By Chris Oddo | Friday September 18, 2015
Stan Wawrinka and Roger Federer brought their focus back home on Friday in Geneva as the pair of Top-5 talents teamed up to blank Netherlands on Day 1 of their World Group playoff to put the Swiss on the brink of returning to the 2016 Davis Cup World Group.
More: Brits, Aussies End up Splitting on Day 1
Wawrinka got the ball rolling for the Swiss, but he had to shake off some rust and a spirited fight from Thiemo De Bakker to do it. Wawrinka was down two sets to one and trailed 3-0 whilst facing a break point to go down a double-break in set four, but the World No. 4 summoned his very best to rally.
Wawrinka reeled off ten straight points to break even, then weathered the storm in a five-deuce game to notch the go-ahead break for a 4-3 lead in set four. After a hold in the next game he would break De Bakker at love to force a decider.
But Wawrinka wasn’t out of the woods yet. He squandered a 3-0 led in set five, allowing the Dutchman to draw level before finally breaking in the 12th game of the set to break the tie and clinch the rubber.
Federer’s route to victory was far less complicated. The Swiss maestro converted four of 11 break points and saved both break points that he faced to cruise to a 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 victory over World No. 436 Jesse Huta Gulang.
Only once per set did Federer have to go to deuce in his service games, and he wiggled out of a double-break-point down situation to hold before breaking to clinch the rubber and a commanding two-love lead for the Swiss.
World Group Roundup
India 1, Czech Republic 1
Somdev Devvarman upset Jiri Vesely in straight sets to even things up for India in New Delhi. The Czechs are looking to extend their streak of consecutive World Group appearances to ten, while India seeks its first World Group berth since 2011.
Lukas Rosol defeated Yuki Bhambri in straight sets in the first rubber.
Italy 1, Russia 1
In Italy and Russia’s first meeting since 1996, Fabio Fognini slipped past 17-year-old Andrey Rublev in straight sets after Teymuraz Gabashvili opened with a straight-sets victory of his own over Simone Bolelli.
Germany 1, Dominican Rebublic 1
Victor Estrella Burgos slid past Dustin Brown in four sets, but Philipp Kohlschreiber answered to level up for the Germans. The Dominicans are bidding to become just the second Caribbean nation (Cuba, 1993) to reach the World Group and the first in 22 years.
Poland 1, Slovakia 1
Jerzy Janowicz put Poland's quest to reach the World Group for the first time in good stead with a four-set win over Norbert Gombos. Martin Klizan defeated Michal Przysiezny in straight sets to give Slovakia, which has not played the World Group in nine years, the lead in the first rubber.