Sock-Harrison combine puts USA in semifinals

Americans Jack Sock and Ryan Harrison rallied from a set down in a tight doubles rubber to ensure the United States became the first team to advance to the Davis Cup semifinals, with a 3-0 victory over Belgium, here on Saturday. Sock and Harrison failed to break serve until the fourth set yet managed to see off doubles specialists Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen 5-7, 7-6(1), 7-6(3) 6-4 to wrap up the tie in the fewest possible matches for them.

In other quarterfinal ties, Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff and Tim Puetz pulled off a shock win over Spain’s Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez to give Germany a 2-1 lead. Holder France also took a 2-1 lead in its tie with Italy as Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut comfortably beat Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini.

The results (quarterfinals):

At Genoa: Italy 1 trails France 2 (Fabio Fognini & Simone Bolelli lost to Nicolas Mahut & Pierre-Hugues Herbert; Fabio Fognini bt Jeremy Chardy 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-2, 6-4; Andreas Seppi lost to Lucas Pouille 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 3-6, 6-1).

At Valencia: Spain 1 trails Germany 2 (Marc Lopez & Feliciano Lopez lost to Tim Puetz & Jan-Lennard Struff 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(4), 7-5; Alexander Zverev bt David Ferrer 6-4, 6-2, 6-2; Rafael Nadal bt Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-2, 6-2, 6-3)

At Varazdin: Croatia 2 leads Kazakhstan 1 (Ivan Dodig & Nikola Mektic bt Timur Khabibulin & Aleksandr Nedovyesov 6-7(2), 6-4, 6-4, 6-2; Borna Coric lost to Mikhail Kukushkin 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-4, 6-2; Marin Cilic bt Dmitry Popko 6-2, 6-1, 6-2)

At Nashville: USA 3 leads Belgium 0 (Ryan Harrison & Jack Sock bt Sander Gille & Joran Vliegen 5-7, 7-6(1), 7-6(3), 6-4; John Isner bt Joris de Loore 6-3, 6-7(4), 7-6(8), 6-4; Sam Querrey bt Ruben Bemmelmans 6-1, 7-6(5), 7-5).