PARIS - World number one Novak Djokovic powered Serbia to a quarter-final spot in the Davis Cup as the hosts took an unassailable 3-0 lead over Croatia on Saturday as France also advanced unbeaten past Germany.
Serbia's tennis players Novak Djokovic (L) and Nenad Zimonjic compete against Croatia's Marin Draganja and Franko Skugor during their Davis Cup World Group first round one double match in Kraljevo, Serbia, on March 7, 2015
However defending champions Switzerland, missing big guns Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka, face being dumped out of the team tournament in the first round as Belgium took a 2-1 advantage by winning the doubles' in Liege.
The United States kept their hopes alive against Great Britain in Glasgow despite Mike and Bob Bryan, the top doubles team in the world, being pegged back to two sets all, after winning the opening two frames against Jamie Murray, the brother of Davis Cup team-mate Andy Murray, and Dom Inglot.
The twins kept the United States in the contest ahead of Sunday's singles with a 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-7 (8/10), 9-7 victory.
Andy Murray, the world number five, and James Ward, ranked 111, had gotten Britain off to a winning start on Friday.
Former Wimbledon and US Open champion Andy Murray can clinch a quarter-final meeting with France if he defeats John Isner in the opening match of the day, but a defeat for the Scot would leave Ward and Donald Young to clash in the deciding rubber.
There were early celebrations in Kralijevo after Djokovic came in as a last-minute replacement for Viktor Troicki and alongside Nenad Zimonjic convincingly beat Marin Draganja and Franko Skugor 6-3, 6-4, 6-1.
The Serbian pair needed less than two hours to advance, despite a scare in the second set when Djokovic was treated for a blister on his right hand.
- 'wanted to finish the job' -
"We wanted to finish the job today, to take advantage of the fact that we won the first singles and that was done," said the 27-year-old Djokovic.
The world number one had easily beaten Mate Delic to give the 2010 winners a 2-0 lead on Friday as Croatia were missing US Open champion Marin Cilic due to a shoulder injury.
Serbian coach Bogdan Obradovic decided to rest Troicki after his three-hour victory over Croatian teenage sensation Borna Coric, when he fought back from two sets down.
The Serbian pair held serve in the opening set before Davis Cup debutant Skugor cracked following a powerful Djokovic backhand down the middle and the hosts took the opening set 6-3 before sailing through in the final two frames 6-4, 6-1.
Zimonjic, 38, also defied his years in his 20th campaign with the 2010 Davis Cup winners now set for a quarter-final clash against either Brazil or Argentina who are playing in Buenos Aires.
Brazil are 2-1 up after Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares defeated Diego Sebastian Schwartzman and Carlos Berlocq 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 to take Saturday's doubles point on offer.
On Friday, Joao Souza held on to defeat Berlocq in five sets to take the opening point for Brazil before Leonardo Mayer levelled the tie with 6-4, 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 victory over Thomaz Bellucci.
In Frankfurt, France also advanced with Julien Benneteau and Nicolas Mahut sealing an unbeatable 3-0 advantage with a 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 doubles success over Benjamin Becker and Andre Begemann.
Gilles Simon and Gael Monfils had put France 2-0 up after beating Jan-Lennard Struff and Philipp Kohlschreiber respectively on Friday.
"It's been the perfect weekend in terms of results and for the doubles pairing," said France captain Clement, whose side lost the 2014 final on home soil against Switzerland.
"We have seen in the past how difficult it can be for teams to play well again having reached the final the year before, so it was important to see the enthusiasm in this first match."
Germany have now lost all eight Davis Cup matches against the French dating back to 1938.
In Ostrava, the Czech Republic kept their hopes alive 2-1 with Jiri Vesely and Adam Pavlasek beating Australia's Lleyton Hewitt and Samuel Groth 1-6, 7-6 (7/2), 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 in the doubles.
The Australians had been 2-0 up overnight after teenager Thanasi Kokkinakis stunned the Czech's top player Lukas Rosol 4-6, 2-6, 7-5, 7-5, 6-3, with Bernard Tomic then seeing off Jiri Vesely 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (7/5).
The winner will meet either Italy or Kazakhstan with Fabio Fognini and Simone Bolelli giving the Italians a 2-1 lead in Almaty.
Fognini and Bolelli, the Australian Open champions, beat Andrey Golubev and Aleksandr Nedovyesov 7-6 (7/4), 6-3, 6-7 (13/15), 6-4 in a match which lasted three hours and 18 minutes.
On Friday, Andreas Seppi levelled for Italy after Mikhail Kukushkin had given Kazakhstan the lead.
In Liege, Belgian doubles pairing Ruben Bemelmans and Niels Desein saw off Adrien Bossel and Michael Lammer 1-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 to put the hosts on course for their first quarter-final in eight years.
Bemelmans lost his opening singles rubber to Switzerland's Henri Laaksonen, with Steve Darcis pulling the hosts level overnight.
The winner will face either Canada or Japan, who were all square at 1-1 after wins for Milos Raonic and Kei Nishikori in Vancouver.