Sweden up 2-0 on Russia in Davis Cup

BORAS, Sweden, March 4 (UPI) -- Victories Friday by Robin Soderling and Joachim Johansson put Sweden up 2-0 in its best-of-five, first-round Davis Cup series against Russia.

Soderling kicked off the series with a break-free 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 win over Igor Andreev, and Johansson took the second match, beating Teymuraz Gabashvili 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), 6-4.

Soderling converted five of his seven break-point opportunities against Andreev and held off all five of Andreev's break chances. Soderling piled up 44 unforced errors but was aided by 65 from Andreev, who had at least 20 unforced errors in each set.

Johansson committed 56 unforced errors, but he also had 73 winners as he fired 33 aces at Gabashvili.

Sweden will have the doubles team of Simon Aspelin and Robert Lindstedt -- both ranked in the Top 40 in the doubles rankings -- try to seal up the series Saturday against Russians Igor Kunitsyn and Dmitry Tursunov.

Friday's participants switch opponents for Sunday's reverse singles with Soderling talking on Gabashvili and Johansson facing Andreev.

The winner of the Russia-Sweden series will draw either India or Serbia in the Davis Cup quarterfinals in July.