BUENOS AIRES, Feb 11 (Reuters) -Argentina reached the Davis Cup
quarter-finals on Saturday after victory in the doubles gave them an
unassailable 3-0 lead over Sweden in their World Group first round
tie.

David Nalbandian and Agustin Calleri sealed qualification with a 6-2
7-6 2-6 6-4 victory over Jonas Bjorkman and Simon Aspelin at the
Estadio Parque Roca in Buenos Aires.

Argentina will play Croatia away in the last eight after the holders
also clinched their berth with a day to spare by winning the doubles
in their tie against Austria.

"The country to beat now is Croatia," Nalbandian, who helped
Argentina reach the semi-finals last year, told reporters. "It won't
be at all easy.

"It looked like it was going to be easy. Aspelin was not playing
well, but he began to improve. Luckily we managed to turn things
round in the fourth set and take the match," Nalbandian told
reporters.

Argentina went 2-0 up on Friday when world number four Nalbandian
beat Robin Soderling and Jose Acasuso crushed world number 13 Thomas
Johansson.

Sweden, who won the title seven times between 1975 and 1998,
struggled on the clay surface that favoured the home side and had
their serve broken 13 times in the match.

Their doubles pair put their difficulties down partly to the intense
heat of Argentina's summer.

Captain Mats Wilander said: "This result does not come as a
surprise. it could have gone either way.

"The next match against Croatia will be very difficult (for
Argentina) because it will be played on a quick surface."

DROPPED SERVES

After a poor opening set, Sweden picked up in the second as
Aspelin's game improved and Bjorkman, who dropped his serve twice in
the first set, served better. The Argentines won it though in the
tiebreak.

Argentina dropped a gear in the third set as Calleri and Nalbandian
were broken, allowing the Swedes to get back into the match.

Sweden then went 4-2 up in the fourth set but Bjorkman dropped his
serve and Argentina levelled at 4-4.

Nalbandian had to fight to hold his serve but did so to put
Argentina 5-4 ahead and the pressure proved too much for Aspelin
when he served to try and keep Sweden in the match.

Juan Ignacio Chela will stand in for Nalbandian against Johansson in
the first of Sunday's dead rubbers. Acasuso plays Soderling.

Argentina's captain Alberto Mancini said Gaston Gaudio and Guillermo
Coria, two top 10 players who missed the tie, could be called back
to the team to face Croatia.

"Now comes the tour of fast court tournaments in the U.S. so I'll be
there to watch the players," he said.

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