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Spain edge Croatia to reach Davis Cup quarters

Osijek - Roberto Bautista Agut and Pablo Carreno Busta won their singles rubbers on Sunday as Spain sealed a berth in the Davis Cup quarter-finals with a 3-2 win over 2016 runners-up Croatia.

In Osijek, 16th-ranked Bautista Agut forced a decisive fifth rubber as he defeated Franko Skugor 6-1, 6-7 (4/7), 6-3, 7-6 (8/6).

And Carreno Busta stepped up to atone for Friday's shock loss to 223-ranked Skugor by defeating Nikola Mektic 7-6 (7/4), 6-1, 6-4.

Five-time champions Spain will play Novak Djokovic's Serbia in April for a place in the final four.

"I knew it would not be easy for us, that we would be facing difficult matches. It is always difficult to play against hosts," Bautista Agut told reporters.

Croatia were leading 2-1 after a marathon doubles clash on Saturday in which Marin Draganja and Mektic defeated Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez 6-7, (6/8), 7-6 (9/7), 7-6 (7/5), 2-6, 6-4.

Croatia, playing without national number one Marin Cilic, had been leading after the opening rubber on Friday in which Skugor unexpectedly defeated Carreno Busta 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (8/6).

Skugor saw off the 26th-ranked Spaniard, who was playing after 14-time major winner Rafael Nadal opted out of the tie.

In the second rubber on Friday, Bautista Agut defeated Davis Cup debutant Ante Pavic, ranked 486 in the world, 6-4, 6-2, 6-3.

"Before this clash there were forecasts that we would not win a single set and we managed to take it into the uncertainty of the last day and the fifth match," Croatia coach Zeljko Krajan said.

"We lost but I don't feal defeated."

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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