Tennis-Croatia ease past Chile after winning doubles

POREC, Croatia, March 7 (Reuters) - Croatia advanced to the Davis Cup world group quarter-finals when Mario Ancic and Marin Cilic beat Chile's Nicolas Massu and Paul Capdeville 6-3 6-3 3-6 6-4 to give them an unassailable 3-0 lead in their tie on Saturday.

Croatia, who won the competition in 2005, will now meet either the United States at home or Switzerland -- in which case a draw will decide the hosts as the two teams have not met before.

With Sunday's reverse singles now being dead rubbers, Croatia captain Goran Prpic is likely to rest his first-choice players and give veteran Ivo Karlovic and teenager Roko Karanusic a chance.

"We are now looking forward to playing the Americans or the Swiss, either way it's going to be a fascinating battle," Prpic told Croatian television after the match.

"I tip the United States to beat Switzerland and if that happens, we will pick red clay as hosts because the Americans are more accustomed to a hardcourt surface while our boys can play at the top level on either," he added.

The doubles proved to be a more difficult test for the Croatians than Friday's opening singles, when Ancic brushed aside Massu and Cilic overwhelmed Capdeville in straight sets.

Both sides held serve in the opening four games of the first set, after which Croatia raced into a 5-2 lead. Although the Chileans broke Cilic's serve to stay in the set, Ancic wrapped it up with a searing return winner.

Ancic's volley at the net broke Capdeville's serve and gave the hosts a 5-3 lead in the second set before they clinched it without dropping a point on their own serve.

Having given themselves a glimmer of hope by breaking Croatia's serve three times in the third set, the visitors saved three match points in the fourth before Ancic sealed the tie with a perfect drop volley.