World number one Rafael Nadal beat number three Novak Djokovic 6-4 6-4 6-1 on Sunday to give champions Spain an unassailable 3-1 lead in their Davis Cup world group first-round tie.
Nadal and David Ferrer both won their opening singles in straight sets on Saturday, Ferrer upsetting an erratic Djokovic and Australian Open champion Nadal thrashing Janko Tipsarevic to put Spain 2-0 ahead.
Nenad Zimonjic and Viktor Troicki then beat Feliciano Lopez and Tommy Robredo, also in three sets, to keep Serbia alive ahead of the reverse singles. The tie had been due to begin on Friday but play was postponed after high winds damaged the seating at the purpose-built arena around the clay court in the hills above the Mediterranean resort of Benidorm.
Against Nadal, Djokovic put up a better fight than he had in his error-strewn loss to Ferrer but he was unable to cope with the powerful Majorcans superior hitting and his attempts to mix it up with dropshots largely ended in failure.
It was Nadals 12th win in 12 Davis Cup singles rubbers since he lost his 2004 debut against Jiri Novak of the Czech Republic. Second seeds Spain will play either Germany or Austria in the quarter-finals in July. Germany were leading their tie 2-1 after the second days play in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Ferrer was due to play Tipsarevic in Sundays remaining singles in the best-of-five tie.
BRYANS GIVE US LEAD OVER SWISS:
NEW YORK: Bob and Mike Bryan gave the US a 2-1 lead against Switzerland in their Davis Cup world group first round tie on Saturday and became the most successful American doubles combination in the competition.
The Bryans 6-3 6-4 3-6 7-6 victory against Yves Allegro and Stanislas Wawrinka in Birmingham, Alabama, was their 15th in the Davis Cup. They had been previously tied with duos Peter Fleming/John McEnroe and Wilmer Allison/John Van Ryn. The Bryans, winners of this years Australian Open, took advantage of Allegros serve to convert key breaks in the first and second sets, and a visibly frustrated Allegro snapped his racquet in half.
The Swiss fought back to force a fourth set, but the Bryans prevailed 7-2 in the tiebreak. In Sundays reverse singles, Andy Roddick plays Wawrinka, followed by James Blake against Marco Chiudinelli. Roddick has a 10-0 record when given the opportunity to clinch a Davis Cup tie.
Australia narrowly survive Thai test:
Australia narrowly survived a tough Davis Cup test against Thailand on Sunday, clinching the tie 3-2 despite Lleyton Hewitt losing his rubber.
Their victory in the Asia-Oceania zone group match means Australia will face India for the right to contest a playoff in September to return to the prestigious World Group after the Indians overcame Taiwan, also 3-2.
Australia had Chris Guccione to thanks for salvaging their pride after Hewitt crashed to a shock 2-6, 4-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-4, 6-1 loss to world number 155 Danai Udomchoke. It left the tie delicately poised at 2-2, with Guccione saving the day for the vistors by beating Kittipong Wachiramanowong 6-3, 7-5, 7-6 (7/4) in the deciding singles.
INDIA BEAT TAIWAN:
TAIPEI: India claimed a decisive 3-1 win over Taiwan on Sunday to move into the third round of Davis Cup play in Group I of the Asia-Oceania Zone.
Somdev Devvarman sealed Indias victory when he beat Taiwanese ace Lu Yen-hsun 6-1, 6-2, 6-3 at the Yang Ming tennis centre in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan.
JAPAN THUMP CHINA:
OSAKA: Japan thrashed China 5-0 in the second round of their Davis Cup tennis Asia-Oceania zone Group One tie here Sunday. Having already secured their place Saturday in the third round with a 3-0 lead in the best-of-five contest, Japans Kei Nishikori was replaced by Takao Suzuki in the reverse singles match.