Tennis

Australia beat Chinese Taipei to advance in Davis Cup

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-03-06 14:40

CANBERRA - Australia clinched a 3-0 victory over Chinese Taipei in Davis Cup on Saturday to book a playoff ticket in a bid to return to the World Group.

Australia took Saturday's doubles win as Carsten Ball and Paul Hanley seize the best-of-five match tie at Melbourne Park with a straight sets win over Yang Tsung-hua and Yi Chu-huan in the doubles rubber in their Asia-Oceania zone match.

The Australian pair prevailed in two tiebreak sets before rounding out a 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/2), 6-2 victory.

Australia, 28-time winners of the Davis Cup, won both the opening day singles on Friday as Bernard Tomic, at 17 Australia's youngest Davis Cup player in 77 years, crushed Yang, 6-2, 6-1, 6-1 and Peter Luczak downed Yi 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-3.

Australia will now face the winner of the tie between Japan and the Philippines in the second round from May 7-9 for a place in the elite 2011 World Group of the men's tennis team event.