Cilic Pushes Croatia In Davis Cup World Group Playoff

KAZAKHSTAN 1, ARGENTINA 1
Astana, Kazakhstan (Indoor clay)

Defending Davis Cup champion Argentina and Kazakhstan head into Saturday tied 1-1 in their World Group Playoff. ATP World Tour veteran Mikhail Kukushkin started the day with a 6-7(5), 7-6(5), 6-2, 6-4 win against left-hander Guido Pella. But US Open quarter-finalist Diego Schwartzman kept up his impressive play, dismissing Dmitry Popko 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.

Kukushkin will partner with Aleksandr Nedovyesov against Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni in doubles on Saturday.

COLOMBIA 0, CROATIA 1
Bogota, Colombia (Outdoor clay)

Marin Cilic moved within one win of becoming Croatia’s Davis Cup singles match-wins leader on Friday with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-1 victory against Colombia’s Alejandro Gonzalez. Franko Skugor is trying to give the visiting team a 2-0 lead against Santiago Giraldo.

SWITZERLAND 1, BELARUS 1
Biel, Switzerland (Indoor hard)

Marco Chiudinelli put the home country on the board on Friday with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory against Dzmitry Zhyrmont. Yaraslav Shyla had given Belarus a 1-0 lead by beating Henri Laaksonen 6-4, 6-2, 7-6(3).

NETHERLANDS 0, CZECH REPUBLIC 1
The Hague, Netherlands (Indoor clay)

Left-hander Jiri Vesely outlasted Thiemo de Bakker 4-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 after three hours and 44 minutes to give the visiting team a 1-0 lead. Vesely won almost 70 per cent of his second-serve points and converted six of his 25 break opportunities.

PORTUGAL 1, GERMANY 1
Lisbon, Portugal (Outdoor clay)

World No. 90 Cedrik-Marcel Stebe upset No. 57 Joao Sousa 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 to start the play-off contest. But Portugal’s Pedro Sousa assured the home team of an even contest heading into Saturday by beating Jan-Lennard Struff 6-2, 7-5, 7-6(2).

JAPAN 2, BRAZIL 0
Osaka, Japan (Outdoor hard)

Yuichi Sugita and Go Soeda powered Japan to a commanding 2-0 lead in their Davis Cup play-off against Brazil. Sugita, who won his maiden ATP World Tour title earlier this year in Antayla, beat Guilherme Clezar 6-2, 7-5, 7-6(5). Soeda knocked out Thiago Monteiro 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-7(1), 6-4 in three hours and 41 minutes.

HUNGARY 1, RUSSIA 0
Budapest, Hungary (Outdoor clay)

World No. 113 Marton Fucsovics hung on to stave off a comeback from #NextGenATP Russian Andrey Rublev 6-2, 6-4, 5-7, 2-6, 6-3. Rublev was coming off his first Grand Slam quarter-final at the US Open (l. to Nadal).

CANADA 0, INDIA 0
Edmonton, Canada (Indoor hard)