Argentina take Davis Cup lead

Argentina won both singles rubbers to take a commanding 2-0 lead on day one of their Davis Cup quarter-final against Kazakhstan in Buenos Aires on Thursday.

World number 43 Juan Monaco gave the hosts a flying start with a 6-3 6-0 6-4 triumph over Andrey Golubev on the outdoor clay at Parque Roca.
Juan Martin del Potro - in Davis Cup action for the first time in two years - then breezed past Mikhail Kukushkin 6-2 6-1 6-2 in the second match.
Argentina can clinch the tie with victory in the doubleson Friday - Juan Ignacio Chela and Eduardo Schwank face Evgeny Korolev and Yuriy Schukin - with the reverse singles scheduled for Saturday.
The tie beganon Thursday - a day earlier than the other three quarter-finals - due to national elections in Buenos Aires on Sunday.
Monaco told daviscup.com he was delighted with his own performance and ranked it as one of the best matches of his entire career.
"I was playing perfect tennis today [Thursday]," he said. "All the things I was trying to play were perfect.
"Every break point I had, every chance I had to push him, I was playing unbelievable. Then my serve all the way through the match was very good so I'm very happy with the way I played today [Thursday].
"It could be [the best match of my career]. I remember one match against Netherlands three years ago - I was playing a very good level but today [Thursday] I think was the most perfect match in my career and in the Davis Cup."
The 27-year-old also felt his level of performance forced Golubev into unforced errors and was happy to repay the faith shown in him by Argentina captain Modesto Vazquez who picked Monaco to play the opening rubber.
He said: "Today [Thursday] the way I played I think I made him make many mistakes and I was happy for that. I was playing good strokes and I didn't give him any chance to play good tennis today.
"I was very focused, from the moment he said I was playing the first singles I was calm, stayed focused and tried to do my best and after the match I was very happy.