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Swiss poise too hot to handle

September 23, 2005 22:35 IST
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Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka won their respective rubbers on the first day to give Switzerland 2-0 lead over Britain in the Davis Cup World Group Play-off tie on Friday.

Federer demolishing Scotland's Alan Mackin 6-0, 6-0, 6-2 in the opening singles rubber while Wawrinka thumped Scottish teenager Andy Murray 6-3, 7-6, 6-4 to stamp their supremacy.

Federer needed just one hour and 55 minutes to see off the world number 262.

Mackin was a surprise choice to face Federer with British captain Jeremy Bates opting to rest top player Greg Rusedski ahead of Saturday's doubles rubber.

Murray proved no match for Wawrinka on the Geneva clay and was conquered in 2 hours and 17 minutes.

In the world group semi-final, Russia took a 1-0 lead over Croatia as Nikolay Davudenko beat Mario Ancic 7-5, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 in the first singles match.

19-year-old Rafael Nadal outclasses Daniele Bracciali to help Spain level 1-1 against Italy.

Italy had taken a surprise 1-0 lead over Spain in their Davis Cup World Group play-off on Friday after Andreas Seppi produced a tremendous fight back from two sets down to beat Juan Carlos Ferrero.

Seppi beat Ferrero 5-7, 3-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-2.

The Spaniard looked below his best despite taking the opening two sets 7-5 and 6-3, largely thanks to unforced errors from Seppi, but he was crushed 6-0 in the third set as the Italian kept the match alive.

Seppi, 58 places below 20th-ranked Ferrero, brought the match level with an impressive 6-3 win in the fourth set and then cruised to a 6-2 victory against the tired-looking Spaniard to take the game.

Spain, Davis Cup winners last season, were forced into the play-offs after defeat to Slovakia.

Bracciali was drafted in for Italy earlier on Friday after Potito Starace was forced out with flu.

Austria and Ecuador are evenly poised at 1-1 going in to day two of their tie after Nicolas Lapentti overcame Stefan Koubek in five sets 5-7, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5), 7-5 in over four and a half hours of play.

Jurgen Melzer defeated Giovanni Lapentti 6-1, 6-3, 6-2 in the first singles match in Portschach.

USA also drew level with Belgium after Andy Roddick swept past Christophe Rochus 6-1, 6-2, 6-3 in one hour and 43 minutes.

Belgium's Olivier Rochus had upset US Open quarter-finalist James Blake 6-4, 7-5, 6-1. Blake was unable to transfer his recent good form to the clay court in Leuven and fell to the diminutive Belgian in exactly two hours.

Tomas Berdych overcame four-point deficit in the fourth set tiebreak to deliver the first point for Czech Republic in tie with Germany. The Czech No.1, in the absence of Jiri Novak, battled back past Tommy Haas 4-6, 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(9), 6-3.

Chile's Fernando Gonzalez exposed the inexperience of Aqeel Khan of Pakistan to beat him 6-0, 6-0, 6-1 in the opening matchand give his team a 1-0 lead. World number 18, Gonzalez, needed just one hour to send Khan, ranked 998, packing.

It is the first time that Pakistan has reached the World Group Play-offs.

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