LIEGE, Belgium - Henri Laaksonen rallied from two sets down to beat Ruben Bemelmans and give defending champion Switzerland a 1-0 lead over Belgium in the first round of the Davis Cup on Friday.

The 344th-ranked Laaksonen, playing in the team event for the first time since 2013, won 1-6, 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-0, 6-2 after Bemelmans started to cramp in the third set at the Country Hall.

"I felt good at training and I don't understand what happened," Bemelmans said. "I was in control at the start, then I had cramps in both legs. I'm not injured and with some good care I could be ready tomorrow."

Bemelmans and Neils Desein are set to face Adrien Bossel and Lammer in In Saturday's doubles. Steve Darcis was to play Switzerland's Michael Lammer in the second singles later Friday.

Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka are skipping the event this year after leading Switzerland to its first title in 2014, while Belgium's top player, David Goffin, withdrew at the last minute because of a back injury. The 21st-ranked Goffin could be fit in time to play in Sunday's reverse singles though.

Laaksonen improved as the match went on while the 132th-ranked Bemelmans struggled to move and tried to shorten the points, only to be punished at the net by his opponent's passing shots.