The Hindu : Sport / Tennis : Australia in command

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Mar 06, 2005

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Sport - Tennis

Australia in command

SYDNEY, MARCH 5. Australia defeated gritty Austrian doubles combination to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in their Davis Cup first-round tie on Saturday, setting up a likely quarterfinal with Argentina.

The Australian pair of Todd Woodbridge and Wayne Arthurs prevailed in blustery conditions on a bumpy drop-in grass court to take a rain-interrupted five-setter 4-6, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, 7-5 over more than three-and-a-half hours.

Ljubicic downs Agassi

Croatian Ivan Ljubic spoiled Andre Agassi's Davis Cup return, but Andy Roddick made sure the United States finished the first day of its World Group first-round tie with honours even at one match apiece.

Ljubicic, one of the hottest players on the ATP tour this year with four finals appearances, defeated eight-time Grand Slam champion Agassi 6-3, 7-6 (7-0), 6-3.

Roddick gave US captain Patrick McEnroe a tense moment, dropping the first set before emerging with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 victory to salvage a first day point.

Spain trails

Without three of its top players — and 18-year-old Rafael Nadal playing only doubles — defending champion Spain fell behind host Slovakia 2-0 in the first round tie in Bratislava.

Spain's No. 1 Feliciano Lopez lost 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 to Karol Beck, and Fernando Verdasco was defeated 6-3, 6-4, 6-7(7), 6-3 by Dominik Hrbaty.

Sweden levels

Thomas Johansson of Sweden beat France's Sebastien Grosjean 6-4, 6-4, 7-6(1) to level the scores at 1-1 after Paul-Henri Mathieu of France neutralised the power of Sweden's Joachim Johansson and cruised to a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 to give France a 1-0 lead.

The Netherlands took a 2-0 lead over host Switzerland after Peter Wessels defeated Stanislas Wawrinka 7-6(12), 6-7(4), 7-6(7), 6-4.

No. 5-ranked Guillermo Coria defeated Tomas Berdych of the Czech Repubilc 6-3, 3-6, 6-0, 6-3 to lift Argentina to a 2-0 lead at the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club.

Coria, last year's French Open runner-up, was pleased to win his first Davis Cup match at home, before a 6,500 sell out crowd.

World Group results (home teams listed first): At Sydney: Australia 3, Austria 0 (Wayne Arthurs/Todd Woodbridge bt Julian Knowle/Alexander Peya 4-6, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, 7-5).

At Los Angeles: USA 1, Croatia 1 (Ivan Ljubicic bt Andre Agassi 6-3, 7-6 (7-0), 6-3; Andy Roddick bt Mario Ancic 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-4).

At Bratislava: Slovakia 2, Spain 0 (Dominik Hrbaty bt Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 6-4, 6-7 (7-9), 6-3.

At Fribourg: Switzerland 0, Netherlands 2 (Peter Wessels bt Stanislas Wawrinka 7-6 (14-12), 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (9-7), 6-4.

At Buenos Aires: Argentina 2, Czech Republic 0 (Guillermo Coria bt Thomas Berdych 6-3, 3-6, 6-0, 6-3).

At Moscow: Russia 1, Chile 1 (Marat Safin bt Adrian Garcia 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4).

At Strasbourg: France 1, Sweden 1 (Thomas Johansson bt Sebastien Grosjean 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (7-1).

At Bucharest: Romania 1, Belarus 1 (Andrei Pavel bt Vladimir Voltchkov 6-4, 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-2).

Asia-Oceania: Group I: Pakistan 2, Thailand 1; Taiwan 1, Japan 2; Indonesia 1, Uzbekistan 1. Group II: New Zealand 3, Kazakhstan 0; Pacific Oceania 2, Lebanon 1; Philippines 1, South Korea 2; Iran 0, Kuwait 2. — Agencies

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