France slammed with loss of Gasquet and Tsonga

Winston-Salem, North Carolina - France limp into Friday's start of the Davis Cup World Group tie against the reigning champion US minus top hopes Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Richard Gasquet.

The injury absences - right knee for Australian Open finalist Tsonga and blisters for number 10 Gasquet - open the door for the US with Andy Roddick and James Blake both healthy.

The sixth-ranked Roddick will begin hostilities against the depleted visitors against substitute Michael Llodra, the French number two who won the Rotterdam title in February.

The pair last played in 2002, with Roddick winning in Delray Beach. Blake faces Tsonga's replacement, Paul-Henri Mahieu, in a repeat of a New Haven match won by the American last summer.

Llodra is scheduled for treble duty, teaming in Saturday doubles, with veteran Arnaud Clement against the number one Americans, Bob and Mike Bryan.

In reverse singles on Sunday, Roddick goes against Mathieu while Blake will close out the weekend against Llodra.

In Bremen, Rafael Nadal will make a quick-change from outdoor to indoors hardcourt as he begins for Spain against Germany.

The world number two who lost the Miami final four days ago to Russian Nikolay Davydenko will start for the visitors against German veteran Nicolas Kiefer.

But despite the quick surface switch, Nadal promised to hide any potential discomfort. "I hope it's (tiredness) is not a problem - but if things don't go so well, I won't be telling."

German number one Philipp Kohlschreiber will face Spain's Top-10 player David Ferrer in Friday's second rubber at the 9,400-person capacity AWD dome.

In Saturday's doubles, Kohlschreiber will team with Philipp Petzschner versus the experienced Spanish pair of Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco. In Sunday's reveres singles, Kohlschreiber plays Nadal and number 47 Kiefer faces Ferrer.

Former champion Russia will take a chance on off-form Marat Safin, with the two-time Grand Slam champion playing the first rubber against Czech Tomas Berdych. Safin was last called a year ago against France.

Igor Andreev plays Radek Stepanek in Friday second rubber.

Doubles will feature the Russian pair of Davydenko and Mikhail Youzhny against the regular Czechs side of Lukas Dlouhy and Pavel Vizner. In Sunday reverse singles, Andreev plays Berdych and Safin takes on Stepanek on the indoor clay.

David Nalbandian leads Argentina in Buenos Aires on the clay against depleted Sweden, opening against Thomas Johansson. Jose Acasuso will play the second rubber against Robin Soderling, who retired from a match in Miami against Roger Federer with wrist troubles.

In doubles, Guillermo Canas pairs with Nalbandian against Jonas Bjorkman and Robert Lindstedt while Sunday's reverse singles feature Nalbandian against Soderling and Acasuso taking on Johansson. (dpa)

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