Philipp Kohlschreiber defeated Lukas Rosol 3-6 6-3 6-4 2-6 6-3 to give Germany a 1-0 lead over the Czech Republic in their Davis Cup first-round tie on Friday.
German No. 1 Kohlschreiber, ranked 30th, converted his first match point to beat the 50th-ranked Czech in 2 hours, 57 minutes.
Tomas Berdych is aiming to level the tie against Germany's 18-year-old Davis Cup debutant, Alexander Zverev later on.
Berdych is playing for the first time since the 2014 semi-finals.
The Czech Republic is bidding to make up for its first-round loss last year - its first since 2011 - while Germany aims to improve on its 10-4 record against the visitors.
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The winner faces Canada or France in July's quarterfinals.
