POREC, Croatia—Marin Cilic outlasted Mardy Fish in five sets to give Croatia a 2-0 lead over the United States after the opening singles of their Davis Cup quarterfinal on Friday.

Cilic beat Fish, 4-6, 6-3, 6-7 (3), 6-1, 8-6, in a match that lasted 4 hours, 23 minutes and ended at 1 a. m. local time.

Much earlier, Ivo Karlovic pounded 47 aces and rallied from two sets down to beat James Blake, 6-7 (5), 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3), 7-5, on an indoor clay court.

“His serve is probably the best on the tour,” Blake said. “When he hits his spots, there is nothing we can do about it.”