Nalbandian draws first blood for Argentina

By Gaspard Sebag

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - David Nalbandian drew first blood for Argentina in their Davis Cup quarter-final against Sweden on Friday, beating Thomas Johansson 6-2 5-7 6-4 6-2.

Facing an opponent ranked 55 places below him, Nalbandian outclassed the Swede in the opening set, finishing with a powerful backhand on his first set point after breaking serve in the sixth game.

The Argentine retained momentum in the second set and took a 2-0 lead but former Australian Open champion Johansson immediately broke back.

Nalbandian then showed signs of frustration as he lost his serve in the 11th game after Johansson produced a series of solid returns.

"I lost a little bit of focus," Nalbandian admitted to reporters.

On a cloudy, misty morning and with the Parque Roca stadium only half full, Nalbandian regained his rhythm in the third set, taking his opponent's serve early on to lead 5-2.

The experienced Swede broke back in the ninth game but handed the advantage back to Nalbandian by dropping his serve again.

Nalbandian swept through the fourth set, sealing victory on his second match point after two hours 54 minutes when Johansson dumped a forehand into the net.