Djokovic combines with Zimonjic to steer Serbia into Davis Cup q-finals
World number one Novak Djokovic powered Serbia into the Davis Cup quarterfinals while France also advanced.
Djokovic’s Serbia took an unbeatable 30 lead over Croatia on Saturday, while France ensured a victory over Germany in World Group firstround play.
But defending champions Switzerland, missing big guns Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka, face being dumped out of the team tournament in the first round as Belgium took a 21 advantage by winning the doubles in Liege.
The United States kept their hopes alive against Britain in Glasgow despite Mike and Bob Bryan, the top doubles team in the world, being pegged back to two sets all after winning the opening two frames against Jamie Murray, the brother of Davis Cup teammate Andy Murray, and Dom Inglot.
The twins kept the Americans in the contest ahead of the last day’s singles with a 63, 62, 36, 67 (810), 97 victory.
Andy Murray, the world number five, and James Ward, ranked 111, had gotten Britain off to a 20 start on Friday.
There were early celebrations in Kralijevo after Djokovic came in as a lastminute doubles replacement for Viktor Troicki and alongside Nenad Zimonjic convincingly beat Marin Draganja and Franko Skugor 63, 64, 61.
The Serbian pair needed less than two hours to advance, despite a scare in the second set when Djokovic was treated for a blister on his right hand.
“We wanted to finish the job today, to take advantage of the fact that we won the first singles and that was done,” said the 27yearold Djokovic.
Brazil seized a 21 lead in Buenos Aires after Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares defeated Diego Sebastian Schwartzman and Carlos Berlocq 75, 63, 64 in doubles.
In Frankfurt, France assured themselves of a quarterfinal berth when Julien Benneteau and Nicolas Mahut posted a 64, 63, 62 doubles success over Benjamin Becker and Andre Begemann.
Gilles Simon and Gael Monfils had put France 20 up after beating JanLennard Struff and Philipp Kohlschreiber respectively on Friday.
In Ostrava, the Czech Republic kept their hopes alive at 21 with Jiri Vesely and Adam Pavlasek beating Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt and Samuel Groth 16, 76 (72), 36, 76 (74), 62 in the doubles.
The Australians had been 20 up overnight after teenager Thanasi Kokkinakis stunned top Czech Lukas Rosol 46, 26, 75, 75, 63, with Bernard Tomic then seeing off Jiri Vesely 64, 63, 76 (75).
Fabio Fognini and Simone Bolelli gave the Italians a 21 lead in Almaty, the Australian Open champions beating Andrey Golubev and Aleksandr Nedovyesov 76 (74), 63, 67 (1315), 64 in a match which lasted three hours and 18 minutes.
In Liege, Belgian doubles pairing Ruben Bemelmans and Niels Desein saw off Adrien Bossel and Michael Lammer 16, 63, 62, 62 to put the hosts on course for their first quarterfinal in eight years.
Canada were in control in Vancouver after Daniel Nestor and Vasek Pospisil outlasted Japan’s Go Soeda and Yasutaka Uchiyama 75, 26, 63, 36, 63 to put the hosts up 21.
That means 2014 US Open runnerup Kei Nishikori, ranked fourth in the world, will be fighting to keep Japan alive when he takes on world number six Milos Raonic in the first reverse singles match. Both Raonic and Nishikori won singles matches on Friday. — AFP