Slovakia Puts Spain on Ropes

Defending champion Spain was in serious danger of going out in the first round of the Davis Cup after falling behind Slovakia, 2-0, Friday in a World Group match at Bratislava, Slovakia.

Playing without three of its top players, Spain struggled in the opening singles matches. Dominik Hrbaty defeated Fernando Verdasco, 6-3, 6-4, 6-7 (7), 6-3, and Karol Beck defeated Feliciano Lopez, 6-4, 7-5, 6-3.

Three months ago, Spain defeated the United States to win its second Davis Cup. But the key player in that victory, Carlos Moya, dropped out of this year’s competition to concentrate on Grand Slams. Juan Carlos Ferrero and Tommy Robredo also bowed out with injuries.

*

Peter Wessels and Sjeng Schalken gave the Netherlands a 2-0 lead over Switzerland at Fribourg, Switzerland.

Wessels beat Stanislas Wawrinka, 7-6 (12), 6-7 (4), 7-6 (7), 6-4. Schalken bested Marco Chiudinelli, 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-3, 5-7, 6-2.

Roger Federer, the world’s No. 1-ranked player, is not playing for the Swiss.

*

Lleyton Hewitt and Wayne Arthurs won in straight sets to give Australia a 2-0 lead over Austria at Sydney.

Hewitt beat Alexander Peya, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4, and Arthurs beat Austrian No. 1 Jurgen Melzer, 7-6 (5), 6-2, 6-4, on a grass court at the 2000 Olympic site.

*

Thomas Johansson beat Sebastien Grosjean, 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (1), to lift Sweden to a 1-1 tie with France at Strasbourg, France.

Earlier, Paul-Henri Mathieu of France defeated Joachim Johansson, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.

*

Australian Open champion Marat Safin struggled past Adrian Garcia, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4), to pull Russia even with Chile, 1-1, at Moscow. Olympic bronze medalist Fernando Gonzalez defeated Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny, 7-6 (4), 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (4).

*

Guillermo Coria and David Nalbandian won their singles matches to give Argentina a 2-0 lead over the Czech Republic at Buenos Aires. Coria defeated Tomas Berdych, 6-3, 3-6, 6-0, 6-3, after Nalbandian bested Jiri Novak, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4.

*

Andrei Pavel beat Vladimir Voltchkov, 6-4, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (2), to help Romania to a 1-1 tie against Belarus at Brasov, Romania. Belarus’ Max Mirnyi beat Victor Hanescu, 7-6 (6), 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.