Czech Republic 1 Argentina 1

World No. 20 Tomas Berdych held his nerve to prevail in a gripping encounter with Juan Monaco 6-4, 2-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 and give the Czech Republic an early 1-0 lead over 2008 runner-up Argentina in Ostrava Friday.

In a match featuring 12 breaks of serve, Berdych fought back from a two-sets-to-one deficit - hitting 41 winners and putting 92 per cent of second serves into play to edge through in three hours and 27 minutes.

The 23-year-old Berdych improved to a 12-6 mark in Davis Cup singles play. The right-hander came into the tie with the confidence of last week having reached the Wimbledon fourth round, where he lost to eventual finalist Andy Roddick. The right-hander won his fifth ATP World Tour title in Munich (d. Youzhny) in May.

However, 2008 runner-up Argentina quickly hit back to level as No. 5-ranked Juan Martin del Potro dismissed Ivo Minar 6-1, 6-3, 6-3.

Playing in just his fifth Davis Cup tie, del Potro broke serve six times from 13 opportunities and with 32 winners hit more than double the total of Minar in the one-hour and 43-minute match. The 20 year old won his first ATP World Tour title at Auckland (d. Querrey) at the start of the season and was also a semi-finalist last month at Roland Garros (l. to Federer).

The Czech Republic is through to the quarter-finals for the second straight year and won the trophy in 1980 with victory over Italy. Meanwhile, Argentina is a three-time runner-up of the Davis Cup, most recently losing to Spain in the final last year in Mar del Plata - snapping a streak of 13 consecutive victories at home.

From official website Davis Cup

All square in Ostrava

Tomas Berdych needed to stand tall, every inch of his 6ft 5in frame to justify the Czech Republic's position as favourites to win their BNP Paribas quarter-final against Argentina in Ostrava.

That the tie by the end of the opening day stood 1-1 was no surprise, but it could easily have been so very different. Two sets to one down against Juan Monaco, the home nation were heading for an unscheduled setback in the opening rubber when Berdych suddenly started playing like the huge talent he is to pull off a 64 26 26 63 62 win in three hours and 27 minutes.

After that, even Juan Martin Del Potro's match against the world No. 64 Ivo Minar Radek Stepanek, was no longer quite the foregone conclusion it once seemed; in Davis Cup there is no such thing as a certainty.

As it happened, the world No. 5 played up to form and won without fuss 61 63 63. At least Minar, who has spent most of this year playing at Challenger level, kept Del Potro waiting because the Argentine had two match points at 5-1.

Tie nicely poised

It means the tie is nicely-balanced going into the doubles, which is scheduled to see Berdych and Del Potro, two of the young giants of the modern game, in opposition. However, fans at the CEZ Arena may have to wait until the reverse singles on Sunday to see that because the word is that Jose Acasuso, rather than Del Potro, will partner Leonardo Mayer against the formidable Czech pairing of Berdych and Stepanek.

The latter is thought to be fit enough to play doubles if not singles - he and Berdych are unbeaten as a pair in six Davis Cup ties - although if it all comes down to a fifth rubber Tito Vazquez, the Argentina captain, has no doubt we will see a major player, Stepanek rather than Minar, lining up against Monaco.

Apparently, Berdych found the inspiration for his comeback during a toilet break after the third set of his match with Monaco, by which time he could have been going back to the locker room for good because, as he admitted, he didn't know how he managed to win the first set. For more than two hours he had struggled with his game, particularly his forehand which was more a liability than the weapon it usually is. On top of that, his first serve percentage was desperately short of what was required.

Toilet break was the inspiration

"My game is based on the first serve and I then get a lot of pressure on the other guy - running side to side is not my game - but it completely didn't work today, well, at least not for the first three sets," he said. "So I just went to the locker - to the toilet - took some time and finally it worked. I came to the court and somehow I found some different energy from my body and everything was fine and the rhythm was back."

