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Friday, February 9

Haas crushes Moldovan but Kiefer loses

Reuters

BRAUNSCHWEIG, Germany -- Andrei Pavel spoiled Nicolas Kiefer's return by beating the German 7-6, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 to put Romania level at 1-1 in their Davis Cup world group first round tie after Friday's opening singles matches.


	Germany's Tommy Haas so easily defeated Romania's Ion Moldovan on Friday that Romania's coach is considering a substitution for reverse singles on Sunday.

Kiefer, who had not played in the competition after a first-round defeat to Russia two years ago in Frankfurt, had his chances but Pavel showed more consistency when it mattered.

Tommy Haas had earlier crushed unheralded Ion Moldovan 6-2, 6-0, 6-2, to put the home side in the lead.

Kiefer, who had stopped playing for his country because he did not get on with Boris Becker, then both the team's manager and a doubles player, made a promising start, opening up a 5-4 lead in the first set.

But he wasted four set points before losing the set through a tie-break. Pavel then moved on top, winning the second set easily.

Cheered on by a partisan crowd of 6,000 in Braunschweig's indoor stadium, Kiefer fought his way back into the match by winning the third set but dropped serve immediately in the fourth.

Pavel sealed victory on his second match point after a battle of three hours and 13 minutes, which featured some great rallies.

Pavel has now won 14 of his 20 Davis Cup singles matches, while Kiefer has an embarrassing 1-4 record.

"I took more risks than he did, especially in the first set," Pavel said. "We're two players of roughly the same strength. I just happened to be in better shape on the day."

Kiefer did not sound too bitter.

"I'm getting near my best form," he said. "At times I played really well. I had many chances, but he always had the right answers."

Haas has it easy
Moldovan, who stepped in only after Romania's No. 2 Adrian Voinea suffered a groin injury on Tuesday, had bowed out to Haas after a one-sided match, which lasted just 76 minutes.

"This is the shortest match I've ever played in Davis Cup and the easiest one, as well," Haas, 21, said.

Moldovan looked slow, accumulated unforced errors and never found a way into the match.

"He doesn't like to run too much and can't do it very well either," Haas said.

So weak was Moldovan that Romanian captain Adrian Marcu might consider picking Voinea instead for Sunday's reverse singles if he is fit in time.

Marc Goellner and David Prinosil will team up for Germany to take on Pavel and Gabriel Trifu in Saturday's doubles.

"To be level at 1-1 after the first day is a very good result," Pavel said. "Now the German doubles pair will feel the pressure."

But Kiefer was not too worried.

"We've lost a point but not the tie," he said. "We're a team here and we've still got a really good chance."

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