Paris, Sept 22: The United States ensured they will remain among the elite nations in the Davis Cup when Andy Roddick secured victory over Slovakia but Germany suffered a humiliating relegation after defeat to Belarus. Roddick, the recently crowned us open champion and world number two, played replacement Karol Beck off the court in Bratislava to win 6-3 6-4 6-4 and ensure the Americans retained their world group berth. The tie ended 3-2.
Slovakia's captain Miloslav Mecir decided to field beck against Roddick instead of Karol Kucera who, Mecir claimed, was suffering from fatigue after falling to Mardy Fish on Friday.
Rainer Schuttler, Germany's best tennis player and ranked in the world top 10, lost his decisive match 3-6 5-7 3-6 against Belarus' Max Mirnyi in Sundern, near Dortmund, to confirm Germany's relegation from the top 16 teams in world tennis. The last time Germany dropped out of the Davis Cup elite was in 1982 when Argentina condemned them to a 3-2 defeat in Buenos Aires.
In Bangkok, Jiri Novak overcame a timid Paradorn Srichaphan 6-4 6-4 6-4 in the decisive rubber against Thailand, returning the Czech Republic to the world group next season. In other ties, Austria won a place in the world group after beating Belgium 3-2 in the Austrian venue of Poertschach, while the Netherlands easily retained their elite status by thrashing India 5-0 in Zwolle. Bureau Report