Australia and Italy clinch early wins
Australia and Italy clinch early wins
PARIS (Agencies): Australia and Italy made sure of their
places in the Davis Cup quarter-finals 24 hours early on Saturday
when victories in the doubles gave them unbeatable 3-0 leads.
In the Asia-Oceania Group tie between Indonesia and the
Philippines, the visitors came from 0-2 defeat in the first two
singles to 3-2 victory.
After winning Saturday's only match in the doubles,
Indonesia's best doubles partnership, Bonit Wiryawan and Sulityo
Wibowo, downed the Philippines' best hopes Pio Tolentino and
Michael Misa in straight sets 6-1 6-4 6-0.
The relatively easy win enlightened Indonesia's hopes which
were proved in the reverse singles Sunday.
Suwandi defeated Joseph Lizardo 6-2 1-6 6-3 5-7 6-2 to make
the score level 2-2 before Bonit Wiryawan made a splendid
comeback by beating Robert Angelo 6-3 1-6 4-6 6-1 6-3.
In the opening round of the tie Friday, Suwandi, making a
return to the team after six months absence, fought a tough
battle before crashing 6-7 6-7 3-6 to defeat by Angelo. Andrian
Raturandang lost to Lizardo 4-6 7-5 5-7 2-6 in the second
singles.
In Sydney, French resistance crumbled when Mark Woodforde and
Todd Woodbridge completed a 7-6 (8-6), 6-4, 6-3 win over Guy
Forget and Guillaume Raoux.
Their victory piled added humiliation on the reigning
champions who had never come to terms with the fast grass courts
of the White City Stadium in the opening singles.
Italy also added a clinching third point against Mexico in
Rome when Diego Nargiso and Stefano Pescosolido beat Leonardo
Lavalle and Alejandro Hernandez 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7), 6-3.
Elsewhere the main surprises came in Brazil and the Czech
Republic.
In Brazil the home side, who had been trailing the United
States 0-2 after Friday's singles, kept their hopes alive by
winning the doubles -- Gustavo Kuertenn and Jaime Oncins
outplaying Richey Reneberg and Alex O'Brien 6-2, 6-4, 7-5.
And in the Czech Republic, India raised eyebrows by taking a
2-1 lead in the tie after winning the doubles on the slow clay
surface -- Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes, both more at home on
grass, beating Martin Damm and Petr Korda 7-6 (9-7), 6-3, 6-4
Germany and the Netherlands made up for their dreadful start
on Friday by winning the doubles.
Marc-Kevin Goellner and David Prinosil pulled a point back
against Spain in Mallorca when they defeated Carlos Costa and
Alex Corretja 6-2, 6-2, 6-3.
And Paul Haarhuis and Jacco Eltingh restored a measure of
pride for the Dutch, who had lost both of Friday's singles
against unfancied Rumania, by defeating Razvan Sabau and Ion
Moldovan 7-6 (7-4), 6-4, 6-3
Rain prolonged Russian agony in South Africa.