Lleyton Hewitt’s Davis Cup heroics were not enough to save Australia, the 28-time champions, from crashing out of the 2007 tournament on Sunday when they slumped to a 3-2 defeat against Belgium.
Hewitt won a marathon five-set, opening reverse singles against Olivier Rochus 6-2, 6-3, 6-7 (4/7), 3-6, 6-1 to leave the World Group first-round tie finely poised at 2-2 on the Liege indoor clay.
But his unheralded teammate Chris Guccione, the world number 107, was then completely outplayed by Kristof Vliegen who won 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.
Belgium now go on to face Germany, who put out 2005 champions Croatia, in April’s quarterfinals.
Earlier, Hewitt had to work to make amends for his opening-day defeat, when he lost to Vliegen in five sets while Guccione had been beaten by Rochus.
The 25-year-old former world number one stormed back in the Saturday doubles alongside Paul Hanley.
”I took it to him in the first two sets, I think I was the better player in the first three,” said Hewitt.
”I would have preferred to win in straight sets and I was two points away from doing that. But he battled and made me play a lot of balls.
”In the fifth set my fitness and the hard yards I’ve done paid off physically.”
Andy Roddick led 31-time champions the United States into the quarterfinals, and a showdown with Spain, the team that beat them in a thrilling final in 2004.
Roddick secured the US’s first win on clay in the World Group in a decade with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (9/7) win over Czech Tomas Berdych in Ostrava to take his second point of the first round tie after also winning his opening singles on Friday.
”It is definitely one of my best matches on clay,” the 24-year old American said after his eighth win in a row in a deciding Davis Cup encounter.
Doubles specialist Bob Bryan then wrapped up the tie 4-1 with a dead-rubber, 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 win over Lukas Dlouhy.
Spain, twice Davis Cup winners, overcame the absence of Rafael Nadal to see off Switzerland, without Roger Federer, with Fernando Verdasco making sure of victory in Geneva when he saw off Stephane Bohli 6-3, 6-3, 6-2.
The win also ended Spain’s poor recent record where they had lost in the first round in the last two years.
The Swiss, who were also without their number two Stanislaw Wawrinka, won the dead rubber to make the final score 3-2 when Marco Chiudinelli edged David Ferrer 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Igor Andreev emerged as Russia’s saviour to take the holders into a home quarterfinal match-up against France.
Andreev, who endured a nightmare 2006 with a lengthy absence because of a knee injury, defeated Olympic champion Nicolas Massu 6-2, 6-1, 6-7 (1/7), 6-4 to give Russia a 3-2 win over Chile at La Serena.
Earlier, Chile had pulled level 2-2 after Fernando Gonzalez defeated Marat Safin 6-3, 7-5, 6-4.
”I am happy. We came here to win and we did it, it was not easy,” said Andreev.
Russia and France know each other well with the Russians winning three times in the last five years, including the 2002 final.
”France will be tough, even though we have had good results against them,” added Andreev.
”We are playing at home and I hope we can take advantage of that.”
France, the nine-time champions, saw Richard Gasquet beat Andrei Pavel 6-3, 6-2, 7-5 and Arnaud Clement ease past Florin Mergea 7-5, 7-6 (7/3) in Clermont-Ferrand to overcome Belgium.
Argentina beat Austria 4-1 in Linz to reach the quarterfinals where they will take on Sweden, who defeated Belarus 3-2 in Minsk.
Juan Martin del Potro, who replaced flu-hit Jose Acacuso, secured the vital point, beating Jurgen Melzer 7-6 (7/4), 3-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 as Argentina, runners-up to Russia in 2006, made sure of their last eight place.
Robin Soderling battled back twice from a set down to put Sweden into the quarterfinals with a marathon four-hour win over Max Mirnyi of Belarus.
The 22-year-old Soderling produced 28 aces to win 6-7 (8/10), 7-5, 6-7 (8/10), 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 to give Sweden an unbeatable 3-1 lead in the first-round tie.
Germany, who beat 2005 champions Croatia 3-2, were indebted to Tommy Haas, who saw off Ivan Ljubicic 6-2, 7-6 (9/7), 6-4 in the crucial first reverse singles.
Haas won both of his singles rubbers as Germany made the last eight for the first time since 2001. — Sapa-AFP