles player, massaged his lower back with his left hand between play. He consulted a doctor after the third set and did not return for a fourth. Miranda, who is 148th in the ATP rankings and Peru's second-ranked player, dominated play on the slow clay court in a new outdoor tennis complex at an upscale beach community 60 miles (100 kilometers) south of Lima. Horna, Peru's top-ranked player and 89th in the ATP rankings, easily beat Merklein in straight sets in the second singles match. Despite Knowles' apparent injury, he did not withdraw from weekend play in the best-of-five tie. In Saturday's doubles match, Miranda and Horna are slated to face Merklein and Knowles.
Singles play on Sunday is scheduled to pit Horna against Knowles and Miranda against Merklein.
Both the Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report. |
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