Last update - 00:00 08/02/2008
Tennis: Israel takes 2-1 lead in Davis Cup match against Sweden
By Nir Wolf, Haaretz Correspondent, and Haaretz Service
Israel won the doubles match Saturday to take a crucial 2-1 lead over Sweden in their World Group first round match in the Davis Cup.
Fresh off their doubles championship at the Australian Open last week, Andy Ram and Yoni Erlich defeated Sweden's Simon Aspelin and Robert Lindstedt 6-3, 7-6 (3), 7-5 on in Ramat Hasharon.
In Sunday's reverse singles, Israel's Dudi Sela is due to face Thomas
Johansson, followed by Harel Levy of Israel playing Jonas Bjorkman. If one of the two Israelis is victorious, Israel will reach the quarterfinals of the Davis Cup for the first time in history.
"After we beat Luxemburg nobody believed that we would beat Italy. After we bear Italy, nobody believed we would beat Chile. Now, no one believes we can beat Sweden. Let's wait and see. I believe we will all meet again in April," Sela said Saturday.
Sela battled back from a difficult start to beat Jonas Bjorkman 7-6 (8), 6-3, 6-1 and give the Israelis an early 1-0 lead on Friday.
Thomas Johansson beat Israel's Harel Levy 6-1, 6-1, 6-3 to level the match for Sweden.
The Israeli crowd, which had upset Russia's Fed Cup team last week by imitating Maria Sharapova's grunting, was mostly well behaved apart from the occasional call of out.
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