Novak Djokovic and Tomas Berdych both did what was expected of them to leave the Davis Cup final between Serbia and defending champion Czech Republic level at 1-1 after the opening day. Djokovic overcame some early nerves to beat Radek Stepanek 7-5, 6-1, 6-4 in the first singles match and Berdych then swept past rookie Dusan Lajovic 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 on the indoor hard court at Belgrade Arena. With their formidable 13-1 record in Davis Cup doubles, Berdych and Stepanek have a chance to give the Czechs the lead in the best-of-five series Saturday. It was still unclear whether Djokovic would play doubles or rest for Sundays reverse singles. Djokovic earned his 23rd consecutive victory since losing to Rafael Nadal in the U.S. Open final in September but struggled a bit in the first set. He broke Stepanek to go up 4-2 but had to save two break points in the next game and failed to serve out the set at 5-3, when he committed a series of errors. However, he broke again in the 12th game to take the lead. "I was a bit nervous in the first set," Djokovic said. "It was very important to win that one against high-quality player like Radek." The second-ranked Serb held serve the rest of the match -- saving seven break points in all, while converting five of six he created. "Whenever I would face (break points) I would come up with some big serves," Djokovic said. "I think that is what helped me stay confident in those moments." Stepanek said Djokovic was serving "tremendously consistently," which prevented him from getting another break. "The first set was really high quality, and so was the third," the Czech veteran said. "His defence is the best in the world, he proved that with his movement that he showed around the court. He always makes you play an extra shot." Berdych broke once in each of the first two sets, and twice in the third to wrap up the win 2 hours, 54 minutes against Lajovic. The 23-year-old Serb, who has a 5-12 record on the ATP tour, replaced Janko Tipsarevic, who missed the final with a heel injury. "It was a tough one, playing the guy I actually saw for the first time on court," Berdych said. "He had nothing to lose. These situations are not easy. I am glad I was able to make it happen in straight sets." Berdych said he hoped the Czechs would decide the final before a potentially decisive match against Djokovic on Sunday. "When you look at Novak and how he is playing its like Playstation. So the best way is to unplug electricity." "Im happy how I played," Lajovic said. "Im sure that many of the spectators did not even know how I look like." The Czechs are in the final for the third time in five years. Serbia won its only Davis Cup title in Belgrade in 2010, beating France. Swell Bottles Wholesale . Ending a nine-game losing streak? That gave the Milwaukee Bucks veteran forward a reason to smile. Swell Water Bottle Clearance .“I always did my stuff ahead of the deadline. The best deal Ive ever done was the Darryl Sydor deal. We did that at the end of January in 04, and Syd was the missing piece. http://www.swellwaterbottleireland.com/ .com) - Calgary Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau has been selected as the NHLs Rookie of the Month for December, the league announced Friday. Swell Water Bottle Deals . Specifically, thumbs up to the Canadian-based teams in the NHL, or at least most of them. Swell Bottle Black Friday Sale . Azarenka needed exactly one hour in a 6-1, 6-0 rout of Austrian Yvonne Meusburger to start the night session at Laver Arena. Sharapova had a much easier time earlier in the day with cooler conditions and took full advantage in 6-1, 7-6 (8-6) win over Frenchwoman Alize Cornet, while Radwanska had to rally for a 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Robinson Cano delivered the biggest hit of the day for the Seattle Mariners, but not before a perfectly executed drag bunt set up things against one of the best pitchers in baseball. James Jones went 3 for 4, including a bunt single that wound up in the middle of three converging players and loaded the bases for Cano, whose third-inning, opposite-field double drove in two runs in Mondays 3-0 victory over David Price and the sputtering Tampa Bay Rays. "Were a team that has to do anything to win a game," Cano said. "We dont have three or four or five guys thatll hit 30 home runs, so weve got to play the little game, do the little things." Five Seattle pitchers combined on a five-hitter, blanking the punchless Rays for the second straight days. The Mariners extended their scoreless streak to 19 innings and won for the eighth time in nine games. "Our last seven or eight starts have been pretty darn good. Our starters have given us everything weve asked them and probably a little bit more," manager Lloyd McClendon said. "With that our bullpen is even better." The Rays, whove made the playoffs four or the past six seasons, have lost 13 of 14 and are saddled with the worst record in the major leagues at 24-41. The last time they were 17 games under .500 was the end of 2007, the final year they were known as the Devil Rays. "Right now, were the worst team. I dont anticipate finishing like that ... but right now, weve earned that position," Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said. "Do I believe we can turn this around? Absolutely," he said. "But right now, if youre a baseball fan watching us, and you look at everything, you have to consider us the worst team." Canos big hit came on an 0-2 pitch during a three-run third inning against Price (4-6), who struck out 10 in eight innings. The 2012 AL Cy Young Award winner has dropped three straight decisions and hasnt won in nine starts since beating Minnesota on April 22. "It just goes to show you how good this guy is," McClendon said of Cano. "Against one of the toughest lefties in baseball and down like that. ... That was a huge hit for us..ddddddddddddquot; Mariners starter Erasmo Ramirez didnt allow a run, but failed to get through the fifth inning to qualify for the victory. The 24-year-old right-hander allowed four hits and walked five in 4 2/3 innings. Joe Beimel (1-1) retired the only two batters he faced to get the victory, and Fernando Rodney worked a perfect ninth for his 18th save in 20 opportunities. The Rays were shut out for the AL-high ninth time overall. Seattle finished a 6-1 road trip. The Mariners won three straight over Tampa Bay after dropping the opener of the four-game series. Price allowed three runs and seven hits and walked one. He has the best strikeout to walk ratio in baseball, but has also yielded a major league-leading 105 hits 99 2/3 innings. The Rays stranded seven runners and were 0 for 5 with men in scoring position through four innings against Ramirez, who entered the game with a 6.82 ERA. The frustration continued in the fifth, when Ramirez gave up a two-out double to James Loney and walked Ben Zobrist before McClendon turned to his bullpen. Beimel fanned pinch-hitter Jerry Sands, ending the threat and eliciting smattering of groans and boos from the crowd of 10,400 at Tropicana Field. "At some point, we have to get our bats alive," Maddon said. "The effort is wonderful. The work is great," the manager added. "The hits arent there." NOTES: Struggling Grant Balfour is out as the Rays closer. Maddon said the team instead will close games by committee. ... Mariners 1B Justin Smoak (sore left leg) and OF Michael Saunders (sore right shoulder) were out of the starting lineup for the third consecutive game. ... Rays rookie right-hander Jake Odorizzi (2-6) will go against St. Louis ace Adam Wainwright (8-3) in the opener of a two-game interleague series Tuesday night. Odorizzi grew up 35 minutes from St. Louis and called his start against the Cardinals a "special occasion." ... In a matchup of former teammates with Rakuten of Japans Pacific League, Mariners RHP Hisashi Iwakuma (4-2) and Yankees RHP Masahiro Tanaka (9-1) will start in the opener of a three-game series in Seattle. ' ' '