<p>France, Sweden and Argentina joined in the rush to victory, with all three needing just a Saturday doubles rubber win to cement a spot in the July quarter-finals.<br /><br />The 2009 champion Spain raced away with a pair of rapid-fire singles wins indoors, as Fernando Verdasco, substituted for the injured David Ferrer, defeated Xavier Malisse 6-4, 6-3, 6-1.<br /><br />Ferrer, who beat Nadal at the Australian Open, was forced out with an inflamed shoulder nerve.<br /><br />"The beginning of the match was the key. You get the confidence," Verdasco said.<br />World number one Nadal then blasted young hope Ruben Bemelmans 6- 2, 6-4, 6-2 to establish Spanish superiority at the close of day one. <br /><br />Both men won in less than two hours, in a tie where the winner faces either the US or Chile in the quarter-finals.<br /><br />"(Bemelmans) is the kind of player who is a bit tricky when I'm coming back from injury," said Nadal. "I was serving well and felt comfortable. It was a good match throughout."<br />Spain are bidding for a fifth trophy after winning their first round in the space of a decade ending in 2009.<br /><br />In an airplane hangar at Vienna airport, losing 2010 finalist France took flight as a team of substitutes rose to the occasion to give the visitors the 2-0 edge.<br /><br />Unfancied number 55 Jeremy Chardy began the afternoon over top Austrian Jurgen Melzer 7-5, 6-4, 7-5 with 14 aces, while Gilles Simon delivered a second blow as he beat Stefan Koubek 6-0, 6-2, 6-3.<br /><br />France, 7-0 over Austria, are missing three main hopes due to injury as Gael Monfils, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Richard Gasquet sit out the competition.<br /><br />"I played very good today. I'm happy for me and the team," said Chardy, a loser of every set he had played so far this season, with his last ATP victory collected four months ago.<br />Chardy substituted for Gasquet, out with a shoulder injury.<br /><br />"Guy (Forget, the French captain,) gave me the right tactics, I just had to stay focused. I stayed aggressive against Jurgen," Chardy said.<br /><br />Sweden hammered Russia, with Robin Soderling beating Igor Andreev 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 and Joachim Johansson making a successful comeback to the sport with his defeat of Teymuraz Gabashvili 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), 6-4.<br /><br />In Buenos Aires, Argentine iron man David Nalbandian played with the pain of a hernia to defeat Romanian Adrian Ungur and give the host nation a 1-0 lead.<br /><br />Juan Monaco sealed the 2-0 margin over Victor Hanescu 7-6 (7-5), 1-6, 6-1, 6-1.<br />Andy Roddick got the US off to a solid start in Santiago, defeating Nicolas Massu 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. <br /><br />But Wimbledon marathon man John Isner went down for a 1-1 day as Paul Capdeville spent four and a quarter hours in beating the big hitter 6-7 (5-7), 6-7 (2-7), 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-5), 6-4.<br /><br />Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych of Czech Republic trailed in the first set but hung on to beat Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, 6-3 for a 1-1 score, after Kazak Andrey Golubev beat Czech Jan Hajek 7-6 (7-4), 6-7 (3-7), 1-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3.<br /><br /><br /></p>
<p>France, Sweden and Argentina joined in the rush to victory, with all three needing just a Saturday doubles rubber win to cement a spot in the July quarter-finals.<br /><br />The 2009 champion Spain raced away with a pair of rapid-fire singles wins indoors, as Fernando Verdasco, substituted for the injured David Ferrer, defeated Xavier Malisse 6-4, 6-3, 6-1.<br /><br />Ferrer, who beat Nadal at the Australian Open, was forced out with an inflamed shoulder nerve.<br /><br />"The beginning of the match was the key. You get the confidence," Verdasco said.<br />World number one Nadal then blasted young hope Ruben Bemelmans 6- 2, 6-4, 6-2 to establish Spanish superiority at the close of day one. <br /><br />Both men won in less than two hours, in a tie where the winner faces either the US or Chile in the quarter-finals.<br /><br />"(Bemelmans) is the kind of player who is a bit tricky when I'm coming back from injury," said Nadal. "I was serving well and felt comfortable. It was a good match throughout."<br />Spain are bidding for a fifth trophy after winning their first round in the space of a decade ending in 2009.<br /><br />In an airplane hangar at Vienna airport, losing 2010 finalist France took flight as a team of substitutes rose to the occasion to give the visitors the 2-0 edge.<br /><br />Unfancied number 55 Jeremy Chardy began the afternoon over top Austrian Jurgen Melzer 7-5, 6-4, 7-5 with 14 aces, while Gilles Simon delivered a second blow as he beat Stefan Koubek 6-0, 6-2, 6-3.<br /><br />France, 7-0 over Austria, are missing three main hopes due to injury as Gael Monfils, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Richard Gasquet sit out the competition.<br /><br />"I played very good today. I'm happy for me and the team," said Chardy, a loser of every set he had played so far this season, with his last ATP victory collected four months ago.<br />Chardy substituted for Gasquet, out with a shoulder injury.<br /><br />"Guy (Forget, the French captain,) gave me the right tactics, I just had to stay focused. I stayed aggressive against Jurgen," Chardy said.<br /><br />Sweden hammered Russia, with Robin Soderling beating Igor Andreev 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 and Joachim Johansson making a successful comeback to the sport with his defeat of Teymuraz Gabashvili 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), 6-4.<br /><br />In Buenos Aires, Argentine iron man David Nalbandian played with the pain of a hernia to defeat Romanian Adrian Ungur and give the host nation a 1-0 lead.<br /><br />Juan Monaco sealed the 2-0 margin over Victor Hanescu 7-6 (7-5), 1-6, 6-1, 6-1.<br />Andy Roddick got the US off to a solid start in Santiago, defeating Nicolas Massu 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. <br /><br />But Wimbledon marathon man John Isner went down for a 1-1 day as Paul Capdeville spent four and a quarter hours in beating the big hitter 6-7 (5-7), 6-7 (2-7), 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-5), 6-4.<br /><br />Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych of Czech Republic trailed in the first set but hung on to beat Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, 6-3 for a 1-1 score, after Kazak Andrey Golubev beat Czech Jan Hajek 7-6 (7-4), 6-7 (3-7), 1-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3.<br /><br /><br /></p>