MOSCOW (AP) -With Novak Djokovic sidelined, Russia's Mikhail Youzhny rallied past Nenad Zimonjic 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 in the opening singles Friday for a 1-0 lead over Serbia in the first round of the Davis Cup.
Djokovic was to play Youzhny, but the Australian Open champion withdrew along with teammate Janko Tipsarevic because of the flu.
Zimonjic, a doubles specialist ranked No. 689, played his first competitive singles match since April. He broke Youzhny with a drop shot in the third game and held on to win the first set.
Youzhny had an early break in the second set and rallied from 0-40 in the seventh game to even it 1-1. He then dominated the match, breaking the Serb twice in the third set and once in the fourth.
"I had some nerves, because it changed the situation immediately," Youzhny said of the new pairing. "First set, I was too slow, too many mistakes, too much nerves."
The 114th-ranked Viktor Troicki was scheduled to make his Davis Cup debut for Serbia against Nikolay Davydenko in the second singles match later Friday.
Russia is unbeaten in 14 home series since 1995. The winner will play either Belgium or the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals in April.
Serbia is a newcomer to the World Group. Former Yugoslavia reached the Davis Cup semifinals three times.
