Porec (Croatia), July 11 (DPA) James Blake blew a two-set lead for the second time since 2006 and Mardy Fish lost a marathon as Croatia surged to a 2-0 lead over the US in their Davis Cup World Group quarter-final Friday.

An inspired Ivo Karlovic made his first career comeback from two sets to love down as he fired 47 aces to take out Blake, a first-round loser at the French Open and Wimbledon, 6-7 (5-7), 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3), 7-5.

Marin Cilic put the hosts in command in a match which ended one hour into Saturday morning, outlasting Fish 4-6, 6-3, 6-7 (3-7), 6-1, 8-6.

With Andy Roddick missing after losing the Wimbledon final, the situation looks desperate for the US. Croatia are the only team to have a winning record over the 32-time Davis Cup champs, standing 2-0.

Blake's level slipped in the fourth-set tiebreaker as Karlovic won the last six points to square at two sets each before going on to post his first comeback from the depths of five sets with a break in the penultimate game of the three-hour, 38-minute marathon.

In Marbella, Spain, Philipp Kohlschreiber rescued German hopes against holders Spain, levelling the tie at 1-1 with a straight-sets defeat of Tommy Robredo.

Kohlschreiber's 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 win left Germany level after Fernando Verdasco got off on a tear for the hosts to defeat debutant Andreas Beck 6-0, 3-6, 6-7 (4-7), 6-2, 6-1, taking the first set in 22 minutes.

Beck, ranked 51st, suffered with nerves at the start in the packed-out bullring setting at the southern Spanish resort city, with Verdasco winning six of the opening seven games in 30-degree Celsius heat in front of 9,000 mainly Spanish fans.

Once the German shed his stage fright, he made a match of it, falling in the fifth set after three hours, 10 minutes.