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Belgium sink Germany to make Davis Cup quarters

Berlin - Germany crashed to a third straight Davis Cup first-round exit as Steve Darcis clinched a quarter-finals berth for Belgium with victory over teenager Alexander Zverev in Frankfurt on Sunday.

Darcis needed just over three hours to secure a 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (10/8) win over 19-year-old Zverev to give Belgium an unassailable lead with Ruben Bemelmans then beating Germany's Mischa Zverev 7-5, 6-1 to make the final score 4-1.

Germany face a fight to remain in the elite World Group after being consigned to a relegation play-off while Belgium will play either champions Argentina or Italy in the quarter-finals in April.

The hosts started as favourites to win the tie after Belgian number one David Goffin dropped out to recover from his run to the quarter-finals of last month's Australian Open.

Germany, who last won the title in 1993, had lost to the Czech Republic in last year's opening round in Hanover and France in 2015.

The hosts were under pressure after going 2-1 down to Belgium in Saturday's doubles rubber when Alexander Zverev and elder brother Mischa, 29, lost to Bemelmans and Joris De Loore.

On Friday, the younger Zverev sibling hauled Germany level at 1-1 by the end of the first day with a straight-sets win over Arthur De Greef after Philipp Kohlschreiber lost to Darcis over five sets.

Davis Cup World Group first round results this weekend:

At Buenos Aires (clay, outdoor)

Argentina 2 Italy 2

Friday

Paolo Lorenzi (ITA) bt Guido Pella (ARG) 6-3, 6-3, 6-3

Andreas Seppi (ITA) bt Carlos Berlocq (ARG) 6-1, 6-2, 1-6, 7-6 (8/6)

Saturday

Carlos Berlocq/Leonardo Mayer (ARG) bt Simone Bolelli/Fabio Fognini (ITA) 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 2-6, 7-6 (9/7)

Sunday

Carlos Berlocq (ARG) bat Paolo Lorenzi (ITA) 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3

Playing on Monday:

Guido Pella (ARG) v Fabio Fognini (ITA)

At Frankfurt (hard, indoor)

Germany 1 Belgium 4

Friday

Steve Darcis (BEL) bt Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) 6-4, 3-6, 2-6, 7-6 (7/2), 7-5 (7/5)

Alexander Zverev (GER) bt Arthur De Greef (BEL) 6-3, 6-3, 6-4

Saturday

Ruben Bemelmans/Joris De Loore (BEL) bt Alexander Zverev/Mischa Zverev (GER) 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 4-6, 6-3

Sunday

Steve Darcis (BEL) bt Alexander Zverev (GER) 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (10/8)

Ruben Bemelmans (BEL) bt Mischa Zverev (GER) 7-5, 6-1

At Melbourne (hard, outdoor)

Australia 4 Czech Republic 1

Friday

Jordan Thompson (AUS) bt Jiri Vesely (CZE) 6-3, 6-3, 6-4

Nick Kyrgios (AUS) bt Jan Satral (CZE) 6-2, 6-3, 6-2

Saturday

Sam Groth/John Peers (AUS) bt Jan Satral/Jiri Vesely (CZE) 6-3, 6-2, 6-2

Sunday

Jiri Vesely (CZE) bt Sam Groth (AUS) 3-6, 7-5, 6-3

Jordan Thompson (AUS) bt Jan Satral (CZE) 7-6 (7/5), 6-2

At Birmingham (hard, outdoor)

United States 5 Switzerland 0

Friday

Jack Sock (USA) bt Marco Chiudinelli (SUI) 6-4, 6-3, 6-1

John Isner (USA) bt Henri Laaksonen (SUI) 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (7/1)

Saturday

Steve Johnson/Jack Sock (USA) bt Henri Laaksonen/Adrien Bossel (SUI) 7-6 (7/3), 6-3, 7-6 (7/5)

Sunday

Sam Querrey (USA) bt Adrien Bossel (SUI) 6-3, 7-5

Steve Johnson (USA) bt Antoine Bellier (SUI) 6-4, 6-3

At Tokyo (hard, indoor)

Japan 1 France 4

Friday

Richard Gasquet (FRA) bt Taro Daniel (JPN) 6-2, 6-3, 6-2

Gilles Simon (FRA) bt Yoshihito Nishioka (JPN) 6-3, 6-3, 6-4

Saturday

Nicolas Mahut/Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA) bt Yuichi Sugita/Yasutaka Uchiyama (JPN) 6-3, 6-4, 6-4

Sunday

Nicolas Mahut (FRA) bt Yoshihito Nishioka (JPN) 6-1, 1-1 -- retired

Yasutaka Uchiyama bt Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA) 6-4, 6-4

At Ottawa (hard, indoor)

Canada 2 Great Britain 3

Friday

Dan Evans (GBR) bt Denis Shapovalov (CAN) 6-3, 6-3, 6-4

Vasek Pospisil (CAN) bt Kyle Edmund (GBR) 6-4, 6-1, 7-6 (7/3)

Saturday

Dominic Inglot/Jamie Murray (GBR) bt Daniel Nestor/Vasek Pospisil (CAN) 7-6 (7/1), 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (7/3), 6-3

Sunday

Vasek Pospisil (CAN) bt Daniel Evans (GBR) 7-6 (7/3), 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7/5)

Kyle Edmund (GBR) bt Denis Shapovalov (CAN) 6-3, 6-4, 2-1, default, hitting umpire with ball

At Nis (hard, indoor)

Serbia 4 Russia 1

Friday

Viktor Troicki (SRB) bt Karen Khachanov (RUS) 6-4, 6-7 (3/7), 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (8/6)

Novak Djokovic (SRB) bt Daniil Medvedev (RUS) 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, 1-0 -- retired

Saturday

Viktor Troicki/Nenad Zimonjic (SRB) bt Andrey Kuznetsov/Konstantin Kravchuk (RUS) 6-3, 7-6 (7/3), 6-7 (5/7), 6-4

Sunday

Dusan Lajovic (SRB) bt Konstantin Kravchuk (RUS) 6-3, 4-6, 6-3

Fifth match not played at Serbia request, point given to Russia

At Osijek (hard, indoor)

Croatia 2 Spain 3

Friday

Franko Skugor (CRO) bt Pablo Carreno Busta (ESP) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (8/6)

Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP) bt Ante Pavic (CRO) 6-4, 6-2, 6-3

Saturday

Marin Draganja/Nikola Mektic (CRO) bt Feliciano Lopez/Marc Lopez (ESP) 6-7, (6/8), 7-6 (9/7), 7-6 (7/5), 2-6, 6-4

Sunday

Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP) bt Franko Skugor (CRO) 6-1, 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 7-6 (8/6)

Pablo Carreno Busta (ESP) bt Nikola Mektic (CRO) 7-6 (7/4), 6-1, 6-4

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