BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP)—Bob and Mike Bryan deftly handled the pressure, then placed it squarely on teammate Andy Roddick.
The powerhouse doubles team came through for the United States again with a four-set victory over Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka and Yves Allegro on Saturday to give the U.S. a 2-1 lead in the opening round of the Davis Cup.
Now, Mike Bryan predicted, Roddick will clinch the best-of-five series by beating Wawrinka in Sunday’s first reverse singles match.
“We call him the closer,” Bryan said in a live TV interview on the court. “When we put him up 2-1, he always shuts it down for us. He’s going to bring everything he has tomorrow. And I guarantee he’s going to shut it down tomorrow.”
He retreated somewhat from that bold statement afterward. Then again, Roddick is 10-0 with a chance to clinch a series on the final day and has 30 singles victories in the Davis Cup.
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