Czechs ease into Davis semis but Swiss in trouble
Print Edition
THE Czech Republic wasted little time wrapping up its Davis Cup quarterfinal tie against Japan after the defending champion eased to a straight-sets victory in the doubles rubber yesterday to take an unassailable 3-0 lead.
After battling to singles wins on Friday, Radek Stepanek and Lukas Rosol paired up for a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Tatsuma Ito and Yasutaka Uchiyama at the Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo to set up a last-four encounter against either Germany or France.
In a match that lasted two hours and 20 minutes, the Czech pairing won all three sets with a break of serve in the 10th game against the error-prone Japanese to remain on course for a third straight Davis Cup title and fourth overall.
Rosol was brought in as a substitute for Jiri Vesely by Czech captain Jaroslav Navratil yesterday morning and the move proved inspired with the world No. 40 exhibiting a strong serve and playing especially well from the baseline.
On Friday, former world No. 8 Stepanek, now 47th, came from a set down to beat Ito 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5), 6-1, 7-5 before Rosol survived a mid-match meltdown to overcome 21-year-old Taro Daniel 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-2 in the second rubber.
Both sides came into the contest without their top players.
World No. 5 Tomas Berdych is out for the Czechs following two tough events in the US, while Kei Nishikori is sidelined with a groin problem suffered in a victory over Roger Federer at last week’s Sony Open in Miami.
The Czechs are likely to face Germany in September’s semi-final encounter after Carsten Arriens’ unfancied side opened a 2-0 lead over the French on the first day of their tie in Nancy.
Meanwhile in Geneva, Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka lost the doubles to Andrey Golubev and Aleksandr Nedovyesov yesterday, giving Kazakhstan a 2-1 lead over Switzerland in their quarterfinals.
Golubev and Nedovyesov never trailed after breaking Federer in the opening game and completed a 6-4, 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-6 (6) victory.
The Kazakh pair took their first match point chance when Wawrinka could not control Golubev’s powerful return of Federer’s serve.
In today’s reverse singles, No. 3-ranked Wawrinka is scheduled on court first against 56th-ranked Mikhail Kukushkin.
Federer, ranked No. 4, would follow against 64th-ranked Golubev, who beat Wawrinka in Friday’s opening singles.
The winner plays Britain or Italy next, with that tie at 1-1 after Andy Murray overcame strong resistance to complete a straight sets victory over Andreas Seppi in Naples yesterday.
Murray won 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 in more than three hours for a sixth straight victory over Seppi.
The match had been suspended on Friday night due to fading light, with the British No. 1 leading 6-4, 5-5.
When play resumed, Murray immediately broke and then held his serve to seize command.
Murray was returning to the court later for the doubles match with Colin Fleming against Fabio Fognini and Simone Bolelli.
Italy has not lost at home to Britain since 1926.
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