From Wire Reports
The United States took a surprising 2-0 lead against Switzerland in its 2012 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas World Group first round match on a temporary indoor red clay court at the Forum Fribourg in Fribourg, Switzerland. John Isner stunned Roger Federer in four sets to earn his first win in a live Davis Cup singles match after Mardy Fish opened the tie with a 6-2, 4-6, 4-6, 6-1, 9-7 win over Stan Wawrinka.
The 17th-ranked Isner, the tallest man ever to play Davis Cup for the United States at 6-foot-9, played big against world No. 3 Federer, who had won 15 straight Davis Cup singles matches dating back to the 2003 semifinals. The conditions suited Isner, who had a modest 15-21 (.417) record on clay. Federer was 163-50 (.814) on clay entering the contest and nine of his 70 titles were won on the surface, including the 2009 French Open. It was Federer’s first loss to an American on clay since a first round setback to Vince Spadea in Monte Carlo in 1999.
Fish improved to 3-0 against Wawrinka with his five-set victory. The match lasted 4 hours and 26 minutes and was the third longest in U.S. Davis Cup team history since the tiebreaker was introduced to Davis Cup in 1989. Fish has become a marathon man of sorts as five of his last singles Davis Cup singles matches were decided in the fifth set (the other was a four set match that lasted more than 4 hours).
Two things seem certain for Saturday’s doubles match: Mike Bryan will play for the U.S. and it will be just the second time he will play doubles in Davis Cup without his twin brother Bob, whose wife gave birth to the couple’s first child last week. Mike is nominated to play with Davis Cup rookie Ryan Harrison, but captains are allowed to change their doubles lineup up to one hour before the match is scheduled to begin.
The Bryans are the No. 1 doubles team in the world and have the most victories as a doubles team in U.S. Davis Cup history (18) and each posted a victory with another partner. Mike partnered Mardy Fish in the 2008 semifinals in Spain while Bob and John Isner teamed in the 2010 first round in Serbia.
The United States can clinch the tie and advance to April’s quarterfinals with a win in doubles. The U.S. Davis Cup team is 154-3 when leading 2-0; Switzerland has never comeback to win from an 0-2 deficit.