Spoiler:
ATPWorldTour.com recaps the Davis Cup World Group Playoffs
AUSTRIA 2, AUSTRALIA 0
Graz, Austria (Outdoor clay)
Austria heads into the weekend with a comfortable 2-0 lead in its playoff match against Australia after two convincing wins on Friday. No. 8 Dominic Thiem led the home nation with a dominating 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 win against Aussie Jordan Thompson. Thiem hit 23 winners and limited Thompson to just five in the 95-minute victory.
Thiem's countryman Dennis Novak, No. 133 in the ATP Rankings, was just as impressive during a 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 win against #NextGenATP Aussie Alex de Minaur, who is playing at a career-high No. 38 in the ATP Rankings after reaching the third round of the US Open (l. to Cilic).
JAPAN 2, BOSNIA/HERZEGOVINA 0
Osaka, Japan (Outdoor hard)
Taro Daniel and Yoshihito Nishioka delivered straight-sets wins to give the home nation a commanding 2-0 lead. Daniel beat Tomislav Brkic 6-4, 6-2, 7-6(3), and Nishioka dismissed Mirza Basic 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.
You May Also Like: Pouille Wins Thriller To Give Defending Champ France 2-0 Lead
SWITZERLAND 1, SWEDEN 1
Biel, Switzerland (Indoor hard)
Sweden's 6-0 head-to-head record against Switzerland could be in jeopardy this weekend. The two countries split Friday's singles matches, as Sweden's Markus Eriksson outlasted Marc-Andrea Huesler 3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(10), 6-4, and Swiss Henri Laaksonen beat Jonathan Mridha 7-6(5), 6-2, 6-3.
SERBIA 2, INDIA 0
Kraljevo, Serbia (Indoor clay)
Serbia is within a match of winning a tie on clay for the first time since 2013. The home country leads India 2-0 after Laslo Djere beat Ramkumar Ramanathan 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(2), 6-2, and Dusan Lajovic swept Prajnesh Gunneswaran 6-4, 6-3, 6-4.
HUNGARY 1, CZECH REPUBLIC 1
Budapest, Hungary (Outdoor clay)
Czech Republic will have to work to stay ahead in its head-to-head against Hungary (2-1) as the countries are even heading into the weekend. Hungarian Zsombor Piros came back to beat Jiri Vesely 3-6, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(3), 7-5. But Czech Lukas Rosol evened the tie with a 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 victory against Mate Valkusz.
GREAT BRITAIN 1, UZBEKISTAN 1
Glasgow, Great Britain (Indoor hard)
It appeared that Great Britain was poised to take a commanding 2-0 lead in its tie against visiting Uzbekistan, as World No. 70 Cameron Norrie led World No. 434 Jurabek Karimov by two sets and a break. But after storming back and saving a match point in the third-set tie-break, Karimov defeated the home favourite 0-6, 5-7, 7-6(6), 6-2, 6-2. Earlier in the day, Dan Evans defeated Uzbek No. 1 Denis Istomin 7-6(4), 4-6, 0-6, 6-4, 7-5.
ARGENTINA 2, COLOMBIA 0
San Juan, Argentina (Indoor clay)
The 2016 champion is in good shape against its South American rival, with Argentina taking a 2-0 lead against Colombia.
World No. 14 Diego Schwartzman overcame a fourth-set hiccup to beat Santiago Giraldo 6-3, 6-1, 6-7(3), 6-1 in two hours, 43 minutes to give his country the lead. And while his countryman, Guido Pella, fell behind two sets to one, the left-hander battled back. Pella defeated Daniel Elahi Galan 3-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, breaking on five of 18 opportunities in the match.
CANADA 2, NETHERLANDS 0
Toronto, Canada (Indoor hard)
Canada is one point from victory after taking a 2-0 lead over the Netherlands in dramatic fashion in Toronto. After Milos Raonic comfortably earned the home side its first point of the tie with a straight-sets victory over Thiemo de Bakker, Denis Shapovalov fired 55 winners to recover from two sets down, beating Robin Haase 3-6, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 in three hours and 35 minutes.
