MOSCOW -- Russia took a massive step toward the Davis Cup semifinals on Friday as it seized a 2-0 lead in their quarterfinal clash with Sweden.

Both Marat Safin and Yevgeny Kafelnikov won their singles ties in straight sets.

Kafelnikov crushed Thomas Enqvist 7-6, 6-3, 6-1 in less than two hours after Marat Safin had earlier wreaked revenge on Thomas Johansson, beating the Swede 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.

The pair unite for Saturday's doubles against Johansson and Jonas Bjorkman in a match that could see them through to the last four of the men's team event.

Johansson beat Safin in the final of the Australian Open at the start of the year but was no match for the mighty Russian on Friday.

Former world No. 1 and 2000 U.S. Open champion Safin made the most of his fast pace and the clay court at Moscow's Luzhniki Sports Palace.

"Thomas plays better on hard courts. I have more experience on clay," Safin said afterward.

After winning the second set with some stylish play, an increasingly-confident Safin gradually wore down his opponent to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.

Kafelnikov, desperate for a Davis Cup winners medal to round off his career, fulfilled his part of the deal.

After a tight first set, Kafelnikov grew in confidence and ran away with the match.

"The tiebreak was really tense, prompting him to make mistakes," Kafelnikov said. "After I won the first set, I felt my confidence return and I was virtually dictating the pace of the match from then."

Kafelnikov pulled away after the second set, cruising through the third in less than half an hour.

"Against Kafelnikov, it is important to stay close," Enqvist lamented afterward. "The first half of the match was very even -- it was too bad I didn't stay close to him."

Swedish coach Carl-Axel Hageskog refused to be downbeat, saying the visitors could still secure a ticket to the semifinal.

"It has happened before," he said. "I know we can do it."

The winning side will play either Argentina or Croatia for a place in the 2002 Davis Cup Final.

Novak hauls Czechs level at 1-1 against France

France, Czech Republic even at 1-1
PAU, France -- Jiri Novak ruined Nicolas Escude's unbeaten Davis Cup record to haul the Czech Republic level at 1-1 on the opening day of their Davis Cup quarterfinal against France.

French number one Sebastien Grosjean earlier fought off a gutsy challenge from Bohdan Ulihrach in the opening match to give the defending champions a 1-0 lead but Novak equalised in impressive fashion.

Novak proved too consistent for Escude and ran out a 7-6, 6-1, 6-7, 7-5 winner after Grosjean had struggled back from two sets to one down to beat Ulihrach 6-3, 3-6, 0-6, 6-3, 6-1 in a three-hour marathon.

Defending champions France, backed by 5,000 partisan fans, never looked at ease on the hardcourt surface of Pau's sports hall.

"At one stage I felt a little bit scared as he (Ulihrach) played two greats sets but I stayed focused and I kept fighting to bring back this first point," a relieved Grosjean said after his match.

Grosjean, the key player in France's 3-2 victory over the Netherlands in the previous round, had looked poised for a straightforward victory after winning the first set but his opponent proved brave and physically well-prepared.

The Frenchman was left a virtual spectator in the third set as Ulihrach unleashed a series of spectacular winners from the baseline.

Grosjean was blitzed in a 20-minute third set but switched his strategy in the fourth, charging the net as often as possible.

It paid off immediately and Grosjean levelled the match before taking a crucial break in the second game of the final set.

Ulihrach lost his serve again double-faulting on a break point and Grosjean wrapped the match up with a volley after two hours and 56 minutes.

"During the third set, he impressed me," Grosjean said. He hit all the balls and they were all inside the court. His first serve average was about 90 per cent.

"I didn't play badly in the third but it seemed that he could do no wrong. But I never gave it up and I was right as I managed to equalise and then to win."

"It was important for us to make a good start."

Escude, though, failed to build on Grosjean's work.

In his home town, the hero of last year's final never looked overwhelmed but still lost most of the key points against Novak.

In the first set, neither player managed to create a break point and Novak simply proved too solid in the tiebreak before romping through the second set.

Escude, roared on by his parents and relatives, reduced the deficit by winning a third set tiebreak and the two seemed destined for another five-set marathon with the score level at 5-5 in the fourth.

But Novak upped his game and reeled off the next two games to secure a vital victory and level the tie.

Fabrice Santoro and Michael Llodra make their Davis Cup doubles debut as a team on Saturday hoping to give the hosts the edge against Novak and David Rikl.

Nestor, Niemeyer give Canada 2-0 lead over Chile
CALGARY, Canada -- Daniel Nestor and Frederic Niemeyer claimed stunning five-set singles wins over Marcelo Rios and Fernando Gonzalez on Friday to take Canada to a 2-0 lead over Chile in their American zone group one second round Davis Cup tie.

Nestor, a doubles specialist who won gold for Canada at the Sydney Olympics, began the tie by upsetting Rios, the former-world number one, 7-6, 6-7, 6-3, 1-6, 7-5.

Riding the support of the vocal pro-Canadian crowd inside Calgary's Saddledome, Niemeyer also needed five gruelling sets 6-7, 7-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to tame Gonzalez, who upset Pete Sampras in the third round of the Nasdaq-100 Open last week.

Rios had appeared to be returning to top form until suddenly pulling out of his semifinal against Andre Agassi at the Nasdaq event in Miami with tendinitis in his right knee last month.

The surly Chilean had hinted he might not play Davis Cup because of the injury but turned in a gritty performance against the top-ranked Canadian.

"I think it was my worst single's loss in Davis Cup -- ever," said the 23rd ranked Rios.

Nestor will partner Simon Larose against Gonzalez and Hermes Gamonal in Saturday's doubles.

The winner of the tie will play in September for a berth in the prestigious World Group.

Gaudio, Karlovic put Argentina up 2-0
BUENOS AIRES -- Argentina took a 2-0 lead over Croatia in a Davis Cup quarterfinal after Juan Ignacio Chela beat Ivo Karlovic in the second match.

Karlovic, 160 places below Chela in the ATP rankings, surprisingly took the first set before Chela hit back to win 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 and put Argentina within one match of its first Davis Cup semifinal since 1990.

Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic, who is not playing in the singles because of his longstanding shoulder injury, is scheduled to line up alongside Ivan Ljubicic on Saturday when Croatia will attempt to save the tie against Lucas Arnold and Guillermo Canas.

The 30-year-old's withdrawal from the singles has been a major blow to Croatia's hopes of reaching their first Davis Cup semifinal.

Ivanisevic holds every Croatian Davis Cup record -- most singles wins, most doubles wins, most ties played and, with seven, the most years played.

Earlier, Gaston Gaudio overcame Ljubicic in straight sets to give Argentina the first win.

After the pair had slogged their way through a 75-minute first set in blistering heat, Gaudio went on to seal an eventually comfortable 7-6, 6-2, 6-3 win.

"I knew it was important to win the first point," said Gaudio. "Our aim is to finish the day with a 2-0 lead and fortunately we have got off to a good start."

Ljubicic put up a brave fight in the first set, taking a 5-3 lead in the tiebreak. But he then double-faulted and Gaudio won the next three points to go one set ahead.

Gaudio grew in confidence and broke serve in the fourth and eighth game of the next set to take a 2-0 lead as Ljubicic began committing a series of unforced errors.

Ljubicic also appeared to be affected by the partisan crowd as he went down 6-3 in the final set as well.