TENNIS ROUNDUP : U.S. Faces Uphill Battle Against Australia

The United States Davis Cup team, playing with its second string, is on the brink of being ousted in the first round.

With Jim Courier, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and Michael Chang declaring themselves unavailable, the defending champion Americans, reduced to using Brad Gilbert and David Wheaton, lost the first two singles to Australia on Friday at Melbourne. One defeat in the final three matches will mean their elimination.

Jim Grabb and Richey Reneberg will try to keep the Americans alive with a victory in today’s doubles against Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge.

The remaining singles will be played Sunday, with Woodforde facing Gilbert and Australia’s Wally Masur meeting Wheaton.

Masur and Woodforde were impressive in winning the first two singles.

Masur repeatedly ripped the ball past Gilbert in the opening match on the grass courts of Kooyong Stadium, winning, 6-3, 6-7 (6-8), 6-4, 6-2, in just over three hours. Woodforde then recovered from a slow start to wear down Cup rookie Wheaton, 3-6, 7-6 (7-1), 6-4, 6-4, as the American slammed 19 aces but made almost twice as many unforced errors.

“Our backs are as far against the wall as they can be,” Wheaton said. “It’ll take a tremendous team effort to get back into it.”

“Hopefully, we’ll kick them while they are still down,” Woodforde said.

The United States is defending the title it won by defeating Switzerland in last year’s final, but only three teams have rallied from 0-2 to win in World Group matches. Sweden, against Canada in 1992 in Vancouver, was the last.

Top-seeded Gabriela Sabatini breezed past Italy’s Sandra Cecchini, 6-2, 6-1, in the quarterfinals of the $375,000 Virginia Slims of Houston.

Sabatini’s victory sets up a semifinal match with Conchita Martinez, who defeated Patricia Tarabini of Argentina, 6-3, 6-2.

Martinez hasn’t faced Sabatini since losing a memorable three-set match in the 1992 French Open. Sabatini has won eight of the last 10 matches between the two, including the last six.

“Every time we play it’s a close match,” Sabatini said.

Also, fourth-seeded Jana Novotna stopped Radka Zrubakova, 6-3, 7-5, and unseeded Sabine Hack of Germany defeated Russia’s Tatiana Ignatieva, 6-0, 6-3, in a match that lasted only 48 minutes.

Ignatieva had moved from No. 330 to No. 119 in the computer rankings as a result of her second-round victory over Jennifer Capriati Wednesday night.