Dusseldorf, Germany (Sports Network) - The United States lost to the Czech
Republic on Tuesday and is now 0-2 at the round-robin World Team Cup tennis
event, a final clay-court French Open tuneup.
Former Wimbledon runner-up and recent Madrid Masters finalist Tomas Berdych
whipped struggling former world No. 1 American Andy Roddick 6-1, 6-2 in 61
minutes before Radek Stepanek clinched the win for the Czechs with a 6-2,
6-1 dismantling of fading American James Blake.
The Czechs, now 2-0 in the Red Group, have an insurmountable 2-0 lead in the
best-of-three matchup, which will conclude with a doubles match on Wednesday.
The Americans were swept by 2011 World Team runner-up Argentina in their
opening affair.
Serbia improved to 2-0 in the Blue Group with a victory over Russia (0-2) on
Day 3, as Viktor Troicki drubbed Dmitry Tursunov 6-3, 6-2 in 63 minutes and
world No. 8 Janko Tipsarevic pasted Alex Bogomolov Jr. 6-1, 6-3 to clinch the
best-of-three encounter.
In other action, reigning champion Germany, which is 1-0 in the Blue Group,
took a 1-0 lead against Croatia when Florian Mayer crushed Ivan Dodig 6-1,
6-1 in 64 minutes, and four-time World Team titlist Argentina, which is 1-0 in
the Red Group, assumed a 1-0 lead against Japan when Leonardo Mayer handled
Tatsuma Ito 6-4, 6-4.
The Germans won a record-breaking fifth title with victory over the
2010 champion Argentines last year on the red clay at Rochusclub.
The Sports Network