Kraljevo, Serbia (SportsNetwork.com) – World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and Viktor
Troicki were as pair of opening singles winners Friday, as Serbia grabbed a
commanding 2-0 lead against visiting Croatia in their best-of-five opening-
round Davis Cup affair.
The reigning Australian Open and Wimbledon champion Djokovic predictably
cruised past Croatia’s Mate Delic 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 in 1 hour, 29 minutes on an
indoor hardcourt at Kraljevo Sports Centre.
The 27-year-old eight-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic is now 27-7 in his
career Davis Cup singles and led the Serbs to their lone championship in
2010. Serbia was also a runner-up two years ago.
Troicki capped Day 1 by smacking 12 aces and dramatically overcoming rising
18-year-old Croat Borna Coric 4-6, 1-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 in just over three
hours. Troicki improved to 13-9 in his Davis Cup singles matches.
Saturday’s doubles call for Troicki and Nenad Zimonjic to face a Croatian
tandem of Marin Draganja and Franko Skugor, while Sunday’s reverse singles
have Djokovic taking on the 61st-ranked Coric and the No. 41 Troicki meeting
the 158th-ranked Delic.
Bogdan Obradovic captains Serbia, while Croatia is guided by Zeljko Krajan.
Serbia and 2005 titlist Croatia have a long political history, but they had
previously only met once in Davis Cup since the division of Yugoslavia
in the early 1990s. The Serbs got the better of that clash in 2010.
The winner in Kraljevo will face the Argentina-Brazil victor in a quarterfinal
in July.
