Andy Roddick [ Images ] and James Blake [ Images ] battled to victory on a difficult surface to give the United States a 2-0 start to their defence of the Davis Cup on Friday.

The newly-laid clay court in Vienna [ Images ] provoked complaints from world number six Roddick, who opened the world group, first-round tie with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-7, 6-3 win over Austria's Juergen Melzer in just over four hours.

Blake dropped the first set against Austrian number one Stefan Koubek before coming through 5-7, 7-5, 6-2, 6-2.

Asked about the surface, which caused the ball to bounce erratically, Roddick told a news conference: "It was terrible but at least it was terrible for both sides. Is it the worst I've played (on) in the Davis Cup? Absolutely."

Russia [ Images ], losing finalists to the US last year, also went 2-0 up on day one, helped by misfortune in the Serbian camp.

With world number three and Australian Open [ Images ] champion Novak Djokovic [ Images ] and national number two Janko Tipsarevic [ Images ] ruled out due to illness, it was left to doubles specialist Nenad Zimonjic and 114th-ranked Viktor Troicki to fly the Serbian flag.

Mikhail Youzhny beat Zimonjic 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 in the opener in Moscow [ Images ] before world number four Nikolay Davydenko [ Images ] defeated Davis Cup debutant Troicki 6-1, 1-6, 6-3, 1-6, 6-2.

Argentina had an easier task against a British side missing injured world number 11 Andy Murray [ Images ].

Agustin Calleri beat Alex Bogdanovic 6-3, 6-1, 6-1 after world number nine David Nalbandian [ Images ] had coasted to a 6-1, 6-3, 6-3 victory over Davis Cup newcomer Jamie Baker on the home side's favourite clay surface in Buenos Aires.

TSONGA WINS

Not all cup rookies had a bad day.

Australian Open finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga helped France [ Images ] go 2-0 up against Romania in the Transylvanian town of Sibiu with a 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 win over the vastly experienced Andrei Pavel.

World number seven Richard Gasquet had put nine-times champions France 1-0 up by beating Victor Hanescu 7-6, 6-4, 7-5 despite a nervous start.

In Ostrava, Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek guided Czech Republic into a 2-0 lead over Belgium. Berdych cruised past Kristof Vliegen 6-3, 6-1, 6-4 before Stepanek beat Steve Darcis 6-4, 7-6, 7-6.

South Korea ended the first day level with Germany [ Images ] in Braunschweig after Lee Hyung-taik battled to a 7-5, 6-3, 1-6, 6-7, 6-3 victory over Florian Mayer.

Philipp Kohlschreiber had given the home team a good start with an easy 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 win over world number 329 An Jae-sung on the indoor clay court.

Honours were even between Israel and Sweden in Tel Aviv.

Israeli number one Dudi Sela [ Images ] struggled in the first set against veteran Swede Jonas Bjorkman [ Images ] before winning 7-6, 6-3, 6-1 while former Australian Open champion Thomas Johansson had an easier time against Harel Levy, winning 6-1, 6-1, 6-3.