Argentina knock holders Croatia out of Davis Cup

Argentina knocked holders Croatia out of the Davis Cup when Juan Ignacio Chela beat Sasa Tuksar 3-6 6-4 7-6 7-6 to give his team a tense 3-2 victory in their quarter-final yesterday.

In the semi-finals Argentina will host Australia who completed a 5-0 whitewash of Belarus by winning yesterday's two dead singles matches in straight sets at Kooyong in Melbourne.

Wayne Arthurs defeated Sergui Tarasevitch 7-6 6-2 and Chris Guccione completed the rout with a crushing 6-1 6-3 win over Bela-russian rookie Alexandr Zotov.

Chela's win completed a memorable weekend for the Argentines who have reached their fourth semi-final in five years.

Chela fought back from a set down to send Argentina through after Croatia's top-ranked player and team captain Ivan Ljubicic hauled the holders level at 2-2 with a straight sets win over David Nalbandian in yesterday's first singles rubber.

World number 31 Chela weathered an early setback and several crises in the second and third sets against his unheralded rival to clinch a thrilling tie for Argentina, who beat Croatia by the same score at the same stage of the competition in 2002.

Tuksar was selected to stand in for Mario Ancic, who missed the entire tie with a back injury.

He got the nod ahead of 17-year old prospect Marin Cilic who was thrashed by Nalbandian on Friday and looked low on confidence in the doubles he lost with Ljubicic to Nalbandian and Jose Acasuso.

Tursunov sends Russia into last four

Dogged Dmitry Tursunov beat French teenager Richard Gasquet 6-1 3-6 6-7 6-3 7-5 yesterday in Pau to secure Russia a place in the Davis Cup semi-finals.

The Russians, who beat France to win the competition in 2002, will face the United States who completed a 3-1 win over Chile last night.

Tursunov, who was standing in for injured Russian number one Nikolay Davydenko, edged past home favourite Gasquet after a see-saw three-hour, 25-minute tussle to give the visitors a 3-1 lead.

Mikhail Youzhny then beat Michael Llodra 6-2 4-6 7-6 to wrap up a 4-1 win for Russia.

Quarter-finals: Australia vs Belarus 5-0; Croatia vs Argentina 2-3; France vs Russia 1-4; US vs Chile 3-1.