UPDATE 1-Tennis-Czech debutant to face Roddick in Davis Cup

...

By Alan Crosby

OSTRAVA, Czech Republic, Davis Cup debutant Ivo Minar will kick off the Czech Republic's World Group first round tie against former world number one Andy Roddick on Friday in the opening singles pairing.

Thursday's draw also set up a tantalising match between big-serving Tomas Berdych, the top Czech player, and world number six James Blake in Friday's second rubber on the slow clay the Czechs have laid in the CEZ Arena.

Berdych and Roddick were drawn to play in the first reverse singles match on Sunday, followed by Minar against Blake.

Minar, ranked 160 in the world and on the Czech team for the first time, said it may have been better to play second on Friday, but Czech captain Jaroslav Navratil was confident the 22-year-old would hold up well in front of the home crowd.

"Ivo is serving well and if I didn't think he could battle with Roddick I wouldn't have nominated him," Navratil said.

The United States, who have won the title 31 times though not since 1995, have made it clear they are very serious about their Davis Cup campaign this year.

World number four Roddick, Roger Federer's semi-final victim in Australia, Blake and the formidable doubles pairing of Australian Open champions Bob and Mike Bryan are heavily favoured to win the tie.

"We haven't played each other," said Roddick, "but I have seen him (Minar) play and he plays aggressively, serves hard. I think it will be a tough match but I am going in with confidence and believe I will be successful."

The Bryan brothers are the top-ranked doubles team in the world, while Blake has beaten Berdych twice, in 2005 and 2006.

However, the lanky Czech beat Roddick in their single encounter in Madrid last year.

This is the sixth Davis Cup meeting between the countries with the U.S. leading 4-1, although the last three encounters have all been decided in the fifth rubber. The U.S. suffered their only loss to the Czechs in 1996 but got revenge in 2000.

The Americans are also looking to end their losing streak on clay. They have not won a World Group tie on clay in a decade but a victory would set up a clash against Switzerland or Spain as the U.S. bid for their first Davis Cup title in 12 years.

[Reuters/Finance.cz]