Intro:

Switzerland took a commanding 2-0 lead over Serbia in their Davis Cup first round tie in Novi Sad on Friday (January 31st), with Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka winning their opening singles rubbers.

Script:

Roger Federer made a rare first round appearance for Switzerland in the Davis Cup on Friday, in the first rubber of Switzerland's tie with Serbia in Novi Sad.

With Novak Djokovic resting after his Australian Open quarter-final exit, Ilija Bozoljac was handed the unenviable task of looking to give last year's beaten finalists a winning start to the tie.

Despite serving for the second set at 5-2, world ranked number 268 Bozoljac was beaten in straight sets - 6-4, 7-5, 6-2 - in less than two hours.

Newly crowned Australian Open winner Stanislas Wawrinka then faced Dusan Lajovic - Serbia's top-ranked competing player at world 102 , in the second singles rubber.

Lajovic broke back to trail 5-4 in the opening set, but it only delayed the inevitable as Wawrinka broke again in the next game to take it 6-4.

That scoreline was reversed in the second set and Lajovic levelled the rubber, only to get blown away 6-1 by Wawrinka in the third.

Spurred on by the partisan crowd, Lajovic battled through the fourth set and took it to a tiebreak.

Wawrinka eventually won it 9-7 though and wrapped up a 6-4 4-6 6-1 7-6(7) win.

Switzerland will look to set up a quarter-final tie against either Belgium or Kazakhstan - with a win in Saturday's doubles rubber.