Lleyton Hewitt won a feisty four-set dog-fight with Guillermo Coria to give Australia a hard-earned opening singles win over Argentina in the Davis Cup World Group tennis quarter-final here on Friday.
The world number two fought back from a break down in the opening set to win the 173-minute duel, 7-6 (7/5), 6-1, 1-6, 6-2 over the world No 15 and give Australia a vital edge over the South Americans in what is anticipated to be a bitterly-fought tie.
Argentina's number one David Nalbandian was next on court to take on 34-year-old Australian Wayne Arthurs in the second singles match.
Bad feeling escalated in a tense fourth set when Coria appeared to hit a smash directly at Hewitt, who in turn looked to mouth an obscenity in the Argentine's direction after slamming down an ace on the next point. But the pair shook hands at the net after Hewitt wrapped up the match to take his Davis Cup win-loss record to 27-5.
The referee later confirmed that there were no official warnings given to either player during the match.
Coria played his best tennis in the first set, but after a service break down Hewitt fought off four break points in the seventh game which ultimately proved decisive.
Hewitt looked unable to get into a rhythm against the Argentinian number two who reverted to his claycourt game and stayed on the baseline during long rallies.
But Coria's punishing forehand which had troubled Hewitt began to go off as the Australian raised his level and broke back when the Argentine's backhand hit the tape.
Coria played a great point at 4-4 in the tiebreaker, making a terrific recovery shot and then slicing deftly across court for the winner.
But Hewitt forced Coria into forehand and backhand errors to fight back and take the set in 67 minutes after looking for the most part in trouble.
The Australian broke Coria in the opening game of the second set when his powerful forehand forced the Argentine long and grabbed service breaks in the fifth and seventh games to wrap up the set and a 2-0 lead in 37 minutes.
Coria, coming more into the net, kept alive in the rubber by ripping through the third set in 28 minutes with three service breaks as Hewitt went off the boil.
Hewitt revved up the home crowd when he raced to three break points in the fifth game of the fourth set and upon Coria's forehand sailing long, the Australian theatrically jigged to his court-side chair leading 3-2.
RUSSIA 0 FRANCE 1
MOSCOW: Results from the Davis Cup World Group quarter-final tie between Russia and France here on Friday.
RUSSIA 0 FRANCE 1 Richard Gasquet (FRA) bt Igor Andreev (RUS) 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (7/1).
SLOVAKIA 1 NETHERLANDS 0
BRATISLAVA: Results from the Davis Cup World Group quarter-final tie between Slovakia and Netherlands here on Friday:
SLOVAKIA 1 NETHERLANDS 0 Dominik Hrbaty (SVK) bt Raemon Sluiter (NED) 6-1, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3.
SLOVAKIA 1 NETHERLANDS 0
BRATISLAVA: Results from the Davis Cup World Group quarter-final tie between Slovakia and Netherlands here on Friday: Slovakia 1 Netherlands 0.
Dominik Hrbaty (SVK) bt Raemon Sluiter (NED) 6-1, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3.
JAPAN 1 THAILAND 0
OSAKA: Results from the Davis Cup tennis Asia-Oceania Zone Group I playoff between Japan and Thailand here on Friday: Japan 1 Thailand 0
Takao Suzuki (JPN) bt Danai Udomchoke 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, 1-6, 7-5, 6-4.
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