Belgrade: In the absence of the top-ranked Novak Djokovic, Argentina took a commanding 2-0 lead over defending champions Serbia in the Davis Cup semi-finals on Friday.
David Nalbandian beat Viktor Troicki 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 to give Argentina a 1-0 lead.
Djokovic pulled out of the opening singles because of back pain, four days after beating Rafael Nadal in the US Open final, and was replaced by Troicki.
In the other singles match on Friday, Juan Martin del Potro beat Janko Tipsarevic 7-5, 6-3, 6-4.
Argentina need one more point to reach their first final since 2008. Serbia have never made a comeback after trailing 0-2 after the opening singles.
The doubles are played on Saturday.
Del Potro won a battle of long rallies against US Open quarter-finalist Tipsarevic, finishing off the 2 hour, 31 minute match with an ace.
"We are in a good position now to win here, but nothing is over," Del Potro said.
Serbia team captain Bogdan Obradovic left open the possibility that Djokovic could play in the doubles to try to keep Serbia alive in the best-of-five series.
"Novak is going to practice a little, get used to the surface and we will see," Obradovic said. "This is a very tough situation for us."
Tipsarevic, who retired with an injury in the US Open quarter-finals against Djokovic after a tough battle, said Del Potro's serve made the difference.
"I feel I didn't play that bad, but Juan Martin played real good," Tipsarevic, who is 0-3 against the Argentine, said. "The key was his serve, which was excellent."
Nalbandian had little trouble against Djokovic's replacement, who had 58 unforced errors on the indoor hard court in Belgrade Arena.
The Argentine dominated the match with precise baseline shots as the 18th-ranked Serb had trouble returning a mix of forehand and backhand winners. Nalbandian wrapped up the match with a neat backhand down the line.
"Djokovic's absence helped us for sure," Nalbandian said. "This opening victory boosts our chances."
Djokovic also pulled out of Serbia's opening match of the semi-finals last year against the Czech Republic because he needed rest after the US Open, where he lost to Nadal in the final. Troicki was also a late replacement for Serbia on the opening day, while Djokovic played the reverse singles.
"We knew for days that Djokovic would not be able to play, so this was no surprise," Troicki said. "Nalbandian played good and I played bad, that was the key."
Djokovic led Serbia to their first Davis Cup title last year after beating France 3-2 in the final, with Troicki clinching the key point.
Serbia have entered the semi-finals with a seven-match Davis Cup winning streak. The last team to beat Serbia in a home tie was Belgium in 2005, which was also the last time Djokovic lost a singles match at home.
Argentina are looking to win their first Davis Cup semi-final away from home. Since the formation of the World Group in 1981, Argentina have made nine semi-final appearances, losing all six while playing away.
In Friday's other singles match, Janko Tipsarevic will face Juan Martin del Potro.
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