U.S. salvages a win at World Team event

Published November 20, 2014

Already eliminated from championship round contention, the United States managed its first win of the week Thursday at the World Team Cup tennis event, a final clay-court French Open tune-up.

The Americans moved to 1-2 in the four-nation Red Group with a 2-1 victory over winless Japan (0-3).

Go Soeda kept Andy Roddick winless this week with a 7-5, 7-6 (7-4) victory over the American on the red clay at Rochusclub. The loss put the U.S. at 0-7 in match play this week.

Ryan Harrison picked up team USA's first point of the week with a 6-2, 7-6 (7-5) victory over Tatsuma Ito, and the Americans prevailed against the Japanese in a doubles match when a tandem of Harrison and James Blake topped a duo of Ito and Bumpei Sato 4-6, 6-0, 10-3.

In other Red Group action, a 2-0 Czech Republic and 2-0 Argentina opened their best-of-three tie when Czech slugger Tomas Berdych got past Carlos Berlocq 6-1, 6-7 (2-7), 6-3. The Red Group winner will be decided between the Czechs and 2011 World Team runner-up Argentines on Friday.

In the Blue Group on Day 5, Serbian Viktor Troicki handled German Florian Mayer 7-6 (8-6), 6-3 and Croat Ivan Dodig downed Russian Igor Kunitsyn 7-6 (7-0), 6-4. The Serbs and reigning champion Germans are 2-0 this week, while the Croats and Russians are 0-2. Either Serbia or Germany will capture the round-robin Blue Group on Friday.

The Germans won a record-breaking fifth title with victory over 2010 champion Argentina a year ago.

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