Holders Spain ousted by Slovakia

Slovakia ousted Davis Cup holders Spain yesterday, winning the doubles match in their World Group first round tie to take an unassailable 3-0 lead.

Karol Beck and Michal Mertinak clinched the heroic upset with a tight 7-6 6-4 7-6 win over Rafael Nadal and Alberto Costa after Dominik Hrbaty and Beck had put the upstart Slovaks 2-0 ahead in the opening singles on Friday.

"The Spaniards fought hard, it's rare to see resistance that is so tough," Slovak captain Miroslav Mecir said.

"I have always said that Rafael Nadal is a great player and a personality that does not give up, and this makes our victory even more precious."

Although the Spaniards were weakened and without the powerful Carlos Moya - Nadal is the only survivor from the triumphant 2004 team - they started as clear favourites having reached the final three times in the past five years, winning the title twice.

But Nadal and Costa were unable to dig their side out of trouble, losing a tight match to end any Spanish hopes of a comeback.

"They (Slovaks) played better than us in the key points... We tried to do our best, and we are proud of what we did, but they were better," Spanish captain Jordi Arrese said.

Australia clinched their Davis Cup World Group first round tie when Todd Woodbridge and Wayne Arthurs beat Austrians Jurgen Melzer and Julian Knowle 4-6 6-3 2-6 6-4 7-5 in the doubles yesterday for an unbeatable 3-0 lead.

The Australians fought back to score a gritty win in a rain-interrupted match after Melzer and Knowle had looked likely to keep the tie alive going into today's reverse singles.

US, Croatia level

Andy Roddick defeated Mario Ancic 4-6 6-2 6-1 6-4 to help the US draw level at 1-1 with Croatia after the opening singles on Friday night.

Earlier, Ivan Ljubicic spoiled Andre Agassi's return to the competition with a 6-3 7-6 6-3 trouncing before Roddick rallied to overwhelm Ancic on the back of some huge serving, inventive play and a solid defence.

Watching Agassi's loss from the locker room did not put the world no. 3 in a good frame of mind ahead of his contest, but he managed to regain his focus after a shaky first set.

"It's a very vulnerable feeling because it affects you, but it doesn't have a direct impact on how your match is supposed to go," said Roddick. "I'm not going to lie, I was really tight in the first set. But I'm happy I was able to dig down and find a way through it. This is a big stepping stone for me."

World Group results

Slovakia vs Spain 3-0; Switzerland vs Holland 1-2; Australia vs Austria 3-0; Argentina vs Czech Republic 3-0; Russia vs Chile 2-1; France vs Sweden 2-1; Romania vs Belarus 1-2; US vs Croatia 1-1.