KRALJEVO, Serbia — Viktor Troicki rallied to beat Borna Coric 4-6, 1-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 Friday to give Serbia 2-0 lead against Croatia in the first round of the Davis Cup. Earlier, Novak Djokovic gave Serbia a 1-0 lead by defeating Mate Delic 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. The top-ranked Serb converted early break points in each set on an indoor hard court. Serbia can clinch the best-of-five series Saturday in doubles, when Troicki and Nenad Zimonjic face Marin Draganja and Franko Skugor. In Belgium, Henri Laaksonen rallied from two sets down to beat Ruben Bemelmans and give defending champion Switzerland a 1-0 lead over Belgium. The 344th-ranked Laaksonen, playing in the team event for the first time since 2013, won 1-6, 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-0, 6-2 after Bemelmans started to cramp early in the third set at the Country Hall. Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka are skipping the event this year after leading Switzerland to its first title in 2014, while Belgium's top player, David Goffin, withdrew at the last minute because of a back injury. The 21st-ranked Goffin could be fit in time to play in Sunday's reverse singles though. In Scotland, Andy Murray quelled a mid-match comeback from Donald Young to win in four sets and give Britain a 1-0 lead over the United States in the first round of the Davis Cup. Murray won 6-1, 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 in his first match in his native Scotland since winning Wimbledon in 2013. James Ward was playing John Isner in the second singles match late Friday. The doubles match is on Saturday. In Kazakhstan, Andreas Seppi beat Andrey Golubev to put Italy level at 1-1 with host in their World Group first round tie. The 31-year-old Seppi won 6-3, 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 6-2 in what was his first ever meeting with Golubev, the rubber lasting two hours 34 minutes at the hardcourts of the National Tennis Centre. Earlier, Friday Mikhail Kukushkin put Kazakhstan 1-0 up with a straight-set win over Simone Bolelli 7-6 (8-6), 6-1, 6-2 in two hours 22 minutes. Wozniacki in semis In Kuala Lumpur, Danish star Caroline Wozniacki defeated Germany's Carina Witthoeft in straight sets at the quarterfinals of the Malaysian Open Friday. The top seed won the match 6-3, 6-1 and will meet the competition's 2012 champion Su-Wei Hsieh from Taiwan in the semifinal Saturday. Hsieh sent little-known Elizaveta Kulichkova packing after getting past her 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 6-0, ending the Russian's rising momentum in the tournament and booking her spot in the semis. Meanwhile, eigth-seed Julia Goerges from Germany was defeated by Romania's Alexandra Dulgheru 7-6 (7-5), 7-5. In another quarterfinal match, Australia's Jarmila Gajdosova beat Japan's Kurumi Nara 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. Garcia through to quarters Third seed Caroline Garcia advanced to the Monterrey Open quarterfinals with a straight-sets victory over Italy's Francesca Schiavone in Mexico Thursday. France's world No. 29 Garcia won the first-set on a tie-break and subsequently did not drop another game as she wrapped up a 7-6 (7-2), 6-0 triumph against the veteran in 88 minutes. Garcia will play compatriot Kristina Mladenovic for a place in the last four. Seventh seed Daniela Hantuchova will not feature in the quarterfinals, however, after she slumped to a straight-sets defeat to Urszula Radwanska. Slovakian world No. 46 Hantuchova was thoroughly outclassed as her Polish opponent, ranked 95 places lower, needed just 75 minutes to secure a 6-2, 6-4 win. Radwanska will meet Timea Bacsinszky in the quarterfinals after the Swiss fourth seed ended Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko's interest in the tournament. Bacsinszky lost the first set 4-6 but regained her composure to win the next two by the same scoreline to wrap up a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory in a match lasting more than two-and-a-half hours. Fifth seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova set up a quarterfinal showdown against second seed Sara Errani after overcoming Johanna Larsson 6-4, 6-4. — Agencies
