PRAGUE (AP)—Tomas Berdych eased past Viktor Troicki 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 to give the Czech Republic a 1-0 lead over Serbia in their Davis Cup quarterfinal on Friday.
The seventh-ranked Berdych never lost his serve and converted his first match point with a return winner to complete the victory in 1 hour, 49 minutes.
Troicki opened the match with a double fault and struggled throughout on a slow indoor clay-court at O2 Arena.
Janko Tipsarevic, who this week reached his highest ranking at No. 8, will play Radek Stepanek in the second singles to try to level the tie.
Serbia is without top-ranked Novak Djokovic.
The winner will face Argentina or Croatia in September’s semifinals.