Radek Stepanek and Tomas Berdych handed the Czech Republic a 2-0 lead over Argentina in their Davis Cup semifinal here on Friday, bringing the reigning champions to within a point of the final. Stepanek, the world number 61 and Czech number two, saw off 30th-ranked Argentinean number-one player Juan Monaco 7-6 (7/3), 6-3, 6-2 in two hours and 33 minutes in the opening rubber.
And fifth-ranked Berdych then beat world number 93 Leonardo Mayer 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in three hours and one minute. Serbia and Canada were level at 1-1 in their Davis Cup semifinal on Friday after Milos Raonic beat Janko Tipsarevic to redress the balance following Novak Djokovic’s straight-sets win over Vasek Pospisil.
Thriving in a partisan atmosphere similar to the one that carried Serbia to a 3-2 victory over France in the 2010 final, Djokovic crushed Pospisil 6-2, 6-0, 6-4 before the towering Raonic hit 34 aces to outgun Tipsarevic 5-7, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 10-8. Colombia’s Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah took ruthless advantage of Japan’s decision to rest Kei Nishikori and Go Soeda by overpowering replacements Tatsuma Ito and Yuichi Sugita 6-1, 6-2, 6-1 to take a 2-1 lead in their Davis Cup World Group playoff on Saturday.
A ruthless Rafael Nadal crushed Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine 6-0, 6-0, 6-4 to give Spain a commanding 2-0 lead in their Davis Cup World Group playoff in Madrid on Friday. Nadal put Spain in control following Fernando Verdasco’s 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 success against Alexandr Dolgopolov.