KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. -- Vince Spadea pulled off an upset yesterday and might be on the verge of another one.

Playing himself into contention for a spot on the U.S. Davis Cup team, Spadea edged Marat Safin, 7-6 (7), 6-7 (4), 6-4, in the second round of the Nasdaq-100 Open.

The victory came on the heels of Spadea's first tournament title in Scottsdale two weeks ago. At age 29, the 14-year pro would be an improbable choice for the Davis Cup squad that will face Sweden next month.

"It would mean a lot and would be a great thrill," said Spadea, ranked 36th. "I've won two rounds here, you know. I haven't won Wimbledon or anything. ... But I feel like I deserve a chance. If it's not this time, maybe I'll be ranked even higher the next time."

He's definitely on the rise. The title at Scottsdale came in his 223rd tournament. On Thursday he beat countryman James Blake, who played Davis Cup last year. And his smart, steady baseline play stymied Safin, the runner-up at the Australian Open last month.

"Coming back for a good win like this is just great timing after the momentum I had from Scottsdale," Spadea said. "If I was to represent my country, I would prove worthy with the results I'm having right now."

Andy Roddick, who will lead the U.S. team against Sweden, showed he's ready for Davis Cup -- and perhaps a title run at Key Biscayne. Seeded No. 2, he overpowered Karol Beck, 6-2, 6-4.

Roddick aced Beck with a 147-mph serve, which tied for the fourth-fastest and was 3 mph shy of the record Roddick set in January. He needed just four strokes to win one game, all aces, and finished with 14.

On the women's side, No. 2 Venus Williams successfully began her bid for a fourth Key Biscayne title. Limited to just seven matches since July because of injuries, she double-faulted six times but beat Jie Zheng, 6-4, 6-4.

"What I'm trying to do is stay healthy," Williams said. "As long as I can stay healthy, I can practice, and as long as I practice, I can win matches."

Safin, seeded 31st, was joined on the sideline by two other seeded men.

No. 15-seeded Martin Verkerk lost to Todd Reid, 4-6, 6-4, 7-5, and No. 23 Feliciano Lopez was beaten by Thierry Ascione, 7-6 (4), 6-4.

Spadea shrugged off a questionable call that could have cost him the upset victory. In the final game an overrule by the chair umpire, who called a shot by Spadea long, allowed Safin to survive a match point.

Safin later said the umpire made a bad ruling. But while the crowd jeered the call, Spadea declined to complain.

"It's that underlying feeling that I'm not going to worry about putting the blame on somebody else," Spadea said. "If I lose the match, I'm going to go out swinging."

He closed out the victory four points later when Safin sailed a forehand long.

The 2-hour, 37-minute match produced a succession of long rallies, and Spadea coped well with Safin's power, blocking back serves of up to 135 mph.

"He's a very solid player and has a lot of experience," Safin said. "He's a clever, clever player."

Several of Spadea's young countrymen have fared poorly at Key Biscayne, increasing his Davis Cup chances.

Like Blake, Mardy Fish lost his opening match, and Taylor Dent lost yesterday to Swede Jonas Bjorkman, 7-6 (4), 6-2.

Bjorkman's third-round opponent will be Roddick in a possible Davis Cup preview.

U.S. captain Patrick McEnroe will announce his team tomorrow for the match against Sweden in Delray Beach, Fla., which happens to be near Spadea's home of Boca Raton.