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Australia win opening singles

Australia had Brazil on the ropes after convincing victories in the opening day's singles of the Davis Cup tennis semi-final at the ANZ Stadium in Brisbane on Friday.

Patrick Rafter put the Aussies ahead with a surprisingly easy 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 victory over French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten, in 80 minutes.

The defending champions then made it 2-0 after 19-year-old Lleyton Hewitt crafted a 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 victory over left-hander Fernando Meligeni in 96.

"Our guys did what had to be done and probably showed out in the end was that their games are more experienced on grass," said Australian captain John Newcombe.

"We've got them pinned on the ropes, but that doesn't always mean anything."

The Aussies are now just one match away from advancing to the December 8-10 final.

The winner of the Brisbane semi-final will play either Spain or the United States, who meet in the second semi-final in Santander, Spain, next weekend.

Brazil now face an uphill task of reaching their first-ever Davis Cup final. With Kuerten's groin injury hampering his mobility, it appears he won't come out tomorrow's crucial doubles.

Brazilian captain Ricardo Acioly was disappointed. "It's obviously not good, we didn't win a set, so what can I say?

"I wasn't expecting those type of results, but quite a few things went wrong. We didn't serve well, didn't put enough pressure on their serves and we got only a couple of break points, but all credit to the Australian boys," he said.