France, Russia ahead in Davis Cup

Associated Press, New York

Arnaud Clement gave France a vital 1-0 lead in its Davis Cup semifinal against the United States on Friday, while Marat Safin captured the opening point in Russia's tie against Argentina.

In other Davis Cup play, Lleyton Hewitt and Wayne Arthurs gave Australia a 2-0 lead in a qualifying match against India, while Rainer Schuettler gave Germany an early advantage over Venezuela. The winners will remain in the 16-nation World Group, while the losers will be relegated to zonal groups.

After a shaky start, Clement defeated Andy Roddick 4-6, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5), 6-1 at Roland Garros in Paris. The Frenchman delighted the crowd of nearly 14,000 with a display of speed, flashy groundstrokes and clever use of the drop shot.

The young American, who lost the first Davis Cup match of his career, served 20 aces to Clement's 13, but was outplayed by the more experienced Frenchman despite taking an early lead.

"Andy's never lost in the Davis Cup until today (Friday)," U.S. team captain Patrick McEnroe said. "He's going to learn from this and become a better player."

In the other singles match Friday, France's Sebastien Grosjean face James Blake.

At Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium, Safin came from a set down to defeat Juan Ignacio Chela 6-7 (1), 7-5, 7-5, 6-1 in a four-set encounter lasting over three hours.

The first set went with the serve until the tiebreak, but Safin dominated the rest of the match to boost Russia's chances of reaching the final for the first time since 1995.

In the day's second match, Russia's No. 2 Yevgeny Kafelnikov takes on Argentina's Gaston Gaudio.

In Adelaide, Australia, Lleyton Hewitt overpowered 22-year-old Harsh Mankad 6-1, 7-6 (2), 6-1, before Wayne Arthurs beat Leander Paes 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

In Karlsruhe, Germany, Rainer Schuettler overwhelmed Jose de Armas 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 to give Germany a 1-0 lead against Venezuela.

In the second singles, German Tommy Haas played Jimmy Szymanski.

In Birmingham, England, Britain led 1-0 against Thailand in their Davis Cup World Group qualifying tie after Tim Henman defeated Danai Udomchoke 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.