Brazil alive; Big doubles win for Czech Republic
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- Brazil's doubles team of Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares upset the top-ranked Mike and Bob Bryan 7-6 (6), 6-7 (7), 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 and kept the United States from clinching the first-round Davis Cup match.
It was only the third time the Bryan brothers had dropped a Davis Cup match. It was just the second time that they had dropped a five-set match in ATP competition. Their only other five-set defeat was in a 1999 match at Wimbledon.
The United States has a 2-1 advantage heading into Sunday's reverse singles.
CZECH REPUBLIC 2, SWITZERLAND 1
GENEVA (AP) - In the longest match in Davis Cup history, the Czech Republic beat Switzerland in a doubles epic lasting seven hours.
Tomas Berdych and Lukas Rosol eventually clinched on their 13th match point to edge Stanislas Wawrinka and Marco Chiudinelli 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-7 (3), 24-22.
The defending champion Czechs took a 2-1 lead on Chiudinelli's double-fault.
The previous longest Davis Cup match was 6 hours, 22 minutes for John McEnroe's victory for the United States against Sweden's Mats Wilander in 1982.
Berdych and Wawrinka are due back on court Sunday to begin the reverse singles.
CANADA 2, SPAIN 1
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) - Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez helped Spain staved off Davis Cup elimination with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-2 win over Canada's Daniel Nestor and Vasek Pospisil.
Canada is attempting to advance to the second round of Davis Cup World Group play for the first time. The Spaniards, who are missing their top stars to injury and rest, trail the best-of-five series 2-1.
David Ferrer, ranked fourth in the world, Rafael Nadal (fifth), Nicolas Almagro (11th) and Fernando Verdasco (24th) stayed home. While Nadal and Almagro are out with injuries, Ferrer and Verdasco chose to rest.
ARGENTINA 3, GERMANY 0
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) - Argentina reached the Davis Cup quarterfinals for the 12th straight time after David Nalbandian and Horacio Zeballos defeated Germany's Christopher Kas and Tobias Kamke in doubles.
Argentina will be at home to face France in the quarterfinals in April.
Carlos Berlocq and Juan Monaco gave Argentina a 2-0 lead in Friday's singles.
ITALY 2, CROATIA 1
TURIN, Italy (AP) - Italy beat Croatia in the doubles to take a 2-1 lead.
Fabio Fognini and Simone Bolelli took 3 hours, 17 minutes to beat Marin Cilic and Ivan Dodig 3-6, 6-1, 6-3, 7-6 (11). Fognini converted Italy's fifth match point with an ace. Croatia wasted two set points in a thrilling tiebreaker.
Italy needs one win from Sunday's reverse singles to advance to the quarterfinals for the first time since 1998, when it won the competition.
SERBIA 3, BELGIUM 0
CHARLEROI, Belgium (AP) - Viktor Troicki and Nenad Zimonjic beat Belgian duo Ruben Bemelmans and Steve Darcis 6-4, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 in the doubles to take an insurmountable 3-0 lead.
Serbia won despite playing without ninth-ranked Janko Tipsarevic, who is injured.
FRANCE 3, ISRAEL 0
ROUEN, France (AP) - France beat Israel 7-6 (3), 6-1, 6-0 in the doubles for an insurmountable 3-0 lead.
After Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Richard Gasquet won their singles Friday, Julien Benneteau and Michael Llodra had little trouble brushing aside Israel's makeshift pairing of Jonathan Erlich and Dudi Sela after a competitive first set.
KAZAKHSTAN 2, AUSTRIA 1
ASTANA, Kazakhstan (AP) - Alexander Peya and Julian Knowle kept Austria's hopes alive by winning the doubles.
They beat Andrey Golubev and Yuriy Schukin 7-6 (5), 6-3, 7-6 (3) to make sure the series will be decided in Sunday's reverse singles.
Golubev is set to play Jurgen Melzer, before Evgeny Korolev takes on Andreas Haider-Maurer.