James Blake
Vienna, Austria (Sports Network) - Andy Roddick and James Blake combined to give the defending champion United States a commanding 2-0 lead against host Austria in a best-of-five 2008 Davis Cup opening-round matchup.
Roddick survived his opening singles rubber by outlasting Austrian lefthander Jurgen Melzer 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 6-3 in 4 hours, 6 minutes on a red clay surface at Ferry Dusika Hallenstadion. Blake then doubled the Americans’ margin by overcoming pesky Austrian southpaw Stefan Koubek 5-7, 7-5, 6-2, 6-2.
The Americans headed into this tie with the same team that captured last year’s Davis Cup title — their first in 12 years.
Melzer broke Roddick to open the final set in the opening rubber, but the American charged back by winning four straight games and would hold on from there. Roddick capped the win with one final ace against the game Melzer, who was treated for a thigh injury while trailing 2-4 in the big final stanza.
The former world No. 1 and 2003 U.S. Open champion Roddick uncorked 20 aces en route to victory. Melzer fired 29 more winners than his American counterpart (78-49), but also misfired for 29 more unforced errors in the tough setback (97-68).
Roddick is now 7-0 lifetime against Melzer and 27-9 in his career Davis Cup singles matches.
Blake improved to 15-8 in his career Davis Cup singles action by coming back to stop Koubek in 2 hours, 57 minutes. The American piled up nine breaks, compared to five for the Austrian, who also tallied 16 more unforced errors (33-17) on his way to defeat.
Koubek was up a set and ahead 5-2 in the second stanza, but Blake caught fire and won five straight games to level the rubber. He wound up winning 17 of the final 21 games to get the second point for the visitors.
Saturday’s doubles will pit an American tandem of Bob and Mike Bryan against an Austrian duo of Melzer and Julian Knowle, while Sunday’s reverse singles currently call for Roddick to face Koubek and Blake to take on Melzer. The powerful twin Bryan brothers are 13-1 in doubles in this prestigious international team event and clinched the ‘07 title for the U.S. back in December.
Patrick McEnroe guides the United States, while Gilbert Schaller is the Austrian captain.
The U.S. is 2-0 all-time versus Austria, including a 3-2 win on clay in Vienna in 1990. Their last meeting came in Connecticut in 2004, with the Americans prevailing 5-0.
The Americans captured their first Davis Cup title since 1995 two months ago by beating visiting Russia in Portland. It marked Team USA’s record 32nd championship.
The USA-Austria winner will face the Romania-France victor in the quarterfinals in April.
The French and host Romanians are squaring off in Sibiu, where France is led by Richard Gasquet and Australian Open runner-up Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, while Romania features the likes of Andrei Pavel and Victor Hanescu. France captured both of Friday’s opening singles rubbers, as Gasquet opened with a 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, 7-5 victory over Hanescu and Tsonga followed with a 6-7 (2-7), 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 come-from-behind decision against the veteran Pavel.