AUSTRIA 2, AUSTRALIA 0
Graz, Austria (Outdoor clay)
Austria heads into the weekend with a comfortable 2-0 lead in its playoff match against Australia after two convincing wins on Friday. No. 8 Dominic Thiem led the home nation with a dominating 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 win against Aussie Jordan Thompson. Thiem hit 23 winners and limited Thompson to just five in the 95-minute victory.
Thiem's countryman Dennis Novak, No. 133 in the ATP Rankings, was just as impressive during a 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 win against #NextGenATP Aussie Alex de Minaur, who is playing at a career-high No. 38 in the ATP Rankings after reaching the third round of the US Open (l. to Cilic).
JAPAN 2, BOSNIA/HERZEGOVINA 0
Osaka, Japan (Outdoor hard)
Taro Daniel and Yoshihito Nishioka delivered straight-sets wins to give the home nation a commanding 2-0 lead. Daniel beat Tomislav Brkic 6-4, 6-2, 7-6(3), and Nishioka dismissed Mirza Basic 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.
You May Also Like: Pouille Wins Thriller To Give Defending Champ France 2-0 Lead
SWITZERLAND 1, SWEDEN 1
Biel, Switzerland (Indoor hard)
Sweden's 6-0 head-to-head record against Switzerland could be in jeopardy this weekend. The two countries split Friday's singles matches, as Sweden's Markus Eriksson outlasted Marc-Andrea Huesler 3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(10), 6-4, and Swiss Henri Laaksonen beat Jonathan Mridha 7-6(5), 6-2, 6-3.
SERBIA 2, INDIA 0
Kraljevo, Serbia (Indoor clay)
Serbia is within a match of winning a tie on clay for the first time since 2013. The home country leads India 2-0 after Laslo Djere beat Ramkumar Ramanathan 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(2), 6-2, and Dusan Lajovic swept Prajnesh Gunneswaran 6-4, 6-3, 6-4.
HUNGARY 1, CZECH REPUBLIC 1
Budapest, Hungary (Outdoor clay)
Czech Republic will have to work to stay ahead in its head-to-head against Hungary (2-1) as the countries are even heading into the weekend. Hungarian Zsombor Piros came back to beat Jiri Vesely 3-6, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(3), 7-5. But Czech Lukas Rosol evened the tie with a 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 victory against Mate Valkusz.
GREAT BRITAIN 1, UZBEKISTAN 1
Glasgow, Great Britain (Indoor hard)
It appeared that Great Britain was poised to take a commanding 2-0 lead in its tie against visiting Uzbekistan, as World No. 70 Cameron Norrie led World No. 434 Jurabek Karimov by two sets and a break. But after storming back and saving a match point in the third-set tie-break, Karimov defeated the home favourite 0-6, 5-7, 7-6(6), 6-2, 6-2. Earlier in the day, Dan Evans defeated Uzbek No. 1 Denis Istomin 7-6(4), 4-6, 0-6, 6-4, 7-5.
ARGENTINA 2, COLOMBIA 0
San Juan, Argentina (Indoor clay)
The 2016 champion is in good shape against its South American rival, with Argentina taking a 2-0 lead against Colombia.
World No. 14 Diego Schwartzman overcame a fourth-set hiccup to beat Santiago Giraldo 6-3, 6-1, 6-7(3), 6-1 in two hours, 43 minutes to give his country the lead. And while his countryman, Guido Pella, fell behind two sets to one, the left-hander battled back. Pella defeated Daniel Elahi Galan 3-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, breaking on five of 18 opportunities in the match.
CANADA 2, NETHERLANDS 0
Toronto, Canada (Indoor hard)
Canada is one point from victory after taking a 2-0 lead over the Netherlands in dramatic fashion in Toronto. After Milos Raonic comfortably earned the home side its first point of the tie with a straight-sets victory over Thiemo de Bakker, Denis Shapovalov fired 55 winners to recover from two sets down, beating Robin Haase 3-6, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 in three hours and 35 minutes.