LONDON: Playing without stars Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka, Switzerland’s reign as Davis Cup holders was swiftly ended when they paid the inevitable price for fielding a second-string team and lost 3-2 to Belgium in the first round in Liege on Sunday.

Just over three months since Federer and Wawrinka drove them to an historic title in Lille, it was a different story without their big two as the Swiss became the first champions in 10 years to fall at the first hurdle.

Trailing 2-1 heading into the reverse singles on Sunday, Henri Laaksonen, ranked No 344, managed to keep the Swiss alive by beating Belgium’s Steve Darcis 6-3, 3-6, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-1 in the first match to level the tie at 2-2. The 21st-ranked David Goffin then shook off a back injury to beat No 321 Adrien Bossel 6-4, 6-0, 6-4 and send Belgium into a quarter-final against Canada.

Canada were also pushed to a fifth match in a 3-2 triumph over Japan with Vasek Pospisil beating Go Soeda 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 in the decisive singles match in Vancouver.

Japan had tied the score at 2-2 with fourth-ranked Kei Nishikori’s 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 victory over sixth-ranked Milos Raonic in the marquee first match Sunday.

Elsewhere, Andy Murray scored the decisive point to lift Britain past the United States, Leonardo Mayer ground out the longest win in the tournament’s history to keep Argentina’s hopes alive and Australia and Kazakhstan joined already qualified France and Serbia in the last eight.

For the second year running Murray led Britain to a first-round victory over the US when he beat John Isner 7-6 (7-4), 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) in Glasgow which gave them an unassailable 3-1 lead and a quarter-final against France who beat Germany with a day to spare.

In searing heat in Buenos Aires, Mayer beat Brazil’s Joao Souza 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-5), 5-7, 5-7, 15-13 in six hours and 42 minutes, the second-longest singles match on record.

But the marathon win only levelled the tie at 2-2, and Argentina’s Federico Delbonis was leading Thomaz Bellucci 6-3 when darkness stopped play in the decisive fifth rubber and will go into a fourth day. The winners of that tie will take on Serbia who crushed Croatia 5-0.

Australia advanced to the quarter-finals with a 3-2 win over the Czech Republic after Bernard Tomic won the decider over Lukas Rosol 7-6 (7-4), 6-3, 7-6 (7-5).

They’ll take on a Kazakhstan team that squeezed past Italy 3-2 in Astana where Aleksandr Nedovyesov, ranked 130th in the world, stunned number 22 Fabio Fognini 7-6 (7/5), 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 for the winning point.

Published in Dawn March 10th , 2015

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