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3/7/10 4:53 AM | Ricky Dimon
Nicolas Massu and Fernando Gonzalez earn four-set victories on Saturday to put the host Chileans ahead of of Israel 2-0 in first-round Davis Cup action. Massu and Gonzalez will look to finish the job on Sunday.
For the Chileans, the opening day of their 2010 Davis Cup campaign was worth the wait.
After the first-round tie between Chile and Israel was pushed back a day due to last weekend's earthquake in Santiago, Nicolas Massu and Fernando Gonzalez gave the host nation a 2-0 lead on Saturday afternoon. The two veterans will team up in Sunday's doubles rubber in hopes of clinching Chile's spot in the Davis Cup quarterfinals.
Massu put Chile out in front with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 win over Dudi Sela, but not before getting off to a slow start. Although the world No. 92 broke serve in the opening game of the match, he quickly deteriorated and lost six of the next seven games.
Refusing to let their man go away quietly, the Chilean fans quickly helped Massu regain plenty of momentum. The 30-year-old broke Sela twice in each of the last three sets as he scored a crucial victory after three hours and 53 minutes.
"I like playing for my country," Massu noted. "It gives me extra confidence and I can beat good players."
"It was very windy and very cold," Sela added. "The ball got very wet and very heavy. It suited Massu better than me. I made too many mistakes, especially on important points."
Gonzalez also came out flat, but he stormed back to roll over Harel Levy 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. The world No. 10 struck just five winners against 17 unforced errors in the opening set, but he still managed to prevail in only two hours and 20 minutes. A 31-year-old ranked 118th in the world, Levy did well to keep things competitive against overwhelming odds. In fact, the Israeli ended with a mere four fewer points than Gonzalez (120-116).
Massu and Gonzalez are scheduled to face doubles specialists Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram on Sunday.
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