By Alberto Amalfi | Friday, February 3, 2017

 

Andreas Seppi and Paolo Lorenzi each scored wins to stake Italy to a 2-0 lead over defending Davis Cup champion Argentina.

Photo credit: Australian Open Facebook

It was billed as a homecoming celebration for Davis Cup champion Argentina.

Italy is playing party crashers putting the hosts on the edge of elimination.

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Italian No. 1 Paolo Lorenzi and Andreas Seppi both scored impressive singles win lifting Italy to a 2-0 lead over host Argentina and putting the defending Davis Cup champion on the ledge of loss on the red clay of Buenos Aires.

A year ago, Argentina reeled off four consecutive road victories—including a 3-1 quarterfinal conquest of host Italy and a dramatic 3-2 comeback win over host Croatia in the final—to capture its first Davis Cup championship in history.

Two months later, the Gauchos are fighting for their Davis Cup lives.

The 68th-ranked Seppi rolled through the two sets, squandered a 5-2 fourth-set lead then recovered to convert his fourth match point for a 6-1, 6-2, 1-6, 7-6 (6) victory over Carlos Berlocq staking Italy to a 2-0 lead.

Berlocq staved off three set points in the tiebreak to level, 6-all. Seppi answered smacking a forehand winner for a fourth match point before finally closing in two hours, 58 minutes.

Playing without 2016 Davis Cup hero and Olympic silver medalist Juan Martin del Potro, who is resting and rehabbing ahead of his hard-court return, the host will rely on scheduled doubles starters Diego Schwartzman and Leonardo Mayer tomorrow.

Argentina is trying to avoid becoming the 10th defending champion to fall in the first round since the elimination of the Challenge Round in 1972.

A fierce Lorenzi fought off 10 of 12 break points sweeping Guido Pella, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 in the opener.

Last year, Lorenzi partnered Fabio Fognini in a grueling five-set doubles loss to del Potro and Pella in Argentina’s 3-1 quarterfinal victory.

Tomorrow, Seppi and Simone Bolelli are the scheduled double starter though Fognini, who partnered Bolelli to win the 2015 Australian Open doubles crown, could step in to start.

"I was doing the right thing in every moment and was very solid,” Lorenzi told DavisCup.com. “I'm fit, I'm working on my fitness every day but I hope Fabio [Fognini] will be OK to play the doubles tomorrow."

Here are other World Group results from opening day of play:

Belgium 1, Germany 1
Frankfurt, Germany
Hard Court

German No. 1 Alexander Zverev zapped 17 aces and did not face a break point defeating 143rd-ranked Davis Cup debutant Arthur De Greef, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 to level for the host.

Veteran Steve Darcis rallied for a dramatic 6-4, 3-6, 2-6, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (5) victory over Philipp Kohlschreiber in three hours, 53 minutes to stake Belgian to a 1-0 lead. Germany’s Mischa Zverev and Jan-Lennard Struff are scheduled to face Ruben Bemelmans and Joris De Loore in tomorrow’s crucial doubles though both nations may change their line-ups.

Australia 2, Czech Republic 0
Melbourne, Australia
Hard Court

No Bernard Tomic, no problem for Australia.

Aussie Davis Cup rookie Jordan Thompson surprised left-hander Jiri Vesely, 6-3, 6-3, 6-4. Nick Kyrgios overwhelmed Davis Cup debutant Jan Satral, 6-2, 6-3, 6-2, to put the green-and-gold within one win of a quarterfinal return.