The combination of Carsten Ball and Paul Hanley clinched the best-of-five match tie at Melbourne Park with a straight sets win over Yang Tsung-hua and Yi Chu-huan in the doubles.

The Australian pair prevailed in two tiebreak sets before rounding out a 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/2), 6-2 victory.

Australia, 28-time winners of the Davis Cup, won both the opening day singles on Friday to take a commanding grip on the tie.

Bernard Tomic, at 17 Australia's youngest Davis Cup player in 77 years, crushed Yang, 6-2, 6-1, 6-1 and Peter Luczak downed Yi 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-3.

Australia will now face the winner of the tie between Japan and the Philippines in the second round from May 7-9 for a place in the elite 2011 World Group.

"I thought our guys improved as the doubles match went on and have the potential to be a really good team together," captain John Fitzgerald said.

Australia last won the Davis Cup in 2003 when they defeated Spain 3-1 in Melbourne.

Both Australia and Taiwan are without their top-ranked players this weekend.

Two-time Grand Slam champion Lleyton Hewitt is sidelined after recent hip surgery, while Lu Yen-hsun decided to pass on the tournament.

Fitzgerald said Hewitt could be back for the next round in May.

"I hope he's fit, he informs me he's probably ahead of schedule in terms of his recovery so let's hope his body feels good by then," Fitzgerald said.

"We win this and it gives him an opportunity to continue the competition later in the year - we want to get back in the World Group."