Precocious Collins puts Irish in front

The courageous battling qualities of Owen Casey came to the fore as he overcame injury to gain a memorable five-set victory, 7-6 16 6-1 6-7 7-5, over Slovenian Borut Urh in an exhilarating three-hour opening rubber to the Davis Cup tie at Riverview last evening. And later, a precocious Robert Collins was absolute dynamite when he grabbed his Davis Cup debut with great purpose and skill. He blasted his way on the back of a powerful serve to a 3-1 sets win, totally unexpected, over the Slovenian number one, Istok Bozic in just over 21/2 hours. His victory gave Ireland a commanding 2-0 lead.

Collins had been promoted to the playing order and pitted against the most experienced member of the Slovenian team, ranked 212 in the world. He left Bozic disillusioned and the crowd enthralled.

"I missed about only four serves in the match," said a delighted Collins, who is a political science student at Rice University in the States. He added: `I was glad to get this shot to eventually play in Davis Cup. I didn't even get a trial last year," he said.

Earlier it had all seemed so ominous for Casey. A crushed silence enveloped the arena as he crashed to the court five minutes into the second set while attempting to play a half-volley, twisting his ankle. Ten minutes of physio treatment saw the Irishman resume cautiously a set up and trailing 1-0 with a score of 15-15 in the second game of the second set. Casey's next major task was to avoid aggravating the injury. He succeeded in this but it cost him the set 6-1. "I took an anti-inflammatory pill and it worked by the end of the set," he said,

What followed was an absorbing match of fluctuating fortunes enriched by stunning winners, most notably off Casey's back hand, bracing doses of rallies and a procession of break points.

"That victory proved a testament to Owen's mental strength," said Peter Wright, the Irish team captain. Casey was obviously back to full fitness by the third set, which he won 6-1, and he served for the match in the eighth and 10th games of the fourth set, but lost out on both occasions. The most anxious moment for him in that fourth set came in the 10th game while serving for a 3-1 win. He saved two break points as a rejuvenated opponent threatened bringing his best shots to the fore of his attack. It was nail-biting stuff. Casey forced the "no-ad" match-deciding point only to play a half volley short into the net with Urh stranded at the back of the court.

The final set opened with exchanges of breaks. It went to serve until the defining 12th game in which Casey received for the match at 6-5. Urh obliged with one of his poorest service games and Casey avoided predictable returns to open up a two match-point gap . The Irishman claimed the match when Urh had the second of his double faults in a forgettable game for the Slovenian. "I thought I had him after the injury, but he played well. I didn't" was Urh's summation of the struggle.

Singles: O Casey bt B Urh 7-6 1-6 6-1 6-7 7-5; R Collins bt I Bozic 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-3.

Play continues with doubles today at 2.0 pm.