Arias Comes Through as U.S. Scores Davis Cup Win Over Ecuador, 3-2

Jimmy Arias, winning a Davis Cup match for the first time in his career, gave the United States a 3-2 victory over Ecuador by beating Raul Viver, 6-3, 6-1, 6-4, in the first round at Guayaquil, Ecuador.

It marked the United States’ first win on clay in years. The last time the United States played in Ecuador, in 1967, the Americans lost, 3-2, on the slow, red-clay courts.

“It wasn’t easy,” U.S. Captain Tom Gorman said. “The boys had to fight hard to win this series. I’m pleased, because we won playing as visitors and on a clay court, on which my players don’t play very often.”

Earlier Sunday, Andres Gomez of Ecuador beat Aaron Krickstein, 3-6, 7-5, 6-1, 7-5, to tie the best-of-five-competition at 2-2.

Gomez, ranked 16th, required 3 1/2 hours to beat the 29th-ranked Krickstein, who beat Viver on Friday.

Arias, ranked No. 20 in the world, lost to Gomez on Friday in the first-day singles, and also lost in his only other Davis Cup appearance, against Sweden in a meaningless match in the 1984 finals.

“After the first set, I didn’t think Viver could come back,” Arias said. “I felt very good physically and in good spirits, even though I knew I had to decide the series.”

The deciding match between Mexico and West Germany was suspended by darkness with Mexican national champion Leonardo Lavalle leading Michael Westphal, 3-1, in the decisive final set at Mexico City.

The winner of the Mexico-West Germany series will face the United States in the quarterfinal round July 18-20.

The West Germans tied the round, 2-2, earlier in the day when Wimbledon champion Boris Becker routed Francisco Maciel, 6-3, 6-1, 6-1.

The second singles match of the day was suspended by umpire Vic Seixas, a former American Davis Cup star, as darkness fell over the German Club courts. The match is to resume today with Lavalle up a service break in the fifth set.

Westphal took the first two sets, 10-8, 6-3, before Lavalle, the junior Wimbledon champion, won the next two sets, 6-3, 6-4.

Hans Gildemeister of Chile defeated Glenn Michibata, 9-7, 3-6, 8-6, 6-4, to give Chile a 3-2 victory over Canada at Santiago, Chile.

Despite a sore throat, Gildemeister outlasted his younger rival in a four-hour match that ended under the lights on the National Stadium’s clay center court. Gildemeister wasted four match points in the decisive set.

Canada’s Martin Wostenholme upset Ricardo Acuna, 6-4, 0-6, 6-2, 6-4, earlier in the day to even the series, 2-2.

Australia’s Peter McNamara overcame insomnia, nerves and Kelly Evernden’s power game, 3-6, 6-1, 6-3, 6-1 to clinch a first-round match against New Zealand at Auckland.

Paul McNamee then completed Australia’s 4-1 victory by stopping Chris Lewis, 6-4, 6-4.

The victory sends Australia into the quarterfinals July 18-20 against Britain.

Yugoslavia defeated the Soviet Union, 3-2, in at Belgrade, Yugoslavia, when Slobodan Zivojonovic overpowered Andrei Chesnokov in the final singles match, 6-3, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.