Goteborg (Sweden): The United States pulled within one victory of the Davis Cup finals, riding the big serves and flawless volleys of its peerless doubles team.
Twins Bob and Mike Bryan defeated Simon Aspelin and Jonas Bjorkman 7-6 (11), 6-2, 6-3 Saturday, giving the Americans a 2-1 lead over Sweden in the semi-finals.
"They're the best doubles team in the world and showed it today," said Sweden captain Mats Wilander, once ranked No. 1. "They played fantastic tennis."
Andy Roddick can clinch the best-of-five series when he opens Sunday's reverse singles against Thomas Johansson. That match is followed by James Blake versus Joachim Johansson.
The US-Sweden winner will play Russia or Germany in the November final. Germany leads its series 2-1. The Americans have won the most Davis Cup titles (31), but the last came in 1995. Sweden has won seven times.
The Bryan twins, 12-1 in Davis Cup doubles, saved three set points in the tiebreaker on the fast indoor carpet at the Scandinavium arena. The tie-breaker was the longest in US Davis Cup history.
"It was an incredible breaker, pretty high-quality tennis," Bob Bryan said. "We were just playing one point at a time and they just kept stacking up. We kept switching sides. It was strange. You don't switch sides that many times. That's where the match was, that first set."
Added Wilander: "They're so tough. The served so well. And they won all volley duels."
The Americans took a 3-1 lead in the third set when Bjorkman dropped serve for the third time and Aspelin netted a return. The US held serve the rest of the way.
"I served the best I've done in the Davis Cup," Mike Bryan said. "That first set was huge. The momentum shifted after the first set. Then we played two great sets. So we're very happy."
The American pair broke Bjorkman's serve twice to win the second set. The Swedish veteran, at 35 the oldest player in the series, was broken at love to put the Americans ahead 3-1. Bob Bryan's return on the line clinched the second set with the Swedes trailing 5-2.
The hosts earned their first and only break point in the match with Mike Bryan serving at 30-40 in the seventh game. But Mike Bryan hit a pair of service winners to get out of trouble and eventually held to 5-2.
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The Americans won the opening set after a 24-point tiebreaker when Aspelin netted a forehand volley off Mike Bryan's excellent service return. It was the Americans' fourth set point.
The Swedes twice came within two points of winning the opening set before Mike Bryan held serve to 5-5.
"Maybe if we had won the first set, we maybe would have been able to put a little bit more pressure on them," Bjorkman said.
"We didn't play really bad in the second and third," he added. "But they played better."
In Moscow, Alexander Waske and Philipp Petzschner beat Dmitry Tursunov and Mikhail Youzhny 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5) to put Germany ahead 2-1. On Sunday, Russia's Nikolay Davydenko was to face Tommy Haas, followed by Igor Andreev against Philipp Kohlschreiber.
In World Group playoffs, Roger Federer lost at doubles with Swiss teammate Yves Allegro, giving the Czech Republic a 2-1 lead in Prague. Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek won 3-6, 5-7, 7-6 (7), 6-4, 6-4 to put the Czechs one victory from a spot in next year's World Group. The loser drops to a regional zone.
"We haven't been knocked out yet," said Federer, making his 2007 Davis Cup debut. "It's open."
Tim Henman, a four-time Wimbledon semifinalist likely playing his last competitive match, teamed with Jamie Murray to send Britain into the World Group with an insurmountable 3-0 lead over Croatia at Wimbledon. Henman said last month he would retire after the Davis Cup.
In Belgrade, Novak Djokovic helped Serbia take a 2-1 lead over 28-time champion Australia. He and Nenad Zimonjic beat Lleyton Hewitt and Paul Hanley 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2. Australia is trying to avoid relegation to the Asia-Oceania zone for the first time since 1996.
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