Del Potro blow for Argentina

Buenos Aires - Argentina will face Italy in the Davis Cup in Mar del Plata next week without their leading player, Juan Martin Del Potro, it was confirmed on Tuesday.

Argentine team captain Martin Jaite has named world number 41 Carlos Berlocq and 42nd-ranked Juan Monaco along with doubles pairing Horacio Zeballos and Eduardo Schwank for the World Group first round encounter.

Del Potro will not feature for last year's Davis Cup semi-finalists in a tie that comes so soon after his disappointing second-round exit at the Australian Open.

Italy have called up Fabio Fognini, Andreas Seppi, Filippo Volandri and doubles specialist Simone Bolelli for the tie, which will be played on clay.

Argentina won 5-0 in the only previous meeting of the nations in the Davis Cup, in Rome in 1983.