Bernard Tomic leads Australia past Czechs in Davis Cup

Ostrava: Bernard Tomic beat Lukas Rosol in straight sets to give Australia an unbeatable 3-1 lead over the Czech Republic in their Davis Cup World Group first round tie in Ostrava on Sunday.

In a clash of the teams` number-one players, Tomic, the 22-year-old world number 38, saw off 29-year-old Rosol, ranked 31, 7-6 (7/4), 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) in two hours and 13 minutes.

Australia now take on Kazakhstan in the quarter-finals in July.

Both Rosol and Tomic held their serves in the first set which the Australian took in a tie-break.

Tomic broke Rosol`s serve three times in the second set, against a single break for Rosol -- enough for the Australian to take it 6-3.

The third set was a carbon copy of the first with both men holding serve until Tomic beld his nerve better in tie-break.

It was the seventh time in eight Davis cup encounters that Australia have beaten the Czech Republic, or its predecessor Czechoslovakia.

In Saturday`s doubles, Czech youngsters Jiri Vesely and Adam Pavlasek beat Samuel Groth and Lleyton Hewitt 1-6, 7-6 (7/2), 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-2.

On Friday, Australia`s number-two player Thanasi Kokkinakis, an 18-year-old world number 133, stunned Rosol 4-6, 2-6, 7-5, 7-5, 6-3 in the opening rubber.

Kokkinakis was a surprise pick by Australia`s interim captain Wally Masur, who took over from Pat Rafter in January before he hands the post to Hewitt when the Australian legend retires after the 2016 Australian Open.

In Friday`s second singles rubber, Tomic saw off 45th-ranked Vesely in straight sets 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (7/5).

Both teams were without their top players as Czech number one Tomas Berdych decided to skip the tie to focus on his singles career while teammate Radek Stepanek and Australia`s Nick Kyrgios are injured.

Led by Berdych and Stepanek, the Czechs won the Davis Cup in 2012 and 2013 in addition to a 1980 win by former Czechoslovakia.

Australia have won the trophy 28 times, second only behind the United States with 32 wins, but their last title dates back to 2003.