Australia is through to the quarter-finals of the Davis Cup World Group after downing Switzerland 3-2 in Geneva.

Chris Guccione won the fifth rubber with a brilliant display of serving, beating Swiss George Bastl 7-5 6-3 7-6 (9-7) after delivering 39 aces.

Australia will play Belarus in the quarter-final on April 7-9 in Australia, with Melbourne's Kooyong and Melbourne Park bidding along with Adelaide and Canberra.

As expected Switzerland brought in Bastl at the expense of Michael Lammer, who was well beaten by Peter Luczak on day one.

Bastl is considered something of a bad omen for Swiss tennis fans, with a career Davis Cup record of 5-8.

But for Australians he represents good fortune, as the most recent time Australia won a live fifth rubber in Davis Cup was also against Bastl when Mark Philippoussis beat him in the first round of 2000.

This was the first time Australia had played a live fifth rubber since losing the 2001 final to France in Melbourne.

Guccione clinched the first set on his seventh break point in the 12th and final game.

While Guccione's serving prowess was well known, Bastl at times appeared unprepared for the power of the Victorian's groundstrokes.

After 15 aces in the first set, Guccione followed up with a further 15 in the second.

He broke Bastl in the eighth game and then served out the second set.

The third went on serve to a tiebreak, where Bastl had one set point but which Guccione claimed on his third match-point.

Earlier, Stanislas Wawrinka kept the tie alive for Switzerland with a 6-4 6-2 6-7 (7-9) 6-2 win over Peter Luczak.

It was a game effort by the 20-year-old who was playing his third rubber in as many days and who had been required to shoulder the burden of number one player for the hosts after the withdrawal of Roger Federer.

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