Kohlschreiber gives Germany 1-0 Davis Cup lead over Czechs

HANNOVER, Germany (AP) Philipp Kohlschreiber defeated Lukas Rosol 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 to give Germany a 1-0 lead over the Czech Republic in their Davis Cup first-round tie on Friday.

German No. 1 Kohlschreiber, ranked 30th, converted his first match point to beat the 50th-ranked Czech in 2 hours, 57 minutes.

Tomas Berdych was aiming to level the tie against Germany's 18-year-old Davis Cup debutant, Alexander Zverev, later Friday.

Berdych was playing for the first time since the 2014 semifinals.

The Czech Republic is bidding to make up for its first-round loss last year - its first since 2011 - while Germany aims to improve on its 10-4 record against the visitors.

The winner faces Canada or France in July's quarterfinals.