“I was playing very aggressive today; I wanted be the one who is active, who is controlling the game,” Stepanek said. “It paid off, even though I lost the third set. I had no doubt I was on the way.”

Sweden was doomed without Robin Soderling, who skipped the tie to “rest,” even though that rest ends this week when he plays the ATP event in Bastad.

Andy “The Closer” Roddick clinches for the U.S. in the first match on Sunday, beating Paul Capdeville in four sets. Chile got its only live point on Day One when Capdeville turned his match against John Isner into a fitness contest, beating Big John from two sets down. Roddick opened with a win over Nicolas Massu on Day One, and the Bryan brothers won the Saturday doubles point for the U.S., which will next host Spain.

This match will be right after Wimbledon, so hopefully Courier and the USTA don’t screw up and choose a fast hard court or indoor surface. Wherever this match is held, if the U.S. can dial back the clock to 1980 and hire someone who did groundskeeping work at Wimbledon 30 years ago, a slick old-school grasscourt will see the U.S. beating Spain.

Roger Federer let Switzerland slide into obscurity, and also perhaps Federer’s chance of winning the Davis Cup before his career ends, when Switzerland was swept 5-0 by Kazakhstan in the Davis Cup World Group Playoffs. Federer ducked out of the match, citing a need for rest after losing in the semifinals of the US Open.

“The surface helped us a lot,” said French captain Guy Forget. “When you play the Spanish guys, they are going to give their best all the way to the end. The last time they beat us in Alicante and this makes me really happy — since 1923 finally we get to beat Spain in Davis Cup.”

(1) Querrey starts against Levine in an all-American encounter, (3) Falla faces (WC) Mahut in a tough one, and (5) Fish renews his in-country rivalry with Russell; Ram (2009) and Dent (2002) are former champs in the field.

SANIA-MANIA — Sania Mirza holds a PRESS CONFERENCE in India to announce she is engaged to be married, then says “I have been in the constant glare for too long and would appreciate privacy at this very personal moment in my life.” On the schedule — another press conference next week where she will tell the media, ‘Still looking for privacy. Thanks. Will keep you guys posted.’ Her future husband, BTW, was reportedly married years back according to another women, who says he married her ‘over the phone,’ but then dumped her because she was too fat.

Argentina’s David Nalbandian was first thought too injured to participate in the Stockholm tie, but after a successful insertion in the Saturday doubles, Nalbandian played the hero in the fifth and deciding singles match, defeating Sweden’s Andreas Vinciguerra to put Argentina into the Davis Cup quarterfinals. Swede Robin Soderling forced a fifth match by defeating Argentina’s Leonardo Mayer in straight sets in the first Sunday singles. Argentina will travel to Russia for the quarterfinal encounter.

Maria Sharapova, following her breakup with Charlie Ebersol, the son of NBC Universal Sports & Olympics chairman Dick Ebersol, is now dating Sasha Vujacic of Slovenia, who plays guard for the Los Angeles Lakers.