Canada splits Davis Cup opener

THE CANADIAN PRESS

TORONTO -- Canada's Frank Dancevic left no room for error, beating Giovanni Lapentti of Ecuador 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 Friday on the opening day of the Davis Cup.

Earlier, Lapentti's brother Nicolas topped Frederic Niemeyer of Sherbrooke, Que., in straight sets 6-3, 7-6(4), 7-6(4) as Ecuador and Canada finished the day tied at one in the the Americas Zone Group One matchup.

Dancevic produced few unforced errors, struck the ball cleanly and served with ease in his victory.

"I don't think there was a point where I wasn't going for the ball. I put a lot of pressure on him and I played my game," said Dancevic of Niagara Falls, Ont. "This is a special occasion, it's Davis Cup. I'm not just playing for myself, I'm playing for Canada and every match is very important in Davis Cup."

Ecuador struck first in the day's starting match as Nicolas Lapentti forced Niemeyer into tie breaks en route to his win.

"My big two weapons weren't working as well as they usually do, like my serve and forehand," said Niemeyer after the match. "I had a lot of chances, I had a lot of big points, but I didn't play any of them very well."

Lapentti's strong ground strokes, quick movement and ability to create spectacular angles from all over the court worked to his advantage to generate the first point for his team.

"Every point is important," said Nicolas Lapentti. "But it is always nice to win the first one."

The victory also secured Nicolas Lapentti the Ecuadorian Davis Cup record for most total wins and most singles wins, both of which he was tied for with Andres Guzman. Lapentti now boasts a 55-31 total win record and 37-15 total singles record.