Davis Cup Round 1 Update Heading Into Sunday
by Ben Rothenberg on Mar 7, 2010 7:43 AM EST
in Results
1 comment
A couple of the first round ties were done after three rubbers, but the majority still have live rubbers going into Sunday. Always a risk buying those Sunday Davis Cup tickets. You either get the best of the best, or totally meaningless exhibition.
SERBIA LEADS USA 2-1
Venue: Belgrade Arena, Belgrade, Serbia (Indoor Clay)
Viktor Troicki (SRB) def. John Isner (USA) 7-6(4), 6-7(5), 7-5, 6-4
Novak Djokovic (SRB) def. Sam Querrey (USA) 6-2, 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-3
Bob Bryan/John Isner (USA) def Janko Tipsarevic/Nenad Zimonjic (SRB) 7-6(8), 5-7, 7-6(8), 6-3
Novak Djokovic (SRB) v John Isner (USA)
Viktor Troicki (SRB) v Sam Querrey (USA)*
The two singles matches were both incredibly roller-coastery, with wild momentum swings several times per set. Unfortunately for the rookie American team, the Serbians wound up on the winning end of the roller coaster each time. Things really looked bad for the Americans on Saturday when Mike Bryan went down with food poisoning (because he was dumb enough to order curry in Belgrade), but John Isner stepped in admirably to keep the US hopes alive. At least until they face Djokovic again.
SPAIN LEADS SWITZERLAND 2-1
Venue: Plaza de Toros de la Ribera, Logrono, Spain (Indoor Clay)
Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) def. Nicolas Almagro (ESP) 3-6, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3
David Ferrer (ESP) def. Marco Chiudinelli (SUI) 6-2, 7-6(5), 6-1
Marcel Granollers/Tommy Robredo (ESP) def. Yves Allegro/Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI)* 7-6(8), 6-2, 4-6, 6-4
David Ferrer (ESP) v Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI)*
Nicolas Almagro (ESP) v Marco Chiudinelli (SUI)*
It's managed to be some fairly exciting stuff, even without the big names. But Marco Chiudinelli and Yves Allegro really aren't in the same league as the rest of these guys, which ultimately has (and will continue to) seal Switzerland's fate.
CZECH REPUBLIC LEADS BELGIUM 3-0
Venue: Expodroom, Bree, Belgium (clay – indoors)
Radek Stepanek (CZE) def. Xavier Malisse (BEL) 6-2, 6-4, 7-6(3)
Tomas Berdych/Radek Stepanek (CZE) def. Steve Darcis/Olivier Rochus (BEL) 7-6(0), 6-0, 6-3
One of the most lopsided ties on the card has lived up to expectations, with the Czechs outclassing the Belgians at every stage. Belgium may have a decent future ahead if Steve Darcis lives up to his hype, but for now they're just not competitive at this level.
CHILE LEADS ISRAEL 2-0
Venue: Enjoy Tennis Center, Coquimbo, Chile (Outdoor Clay)
Nicolas Massu (CHI) def. Dudi Sela (ISR) 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, 6-4
Fernando Gonzalez (CHI) def. Harel Levy (ISR) 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4
Nicolas Massu/Fernando Gonzalez (CHI) vs. Jonathan Erlich/Andy Ram (ISR)
Fernando Gonzalez (CHI) vs. Dudi Sela (ISR)*
Nicolas Massu (CHI) vs. Harel Levy (ISR)*
Real good story for Chile here, playing through their country's turmoil and destruction admirably so far. If there's one team that's easy to root for no matter what this weekend, the Chiileans are certainly that team.
FRANCE LEADS GERMANY 3-0
Venue: Palais des Sports, Toulon, France (Indoor Hard)
Gael Monfils (FRA) def. Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) 6-1, 6-4, 7-6(5)
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) def. Benjamin Becker (GER) 6-3, 6-2, 6-7(2), 6-3
Julien Benneteau/Michael Llodra (FRA) v Christopher Kas/Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) 6-1, 6-4, 1-6, 7-5
Gael Monfils notched his first ever win in Davis Cup to open up this tie, and it was all France from there on. Without Tommy Haas it was always going to be tough for Germany, but I don't know that I ever expected a sweep. France is the deeper, better tennis country, so having them in the next round certainly makes sense to me.
RUSSIA LEADS INDIA 2-1
Venue: Small Sports Arena "Luzhniki", Moscow, Russia (Indoor Hard)
Igor Kunitsyn (RUS) def. Somdev Devvarman (IND) 6-7(7), 7-6(4), 6-3, 6-4
Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) def. Rohan Bopanna (IND) 6-4, 6-2, 6-3
Mahesh Bhupathi/Leander Paes (IND) def. Teimuraz Gabashvili/Igor Kunitsyn (RUS) 6-3, 6-2, 6-2
Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) v Somdev Devvarman (IND)
Igor Kunitsyn (RUS) v Rohan Bopanna (IND)*
A late substitution in the Igor slot of Kunitsyn for Andreev paid off for Russia, who looks to be firmly in control even after dropping the doubles tie as they were expected to do. Russia is a country who could use some redemption in this contest, and when they get Youzhny and Davydenko together at full strength, they should be able to get it.
