Duesseldorf: Last year's runners-up United States edged past Sweden 2-1 in their opening group tie at the World Team Cup on Monday, with Mardy Fish and John Isner claiming the deciding doubles victory.
The American pair beat doubles specialists Simon Aspelin and Robert Lindstedt 4-6, 7-6, 10-4 after twice French Open runner-up Robin Soderling had fought back from a set and 5-3 down to beat Sam Querrey 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 and level the tie.
Isner had earlier put the US in the driver's seat when he beat lowly-ranked teen-ager Christian Lindell 6-4 6-1 at the team event which is traditionally a French Open tune-up.
Soderling, beaten by Roger Federer in 2009 and Rafa Nadal last year at Roland Garros, found himself on the ropes against the powerful Querrey before hitting back.
Querrey, ranked 26th in the ATP rankings, matched Soderling's hard-hitting baseline game blow for blow early on and snatched his only break at 5-5 before grabbing the first set with his 10th ace.
Another break early in the second set for the big-serving American sent him 5-3 up and looking in complete control before Soderling began to find his range.
The world number five rattled off the next five games to level the match. Soderling missed his first match point at 5-3 in the decider but carved out another one 20 minutes later to win after two hours and 25 minutes.
Hosts Germany completed what they started on Sunday, with world number 21 Florian Mayer putting them 2-0 up against Serbia with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Viktor Troicki.
Mayer, who reached the Rome Masters quarter-finals last week and looked again in fine form, chased the frustrated Troicki across the court, hitting his trademark crosscourt running forehand to stretch the Serbian.
Another break put the 27-year-old German 5-2 up before another bad Troicki return gave the host nation their first win in the blue group. Philipp Kohlschreiber had beaten Janko Tipsarevic 6-4, 7-6 on Sunday.
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