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Swiss poise too hot to handle

September 23, 2005 22:35 IST

Roger Federer [ Images ] and Stanislas Wawrinka won their respective rubbers on the first day to give Switzerland [ Images ] 2-0 lead over Britain in the Davis Cup World Group Play-off tie on Friday.

Federer demolishing Scotland's Alan Mackin 6-0, 6-0, 6-2 in the opening singles rubber while Wawrinka thumped Scottish teenager Andy Murray [ Images ] 6-3, 7-6, 6-4 to stamp their supremacy.

Federer needed just one hour and 55 minutes to see off the world number 262.

Mackin was a surprise choice to face Federer with British captain Jeremy Bates opting to rest top player Greg Rusedski [ Images ] ahead of Saturday's doubles rubber.

Murray proved no match for Wawrinka on the Geneva clay and was conquered in 2 hours and 17 minutes.

In the world group semi-final, Russia [ Images ] took a 1-0 lead over Croatia [ Images ] as Nikolay Davudenko beat Mario Ancic 7-5, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 in the first singles match.

19-year-old Rafael Nadal [ Images ] outclasses Daniele Bracciali to help Spain level 1-1 against Italy [ Images ].

Italy had taken a surprise 1-0 lead over Spain in their Davis Cup World Group play-off on Friday after Andreas Seppi produced a tremendous fight back from two sets down to beat Juan Carlos Ferrero [ Images ].

Seppi beat Ferrero 5-7, 3-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-2.

The Spaniard looked below his best despite taking the opening two sets 7-5 and 6-3, largely thanks to unforced errors from Seppi, but he was crushed 6-0 in the third set as the Italian kept the match alive.

Seppi, 58 places below 20th-ranked Ferrero, brought the match level with an impressive 6-3 win in the fourth set and then cruised to a 6-2 victory against the tired-looking Spaniard to take the game.

Spain, Davis Cup winners last season, were forced into the play-offs after defeat to Slovakia.

Bracciali was drafted in for Italy earlier on Friday after Potito Starace was forced out with flu.

Austria and Ecuador are evenly poised at 1-1 going in to day two of their tie after Nicolas Lapentti [ Images ] overcame Stefan Koubek in five sets 5-7, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5), 7-5 in over four and a half hours of play.

Jurgen Melzer [ Images ] defeated Giovanni Lapentti 6-1, 6-3, 6-2 in the first singles match in Portschach.

USA also drew level with Belgium after Andy Roddick [ Images ] swept past Christophe Rochus 6-1, 6-2, 6-3 in one hour and 43 minutes.

Belgium's Olivier Rochus [ Images ] had upset US Open [ Images ] quarter-finalist James Blake [ Images ] 6-4, 7-5, 6-1. Blake was unable to transfer his recent good form to the clay court in Leuven and fell to the diminutive Belgian in exactly two hours.

Tomas Berdych overcame four-point deficit in the fourth set tiebreak to deliver the first point for Czech Republic in tie with Germany [ Images ]. The Czech No.1, in the absence of Jiri Novak, battled back past Tommy Haas [ Images ] 4-6, 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(9), 6-3.

Chile's Fernando Gonzalez [ Images ] exposed the inexperience of Aqeel Khan of Pakistan to beat him 6-0, 6-0, 6-1 in the opening matchand give his team a 1-0 lead. World number 18, Gonzalez, needed just one hour to send Khan, ranked 998, packing.

It is the first time that Pakistan has reached the World Group Play-offs.