Lleyton Hewitt and Chris Guccione powered Australia to a 2-0 lead over Thailand with contrasting Davis Cup wins yesterday.
Hewitt, the world No. 21, dropped just one game in crushing Cup novice Kirati Siributwong, ranked 978th, 6-0, 6-0, 6-1.
The former Wimbledon and US Open champion put the icing on the cake for the 28-time winners of the team event after Guccione extinguished the challenge of Thailand’s top player Danai Udomchoke in a five-set marathon.
PHOTO: AFP
The big-serving left-hander battled for more than three-and-a-half hours before sealing a 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (8/6), 4-6, 7-6 (8/6), 7-5 victory.
The Australians need to win one more match from the doubles today and tomorrow’s two reverse singles matches to win the Asia/Oceania Zone Group I second round tie and progress to a playoff in September for entry to the World Group next year.
Hewitt is the most successful singles player in Australian Davis Cup history and lifted his record to 32 singles wins.
Kirati never stood a chance against the merciless Hewitt, who reeled off a straight-sets victory in just over 80 minutes.
Guccione, ranked 67, nailed 25 aces and had to come from behind and fight off three match points in a tense fourth-set tiebreaker to prevail over the 204th-ranked Danai.
Danai defeated Guccione in China earlier this year, but the 22-year-old Australian has been steadily climbing the rankings with useful wins on US hard courts.
Yet Danai managed to go tantalizingly close to pulling off a shock in a home tie Australia is expected to sweep.
Danai reeled off a succession of backhand passes to snatch the first-set tiebreaker and then grabbed an early service break in the second set as Guccione faltered.
But Danai cracked when serving for a two-set advantage at 5-2 and then wasted three set points at 6-3 in the second tiebreaker to invite Guccione back into the contest.
Guccione looked beaten when he fell behind 6-3 in the fourth-set breaker, but pulled off one miraculous match point save with a desperate forehand crosscourt pass from meters behind the baseline.
It was the shot that pumped up Guccione and, after forcing a deciding set, he broke Danai in the 11th game and then thundered down another winning serve to put Australia one up in the tie.
Danai carried Thailand’s hopes after Paradorn Srichaphan made an ill-fated comeback attempt from a wrist injury that has prevented him from playing for a year.
Japan looked like leveling their tie against India at 1-1 before Prakash Amritraj rallied from two sets down to beat Go Soeda 4-6, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-4, 8-6.
The victory by Amritraj — son of Vijay Amritraj — added to the earlier victory of Rohan Bopanna who also prevailed in a tight struggle, downing Kei Nishikori 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3.
India’s experienced doubles pair of Mahesh Bhupathi and team captain Leander Paes will be favorites to close out the tie today.
In the playoffs to remain in the Asia/Oceania Group 1, Taiwan drew 1-1 in Kazakhstan. Lu Yen-hsun beat Alexey Kedryuk in straight sets in the first game 6-3, 7-5, 6-2. In the second match Yuriy Schukin defeated Chen Ti in a tough five-set encounter 3-6, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4.
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