U.S. Davis Cup Team Takes Lead

Richey Reneberg and Jared Palmer took up where they left off in the Australian Open, and the United States took a 2-1 Davis Cup lead over France in St. Petersburg, Fla.

The pair, ranked No. 1 in the world after claiming their first grand slam title last week, defeated Guy Forget and Oliver Delaitre 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a pivotal doubles match at the Bayfront Center.

The triumph means the Americans only need to win one of two singles matches on indoors carpet today to advance to the next round against either the Czech Republic or Italy. The Czech Republic leads 2-1.

Todd Martin will try to clinch for the Americans against Forget, who will be playing for the third consecutive day. Jim Courier will face Pioline in the other singles match.

In other first-round play, Boris Becker and Michael Stich teamed to overpower Croatia in doubles and give Germany an insurmountable 3-0 lead.

Defending champion Sweden, after losing both singles matches on Friday, rallied with a doubles victory to stay in the chase against Denmark.

At Toyko, Lindsay Davenport and Japan’s No. 1 woman player, Kimiko Date, breezed to semifinal victories in the Toray Pan Pacific Open.

Fifth-seeded Date ousted No. 8 Iva Majoli of Croatia 6-1, 6-4.

Third-seeded Davenport overwhelmed seventh-seeded Magdalena Maleeva of Bulgaria 6-3, 6-2 on the carpet court at Tokyo Metropolitan Gym.