Bryan brothers steer U.S into Davis Cup quarters

By Pritha Sarkar

LONDON (Reuters) - The Bryan brothers produced a ruthless doubles masterclass on Saturday to propel Davis Cup holders United States into a quarter-final showdown with France.

Twins Bob and Mike Bryan did not seem to be troubled by the hastily laid indoor claycourt, which team mate Andy Roddick had lambasted as "terrible", and dispatched Austria's Juergen Melzer and Julian Knowle in just 89 minutes.

The world number ones lived up to their billing as they outclassed the Austrian duo 6-1 6-4 6-2 to give the Americans an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the world group first-round tie.

"This was a tough match against a difficult team on a surface we don't particularly like and to finish it by Saturday is pretty satisfying," captain Patrick McEnroe said after the U.S. extended their record to 3-0 against the Austrians.

France also wrapped up their tie against Romania in the Transylvanian town of Sibiu with a day to spare.

But unlike the swift victory enjoyed by the Bryans, Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra laboured for more than four hours before wearing down Florin Mergea and Horia Tecau 6-3 6-4 6-7 3-6 6-2.

"It made me mad to see it go to a fifth set. They scared me and all the staff," said French captain Guy Forget.

"Playing the States is a magnificent challenge," he added. "On paper, they're better than we are. They're the best team in the world with Andy Roddick, James Blake and the Bryan brothers."