Perth (Australia), Dec 31 (IANS) Donna Vekic defeated Maria Lourdes Carle 6-0, 6-4, while Borna Coric needed more than two hours to beat Francisco Cerundolo to give Croatia a 2-0 lead over Argentina at the United Cup, here on Saturday.A one-sided opener saw the former WTA No.19 overpower Carle. Vekic played aggressive tennis while committing only one unforced error, teeing off on each of her opponent's second serves and conceding a meagre five points overall.But 22-year-old Carle got her teeth into the contest to make the second set a highly entertaining affair. The WTA No.147 began using her slice to blunt Vekic's power, and canny use of that shot also set up a stellar pass to break for 3-2.However, a pivotal sixth game saw Carle miss triple-game point -- the third when a dead net cord went against her -- to consolidate her break. Scrambling through a drop-shot exchange, Vekic captured the best point of the match en route to levelling at 3-3.The level remained high through the remainder of the set, with the drop-shot continuing to play a significant role for both players. In the end, the final game was decided by the finest of margins. Serving to stay in the match, Carle squandered two game points -- the first with a double fault, and the second when a putative forehand winner went wide by millimetres.Seizing her opportunity, Vekic nailed a forehand volley on the line to reach match point, and she converted in the same manner as she had the first set with a clean forehand return winner, her 21st of the match, wrapping up the victory in 70 minutes.Following Vekic on RAC Arena was her teammate Coric, who came through an equally tough 7-5, 6-4 battle against Francisco Cerundolo to open up a 2-0 lead for Croatia.A battle between two powerful ball-strikers was ultimately decided by Coric's ability to hold firm against some precise Cerundolo returning. Coric saved eight of the 10 break points he faced in the 2-hour, 9-minute encounter.The No. 26-ranked Coric trailed 3-1 in the second set as Cerundolo raised his level to raise the possibility of a deciding set. Coric credited his Team Croatia captain, former Roland Garros champion Iva Majoli, with instigating the turnaround."Absolutely, she was the one telling me I need to go more for the balls because I was just playing from the back of the court. I just couldn't find my rhythm in the second set, but our captain and my coach told me that I needed to step up. It's lucky that I listened to them," Coric said in his on-court interview.Croatia can clinch the tie Sunday when Petra Martic takes on Argentine's Nadia Podoroska in Perth. Borna Gojo then faces Federico Coria. If Argentina wins both matches, a mixed doubles encounter will decide the winner.
--IANS ak/cs
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