By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, March 4, 2016
Tomas Berdych battled past Alexander Zverev in five sets to level the Czech Republic's tie with host Germany.
Photo credit: Davis Cup
Tomas Berdych and Alexander Zverev share a trainer. They gave each other quite a workout on the Hannover hard court today.
Berdych beat back a spirited challenge from the Davis Cup debutant, 7-6 (6), 1-6, 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4, in a four hour, 20-minute test to pull the Czech Republic level with host Germany in the Davis Cup World Group opening tie.
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Philipp Kohlschreiber opened with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 triumph over Lukas Rosol.
Veteran Radek Stepanek, who clinched successive Davis Cup championships for the Czech Republic in 2012 and 2013, is scheduled to partner Jiri Vesely in Saturday's doubles against the German pair of Philipp Petzschner and Dustin Brown. Both captains could substitute for the doubles. Stepanek has won five of his last six Davis Cup doubles appearances
Five of the eight World Group first-round ties are deadlocked after day one.
Argentina leads Poland, 2-0. France holds a 2-0 lead over Canada. Italy is up 2-0 on Switzerland, playing without Grand Slam champions Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka.
Here's a recap of some other Davis Cup World Group opening-round ties.
Great Britain 1, Japan 1
Talk about a running return. Andy Murray won 11 straight points blitzing past Japanese No. 2 Taro Daniel 6-1, 6-3, 6-1, in his first match since falling in the Australian Open final.
Kei Nishikori avenged his 2013 US Open loss to Daniel Evans with a 6-3, 7-5, 7-6 (3) victory to even the tie for Japan. Nishikori hit 42 winners compared to 16 for his opponent.
Dominic Inglot and Jamie Murray are scheduled to play doubles for the defending champion tomorrow though Captain Leon Smith could substitute Andy Murray into a doubles slot.
The second-ranked Murray has won five of six career meetings with Nishikori, including a 6-3, 6-0 shellacking in Montreal last August. They will square off in Sunday's reverse singles.
Serbia 1, Kazakhstan 1
Finding focus unleashing a five-game run in the second set, Novak Djokovic powered past Kazakhstan’s No. 2 Aleksandr Nedovyesov in the opening singles. It was Djokovic's ninth straight Davis Cup singles win and his first match since an eye infection forced him to retire from his Dubai quarterfinal against Feliciano Lopez last week.
Mikhail Kukushkin scored his fourth straight-sets win in his last five Davis Cup matches, defeating Viktor Troicki to level.
Nenad Zimonjic and Djokovic are scheduled to square off against Andrey Golubev and Aleksandr Nedovyesov in tomorrow's doubles match. Djokovic has not lost a Davis Cup singles match since retiring in the second set against Juan Martin del Potro in the 2011 Davis Cup semifinals at the Belgrade Arena.
Belgium 1, Croatia 1
David Goffin survived a migraine and baseline pain inflicted by Borna Coric, earning a grueling 6-3, 6-2, 2-6, 3-6, 6-3 victory in three hours, six minutes as Belgium leveled in Liege.
"It was not easy, in the first two sets I was really struggling. I think David played unbelievable tennis," Coric said. "I was very pleased to come back in the fifth set. I actually gave myself an opportunity to win the match in the fifth set...Obviously, he was a little bit better in the end. I had my chances. I had momentum on my side because I was two sets down and a break and then I just came back very, very well. I think as well when I had small opportunities, he just played too good."
Marin Cilic, who hit 16 aces in a 7-5, 6-3, 7-5 win over Kimmer Coppejans in the opener, is scheduled to play Goffin in Sunday's opening reverse singles match. It will be the first meeting between the 2014 US Open champion and the 16th-ranked Belgian and a test of Goffin's stamina after a long grind today.
Australia 1, United States 1
A trip to the quarterfinal could hinge on doubles pitting the battle-tested Bryan brothers against John Peers, who is making his Davis Cup debut, and captain Lleyton Hewitt, who closed the curtain on his playing career at the Australian Open in January only to burst back on the stage this weekend. Hewitt and Peers are playing together for the first time and will be major underdogs.
Bernard Tomic praised Hewitt for his encouragement and guidance in Tomic's four-set victory over American Jack Sock that deadlocked the tie. Hewitt holds the Australian Davis Cup record for most career wins and called the Bryan brothers "obviously the favorite in doubles." The move gives Sam Groth, who fell to John Isner in the opener, a day off before Sunday's reverse singles that starts with Isner against Tomic.
How will Hewitt handle the transition from sitting in sweltering heat coaching singles to playing doubles? It will be fun to find out.