Roberto Bautista Agut defeated Rogerio Dutra Silva 6-0, 6-1, 6-3 on Friday to give Spain a 1-0 lead over Brazil in a World Group playoff in the Davis Cup.
The 15th-ranked Bautista Agut, Spain’s top player for the series in Brazil, dominated from the start against the 201st-ranked Silva, winning the clay-court match in 1 hour, 31 minutes.
The Spaniard won 11 straight games before his opponent finally held his serve late in the second set at the Ibirapuera indoor arena.
“We knew that it was going to be important to win this first point,” Bautista Agut said.
Silva was a surprise choice by Brazil captain Joao Zwetsch, who left the higher-ranked Joao Souza off the team.
The Brazilian only challenged Bautista Agut in the third set, breaking his serve twice before failing to hold his own serve in the final game.
It was his first match against Bautista Agut, who lost to Roger Federer in the fourth round of the U.S. Open.
Brazil’s top player, Thomaz Bellucci, plays Pablo Andujar in the second match on Friday.
Spain is without its best two players, Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer. Tommy Robredo, ranked 22nd in the world, also isn’t playing in Brazil.
“Spain has very good players and even without Rafa and David we are a good team,” Bautista Agut said.
“Those of us who are here are prepared to help Spain advance.”
A five-time Davis Cup winner, Spain is trying to avoid dropping out of the World Group for the first time since 1996. Its latest title came in 2011.
The two nations last played in 1999 in Spain, when three-time French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten led Brazil to victory. In six other meetings, the Spaniards won five.
Brazil’s double’s specialists Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares will play Marc Lopez and David Marrero on Saturday. Soares won the mixed doubles title at the U.S.
Open last week with Sania Mirza of India. Lopez was runner-up in the men’s double’s final along with countryman Marcel Granollers.
