Serb Tipsarevic looks to repeat vs. Czechs

PRAGUE, Czech Republic, April 5 (UPI) -- Janko Tipsarevic, who had two wins last year over the Czech Republic, leads Serbia into a Davis Cup quarterfinal this weekend against the Czechs.

Tipsarevic, No. 8 in the world, posted singles wins in the second and fifth matches last year in giving Serbia a 3-2 victory over the Czech Republic in the Davis Cup semifinals. Tipsarevic was installed in the same spot in the lineup for a 2012 rematch.

This year the matchup comes in the Davis Cup quarterfinals, with the winner of the best-of-five series advancing to the Sept. 14-16 semifinals against either Argentina or Croatia.

The Czech Republic tabbed No. 7-ranked Tomas Berdych to go against Serb Victor Troicki, who is ranked 27th, in the series opener with Tipsarevic going against 24th-ranked Radek Stepanek in the second match. Tipsarevic defeated Stepanek in the decisive fifth match last year.

Czechs Frantisek Cermak and Lukas Rosol are to take on Serbia's Nenad Zimonjic and Ilija Bozoljac on Saturday in a doubles match with Sunday's singles schedule pitting Berdych against Tipsarevic and Stepanek facing Troicki.

The matches are to be played on a red clay court indoors in Prague.

The all-time series between Serbia and the Czech Republic is tied at 5-5 but last year's meeting had been the first since 1991. Prior to 2011, the matches were Czechoslovakia versus Yugoslavia.