Defending champion Czech Republic reached the quarterfinals of the Davis
Cup on Sunday after Tomas Berdych won the first reverse singles to clinch
the first-round tie 3-1. Berdych, an Australian Open semi-finalist,
dispatched Thiemo de Bakker 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 on an indoor hard court at CEZ
Arena.
Seeking their third straight Davis Cup title, the Czechs won the 10th
consecutive Davis Cup series. They will travel for the April 4-6
quarterfinal to Japan, which beat Canada 4-1 in another first-round tie.