Massu-Minar match opens Davis quarterfinal

COQUIMBO, Chile, July 8 (UPI) -- Chilean Nicolas Massu and Czech Ivo Minar have been given the lead-off match for the Czech Republic's Davis Cup quarterfinal series in Chile.

Massu and Minar have the first match Friday followed by Czech Jan Hajek and Chilean Paul Capdeville in the first day of the best-of-five series on an outdoors clay court in Coquimbo, Chile.

Davis Cup play calls for a Saturday doubles match, in which Capdeville and Jorge Aguilar will team for Chile against Czech players Frantisek Cernak and Lukas Dlouhy.

Massu and Hajek would meet in the first of Sunday's reverse singles with the potentially series-deciding match between Minar and Capdeville completing the schedule.

The Czech Republic-Chile winner will face either Croatia or Serbia in the Davis Cup semifinals in September.

This weekend's series is only the second time the Czech Republic and Chile have faces each other in Davis Cup play. Chile won a 3-2 decision in 1967.

The Czechs won a Davis Cup title in 1980, when it competed as Czechoslovakia. They have been runner-up twice, including losing the 2009 final to Spain. Chile's best Davis Cup finish was second to Italy in 1976.