Serbia's Novak Djokovic celebrates his victory in a doubles tennis match for Davis Cup World Group play-offs 2007 against Australia's Lleyton Hewitt and Paul Hanley, in Belgrade, Serbia. - AP

LONDON (AP):

Andy Roddick put the United States into the Davis Cup final against Russia, beating Jonas Bjorkman 6-2, 7-6 (3), 6-4 yesterday to give the Americans a 4-1 win over Sweden.

Roddick, who also won his opening singles match, had little trouble against the veteran Swede, who was playing for Thomas Johansson. The 2002 Australian Open champion pulled out with an illness.

Defending champion Russia won both reverse singles matches to beat Germany 3-2, with Igor Andreev earning the decisive point by beating Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3, 3-6, 6-0, 6-3. Earlier, Mikhail Youzhny beat Davis Cup rookie Philipp Petzschner 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in Moscow.

Big serve

In the playoffs, Roger Federer won his second singles match of the weekend to put Switzerland even with the Czech Republic, but Radek Stepanek won the final match to give the Czechs a 3-2 win.

Federer, who is making his 2007 Davis Cup debut in Prague, beat Tomas Berdych 7-6 (5), 7-6 (10), 6-3. Stepankek then defeated Stanislas Wawrinka 7-6 (3), 6-3, 7-6 (4).

Novak Djokovic, the U.S. Open finalist, helped Serbia reach the World Group for the first time by beating Chris Guccione 6-3, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5) to lead the hosts to a 4-1 win over 28-time champion Australia.

Roddick used his big serve on the Scandinavium arena's fast indoor carpet in Goteborg, not allowing Bjorkman even one break in the match.

"If you would have told me I could get through three sets with Jonas without getting broken I would have questioned your sanity a little bit," Roddick said. "But I was very happy with it."

Australia were relegated to the Asia-Oceania zone for the first time since 1996.

In the other playoffs, it was: Austria 4, Brazil 1; Britain 4, Croatia 1; Israel 3, Chile 2; Japan 2, Romania 3; Slovakia 2, South Korea 3; and Peru 3, Belarus 1.