Djokovic beaten as Swedes hit back in quarter-final

Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic suffered a rare defeat yesterday when he and Serb doubles partner Nenad Zimonjic lost 6-4, 7-6, 7-5 to Simon Aspelin and Robert Lindstedt as Sweden hit back in the Davis Cup quarter-finals.

World number one Djokovic, beaten just once in singles all year, missed Friday’s first day of the clash in Halmstad with a knee injury as defending champions Serbia opened up a 2-0 lead.

But he was unable to repeat the magic which has taken him to the top of the world rankings, as well as eight titles in 2011, as seven-time champions Sweden clung on to their outside hopes of making the semi-finals.

On Friday, Serbia had taken control with world number 16 Viktor Troicki beating Michael Ryderstedt 6-3, 6-1, 6-7, 7-5 in the first singles rubber.

World no.29 Janko Tipsarevic then stepped in for Djokovic and enjoyed a comfortable afternoon when debutant Ervin Eleskovic, the world number 355, retired with a knee injury after the Serb had established a 6-2, 1-0 lead.

The winners of the tie will face Argentina in September’s semi-finals.

In Buenos Aires, Argentina took a 4-0 lead over Kazakhstan when Juan Ignacio Chela defeated Evgeny Korelev 2-6, 6-2, 6-0.

Nine-time champions France also made the semi-finals when Michael Llodra and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga overcame Germany’s Philipp Petzschner and Christopher Kas 7-6, 6-4, 6-4 in Stuttgart.

On Friday, Richard Gasquet came from two sets down to beat German number one Florian Mayer 4-6, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-3 before Gael Monfils beat Philipp Kohlschreiber 7-6, (7/3), 7-6 (7/5), 6-4.

The French will now face either the US or Spain in September.

“Whoever we face in the semi-final will be a big task,” said Llodra.

“We’d prefer to face the United States at home.”

Spain, chasing their third trophy in four years, finished Friday’s opening day in Austin, Texas, 2-0 ahead of the US after world number six David Ferrer defeated 10th-ranked hometown star Andy Roddick 7-6, 7-5, 6-3.

Spain, playing without the resting Rafael Nadal, had seized the lead in the opening singles when Feliciano Lopez outlasted eighth-ranked Mardy Fish in a four-hour showdown 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-7, 8-6.