R1 - N.ALMAGRO (ESP) def. M.SILVA (PER) 6-3 7-5 6-0 R2 - T.ROBREDO (ESP) def. I.MIRANDA (PER) 6-2 6-3 6-3 Commanding lead for Spain Spain's Tommy Robredo secured his country a commanding lead in its Davis Cup by BNP Paribas first round tie against Peru in Lima. The Spanish No. 1 overcame Ivan Miranda 62 63 63 in two hours and 16 minutes to give Spain its second point of the day. The first set, which began under artificial light, showed Robredo trying to get used to the court, which felt different to the previous days because of the night conditions, as he said later. Miranda, on the other hand, tried to rally the support of his followers and had success, to a certain extent. The first serve break by the Spaniard marked the initial fade in the Peruvian supporters, who found little to cheer about in the following sets. It’s not that Miranda played under his level; the problem is that he played exactly at his level, not taking many risks in the process. His beautiful yet not very powerful tennis moved Robredo from one side of the court to the other, but not hurting the world No. 19. Miranda played better than his No. 292 indicates, perhaps at the level of a No. 100, but that is not enough when facing one of the most powerful teams in the world of tennis. A mystery thigh pain The first and second sets moved on quickly, and in the third Miranda started to suffer a slight pain in his right thigh. His presence tomorrow in the doubles is a mystery, just like Horna’s. “I think it’s a shame, for the tie, that Horna could not play today,” Robredo said. ”It’s a shame because it’s always better to play with the best players, but Miranda has played very well, although I believe I had a solid game and now we’re 2-0 ahead”. “This changes nothing,” said Emilio Sanchez Vicario, Spain’s captain. “We will go tomorrow with (Feliciano) López and (Fernando) Verdasco, as planned. We want to win this series and we are working towards that goal”. Peru’s captain, Jaime Yzaga, was understandably not happy, yet not all had been negative. “I think Matías (Silva) played well, all things considered, especially in the second set. He has to rely more on his powerful serve, and improve his fitness if he wants to play at this level,” he said. Will Horna and Miranda be fit for doubles? “We all expected more of Ivan (Miranda), but he did all he could. Now I’ve got to wait until tomorrow to see if Horna and Miranda are fit to play, we’ ll wait until one hour before the doubles match”. The perspectives are quite good for Spain, but not for Peru. With both leading players in doubt for the doubles, the underdog of this year’s World Group looks likely to have to defend their place in the Playooffs… but there is still one point to play, and the final word has not yet been said in Lima. --

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