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Davis Cup: Argentina, Russia, Slovakia and Croatia through to semis
Dominik Hrbaty secured the tie when Peter Wessels retired hurt. Hrbaty won the first two sets 6-3, 6-1, and was leading 3-0 in the third when Wessels pulled out with a rib injury. "From now on, everybody will know that very good tennis is played in Slovakia," Hrbaty said. "I'm looking forward to the match with Argentina," he added. "We could win with the strength of our team." Slovakia's Michal Mertinak defeated Dutchman Melle van Gemerden 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the dead rubber. Russia rallied to beat France 3-2 when Igor Andreev and Nikolay Davydenko won their reverse singles matches. Nine-time champion France was ahead 2-1 and one point away from qualifying for the semifinals after winning Saturday's doubles. Davydenko, who led Russia in the absence of the injured Marat Safin, defeated Richard Gasquet 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 to draw Russia even. "I was very tired and (Davydenko) played a perfect match. After I won the second set, I simply ran out of fuel," Gasquet said. Andreev then scored the decisive victory, allowing Paul-Henri Mathieu to win only three games _ 6-0, 6-2, 6-1. "I think I've played the best match in my career," Andreev said. France was without its top player, Sebastien Grosjean, who skipped the tie to
spend time with his family.
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