PARIS, March 4, (Agencies): Spain’s Rafael Nadal and Fernando Verdasco both won in straight sets in the Davis Cup World Group first round clash on Friday while France and Argentina also went 2-0 up.
Nadal beat Belgium’s Ruben Bemelmans 6-2, 6-4, 6-2, after Verdasco earlier won 6-4, 6-3, 6-1 against Belgium’s top player Xavier Malisse.
Spanish hopes of a third Davis Cup win in four years afer 2008 and 2009 have been boosted by world number one Nadal’s decision to play in Belgium.
France’s Jeremy Chardy proved he was far from a makeweight in an injury depleted team as he blasted to a straight sets win inside a converted aircraft hangar against Austria at Vienna airport, defeating Jurgen Melzer 7-5, 6-4, 7-5.
“I had to stop him playing,” said the 24-year-old Frenchman, “and I played one of the best matches of my life.”
Chardy, who had failed to win a set in his two previous meetings with Austria’s top rated Melzer, was in the team after Gael Monfils, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Richard Gasquet had all pulled out through injury.
“It wasn’t the start we had imagined,” admitted Melzer.
Gilles Simon then extended the French lead to 2-0 with another straight sets victory 6-0, 6-2, 6-3 over Stefan Koubek.
France were beaten by Serbia in last December’s 2010 final in Belgrade and their hero that day Viktor Troicki was in winning form against India.
The 25-year-old sealed Serbia’s maiden Davis Cup victory in 2010 by defeating Michael Llodra in the deciding fifth rubber which clinched a 3-2 victory.
Argentina 2 Romania 0
David Nalbandian and Juan Monaco gave favored Argentina a 2-0 lead over Romania on Friday in the first round of the Davis Cup.
Argentina will hope to wrap up the best-of-five series on Saturday in doubles with Juan Ignacio Chela and Eduardo Schwank set to face Victor Hanescu and Horia Tecau. A victory could save Nalbandian from playing reverse singles on Sunday. The former Wimbledon finalist aggravated a groin injury and strained his lower leg in defeating Adrian Ungur 6-3, 6-2, 5-7, 6-4.
In the second singles match, Monaco defeated Hanescu 7-6 (5), 1-6, 6-1, 6-1.
Argentina was challenged but not seriously threatened by Romania, whose top player in Hanescu is ranked only 59th. Argentina’s top three are in the top 35, although Nalbandian was playing at less than full speed.
“We’ll see what happens,” he said. “It would be a lack of respect to my teammates to play if I am not fit.” Nalbandian seemed to irritate his groin injury in the third game of the fourth set as he stretched to reach a shot at the net. He hunched over, and then got up and walked away haltingly. He limped a few other times during the set and called the pain “terrible.”
“If this had been an ATP tournament, I would have retired,” Nalbandian told the crowd, holding back tears. “But Davis Cup is something special and the power one gets from it is something special. I never felt such pain on the court.”
Ungur, ranked only 183th, was chosen ahead of the 188th-ranked Victor Crivoi. He said Nalbandian looked as strong as ever. “I realized that he was having problems, but he still seemed to get to all the balls,” said Ungur, who made his Davis Cup debut last year and is playing in his first series away from home.
“I’ve never played before such a noisy crowd,” he added. “You can tell they are Latins. Passionate.”
Germany 1 Croatia 1
In Zagreb, Croatia, Philipp Kohlschreiber saved a match point before beating Ivan Dodig 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (6), 6-4 to help Germany level at 1-1 with Croatia on Friday in the first round of the Davis Cup.
Dodig had a match point at 6-5 in the fourth-set tiebreaker with the German serving. But Kohlschreiber won three points in a row, with Dodig double-faulting on set point.
Kohlschreiber started better in the fifth set, breaking in the opening game. The Croat broke back for 4-4, but then dropped serve again.
It was Dodig’ first career live singles match in the Davis Cup, and his first five-setter loss. Kohlschreiber improved to 4-0 in Davis Cup. “It was very tough to play against Mayer, as it always is,” Cilic said. “I got the support from the crowd in the fourth and fifth sets, and it was helpful.”
Doubles are played Saturday and reverse singles Sunday.
India 1 Serbia 1
In Belgrade, Asian and Commonwealth Games champion Somdev Devvarman defeated Janko Tipsarevic to pull India back level at 1-1 with defending titleholders Serbia on the opening day of their Davis Cup World Group first round tie.
Viktor Troicki, who sealed his country’s victory against France in December’s 2010 final in Belgrade, put Serbia into the lead in Friday’s first singles on the clay at Novi Sad.
He raced into a two set lead over Rohan Bopanna, who then clawed his way back into contention to set up a cliffhanger which the Serb eventually won 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 3-6, 6-3.
“It was a tough match. I came back after 2-0 and I am disappointed I couldn’t manage to win,” Bopanna told reporters.
Devvarman then levelled the tie with a 3-0 defeat of Tipsarevic, although the Serb player dug deep, leading 4-1 in each of the opening two sets with the Indian winning 7-5, 7-5, 7-6 (7/3). “I feel for Janko because he probably didn‚Äôt have enough time to adjust from Delray Beach, where it was a lot warmer and that much easier to serve,” Devvarman said.
“I served well, kept fighting and always believed I could win the match,” he added.
Serbia, missing their best player, world number three and Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic, will be represented by their strongest pairing of Ilija Bozoljac and Nenad Zimonjic in Saturday’s doubles where they come up against Bopanna and Devvarman.
India suffered a major blow to their chances after Grand Slam-winning doubles pair Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi were forced to withdraw due to injuries.
But Devvarman was confident his team still had a chance to defeat the Serbs.
“We definitely believe now we can win this tie and we will go out there to give it our best shot,” he said.