CASTELLON, Spain – Defending champion Spain has taken a 2-0 lead over Austria in the Davis Cup quarterfinals lead after easy victories by Nicolas Almagro and David Ferrer.
Almagro, ranked No. 12, opened the best-of-five series Friday by beating Jurgen Melzer 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 on an outdoor clay court. Ferrer, ranked No. 5, followed by defeating 139th-ranked Andreas Haider-Maurer 6-1, 6-3, 6-1.
Spain, five-time Davis Cup champions, can capture its 23rd straight home victory by winning Saturday's doubles. Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez will face Alexander Peya and Oliver Marach.
The winner of this series will advance to September's semifinals against France or the United States.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.