Australia win doubles, take 2-1 lead

Australia snatched the lead from Sweden in their Davis Cup semifinal by winning Saturday's doubles rubber 6-7, 7-6, 7-6, 7-6.

Wayne Arthurs and Todd Woodbridge fought back to beat Jonas Bjorkman and Magnus Larsson and put Australia 2-1 in front heading into Sunday's reverse singles.

The Aussies trailed 1-0 when Wimbledon finalist Pat Rafter lost a five-setter to Thomas Johansson in Friday's opening singles rubber but finished the first day level at 1-1 after U.S. Open champion Lleyton Hewitt beat Bjorkman in four sets.

Their hard-fought win in Saturday's doubles put the Australians in front for the first time and needing to win just one of Sunday's reverse singles to host this year's final against France or The Netherlands.

"It's a whole different ball game being 2-1 up rather than 2-1 down," Australia's non-playing captain John Fitzgerald said.

"We believe we can win the last two matches but we're expecting a tough day."

Bjorkman said the Swedes had not given up hope of reaching the final despite needing to win both reverse singles.

"It is always nicer to be ahead than down but I think we are playing well at the moment," Bjorkman said.

"We have a strong team and a good team spirit and hopefully we can use that to get us through tomorrow."

PIVOTAL MATCH

With the score locked at 1-1, Saturday's doubles match at Sydney's Olympic tennis centre shaped as the pivotal rubber of the tie.

The match, which lasted three and a half hours, could not have been closer with all four sets being decided by tiebreakers.

The Swedes started strongly, racing to a 4-0 lead in the opening set with Bjorkman, the world's number one ranked doubles player, calling the shots.

The Australians scrambled back to 4-4 but lost the set in the tiebreaker, 7-3.

Australia won the second set tiebreaker then rebounded from a break down to win the third set as Woodbridge, the world's most successful doubles player with 70 career titles, started to exert his influence on the match.

"We had a lot of chances and were dictating the match but we didn't convert," said Bjorkman, who partnered Woodbridge to win this year's Australian Open doubles.

"I think they were lucky to escape with this one...it was a one-man show on their side but Todd played extremely well and held their team together."

It seemed almost inevitable that the fourth set would also be decided by a tiebreaker and so it proved, with neither team being able to break serve.

The Swedes held two set points on Arthurs's serve in the 10th game but the lanky left-hander finally found his range to hold his serve and force a fourth successive tiebreaker.

Arthurs had the final say as well, delivering a second service ace on his second match point to seal Australia's victory and move them closer to hosting the final.

"You just dream about matches like that, it was outstanding," Fitzgerald said.

"But this is what Davis Cup is all about."