Berdych's powerful all-court game was expected to be too much for a clay-court specialist like Monaco. But the Argentine has proved himself a useful competitor on hard courts and gave the world No. 3 Andy Murray a hard time in the Miami Masters in March this year before narrowly losing. He possesses great stickability and coupled with Berdych's error-prone game it made for an uncomfortable time for the 23-year-old. Tennis courts are lonely places in such situations, but Berdych showed great resolve to steady his nerve and pull the match around.

Vazquez - 'So close and yet so far'

Vazquez felt the turning point was when Monaco was 1-2 down and serving. "I remember saying when Monaco was 2-1 down in the fourth set and serving, "If he holds serve we might win," said the Argentina captain. "Then he made a couple of double faults and after that it was a different match. Like you in England say, 'So close and yet so far'."

It was a match littered with breaks of serve but the one that mattered most was the one that put Berdych 2-1 up in the final set. When he dived to intercept a Monaco passing shot to win a point in the next game on his way to consolidating the break, the sense of expectation in the Czech camp was tangible - and well worth the burn to his arm he received from the unforgiving Taraflex surface.

Even then there was a hint that this match might carry a sting in its tail when at 2-5 Monaco saved three match points and forced a break point of his own thanks to a Berdych double-fault. But a forehand winner, of all things, from the big man finally clinched the match.

Berdych and Minar will lead Czechs against Argentina

Tomas Berdych and Ivo Minar will play singles matches for the Czech Republic on Friday against the Argentine duo of Juan Monaco and Juan Martin del Potro in the quarterfinals of the 2009 Davis Cup.

Minar is taking the place of Radek Stepanek, who has been bothered by a knee injury and is still on the roster for this weekend's tie. Argentina will play without the injured David Nalbandian.

Berdych will take the court first on Friday against Monaco, while Minar will then face world No. 5 del Potro in the second of the day's two rubbers.

Berdych gives Czechs the lead

Tomas Berdych outlasted Juan Monaco to score a five-set victory in the first rubber of the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas quarterfinal tie in Ostrava between Czech Republic and Argentina.

Berdych, who despite a 10-5 record in five-set matches had only won one of his last six five-set matches, battled back to clinch a 64 26 26 63 62 victory and give his team the lead as it looks to advance to the Davis Cup semifinals for the first time since 1996.

Tomas Berdych has outlasted Juan Monaco 6-4, 2-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 to give the Czech Republic

a 1-0 lead over Argentina in their best-of-5 Davis Cup quarterfinals series

Davis Cup Quarter-finals

Play Begins Friday, 10 July, 2009

(host nation listed first)

Czech Republic vs. Argentina

R1: T Berdych (CZE) vs J Monaco (ARG)

R2: I Minar (CZE) v J del Potro (ARG)

R3: Dlouhy/Stepanek (CZE) v del Potro/Mayer (ARG)

R4: T Berdych (CZE) v J del Potro (ARG)

R5: I Minar (CZE) v J Monaco (ARG)

Croatia vs. United States

R1: I Karlovic (CRO) v J Blake (USA)

R2: M Cilic (CRO) v M Fish (USA)

R3: Karlovic/Zovko (CRO) v Bryan/Bryan (USA)

R4: M Cilic (CRO) v J Blake (USA)

R5: I Karlovic (CRO) v M Fish (USA)

Israel vs. Russia

R1: H Levy (ISR) v I Andreev (RUS)

R2: D Sela (ISR) v M Youzhny (RUS)

R3: Erlich/Ram (ISR) v Kunitsyn/Safin (RUS)

R4: D Sela (ISR) v I Andreev (RUS)

R5: H Levy (ISR) v M Youzhny (RUS

Spain vs. Germany

R1: F Verdasco (ESP) v A Beck (GER)

R2: T Robredo (ESP) v P Kohlschreiber (GER)

R3: Lopez/Verdasco (ESP) v Kiefer/Zverev (GER)

R4: F Verdasco (ESP) v P Kohlschreiber (GER)

R5: T Robredo (ESP) v A Beck (GER)