ARGENTINA LEADS SWEDEN 2-1
Venue: Kungliga Tennishallen, Stockholm, Sweden (hard – indoors)
Robin Soderling (SWE) def. Eduardo Schwank (ARG) 6-1, 7-6(0), 7-5
Leonardo Mayer (ARG) def. Joachim Johansson (SWE) 5-7, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4
David Nalbandian/Horacio Zeballos (ARG) def. Robert Lindstedt/Robin Soderling (SWE) 6-2, 7-6(4), 7-6(5)
Robin Soderling (SWE) v Leonardo Mayer (ARG)
Joachim Johansson (SWE) v Eduardo Schwank (ARG)*
David Nalbandian made a surprise appearance in the doubles to help the Argentines grab the lead. Things have gone a lot better for the Argentines than I expected, both with Nalbandian's cameo and Mayer's fairly surprising win over Johansson in the second singles rubber. Expect Nalbandian to make an appearance for Schwank in the final singles as well if it comes down to that.
CROATIA LEADS ECUADOR 3-0
Venue: Gradska Sportska Dvorana, Varazdin, Croatia (Indoor Hard)
Ivo Karlovic (CRO) v Nicolas Lapentti (ECU) 6-2, 5-7, 6-7(2), 6-3, 6-4
Marin Cilic (CRO) v Giovanni Lapentti (ECU) 6-4, 6-3, 6-3
Ivo Karlovic/Marin Cilic (CRO) def, Giovanni Lapentti/Nicolas Lapentti (ECU) 7-6(3), 6-3, 7-5
This was the match-up that made Czech Republic-Belgium look competitive, but the elder Lapentti acquitted himself fairly well against Karlovic, pushing him to five sets. At least the Ecuadorians had the luck to be swept away from the majority of their fans, which should make this sting somewhat less, I suppose.
Tennis Channel will have coverage of the Americans Sunday, and a lot of the rest of the ties should be streamable at the official Davis Cup site.
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Davis Cup Round 1 Preview and Open Thread: USA at Serbia Highlights Star-less Slate of Ties
by Ben Rothenberg on Mar 5, 2010 6:42 AM EST
in Match Threads
3 comments
Only the first two match-ups in each tie are locked in, the rest are subject to change(*).
USA @ SERBIA
Venue: Belgrade Arena, Belgrade, Serbia (Indoor Clay)
Viktor Troicki (SRB) v John Isner (USA)
Novak Djokovic (SRB) v Sam Querrey (USA)
Janko Tipsarevic/Nenad Zimonjic (SRB) v Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan (USA)*
Novak Djokovic (SRB) v John Isner (USA)*
Viktor Troicki (SRB) v Sam Querrey (USA)*
Let's cut to the chase: The Americans have no chance in either singles match against Djokovic, so they have to sweep the other three rubbers. Which is actually doable. Querrey and Isner have both been playing real well this year, each with a title to his name already, and an additional doubles title they paired to win together. The Bryans should win the doubles pretty easily, though Nenad Zimonjic is no pushover. But can they run the table on a bad surface in hostile territory? I hope so, but I think it unlikely.
Prediction: Serbia 3-2
SWITZERLAND @ SPAIN
Venue: Plaza de Toros de la Ribera, Logrono, Spain (Indoor Clay)
Nicolas Almagro (ESP) v Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI)
David Ferrer (ESP) v Marco Chiudinelli (SUI)
Marcel Granollers/Tommy Robredo (ESP) v Yves Allegro/Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI)*
David Ferrer (ESP) v Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI)*
Nicolas Almagro (ESP) v Marco Chiudinelli (SUI)*
Those flags side-by-side should get any tennis fan excited. Nadal-Federer in Davis Cup for the first time? Awesome! Sadly, neither Nadal nor Federer will be present, nor will Spanish top-tenner Fernando Verdasco nor Juan Carlos Ferrero be playing. The Spanish absences should make this somewhat more competitive, but not all that interesting I don't think. Wawrinka may beat Almagro, but that's probably the only win for the visitors.
Prediction: Spain 4-1
CZECH REPUBLIC @ BELGIUM
Venue: Expodroom, Bree, Belgium (clay – indoors)
Xavier Malisse (BEL) v Radek Stepanek (CZE)
Steve Darcis/Olivier Rochus (BEL) v Lukas Dlouhy/Jan Hajek (CZE)*
Olivier Rochus (BEL) v Radek Stepanek (CZE)*
Xavier Malisse (BEL) v Tomas Berdych (CZE)*
The Czechs were surprise finalists last year, but they will be unsurprising quarterfinalists with this draw, as the Belgians shouldn't prove to be much of a speed bump. I'm not too invested in this one, I just really hope Radek Stepanek's Czech Flag outfit makes an appearance. It's always a highlight of any Davis Cup weekend for me.
Prediction: Czech Republic 5-0
ISRAEL @ CHILE
Venue: Nokia Stadium, Tel Aviv, Israel (Indoor Hard)
Draw TBA Later Friday*
For everything Chile has been through recently, it's amazing that this tie is going to happen at all. I know everyone has understandable catastrophe philanthropy fatigue by now, but if you're on the fence about giving to Chile, watch Fernando Gonzalez's emotional video plea for help for his country. Chile might take Davis Cup more seriously than any other country (if past riots are any indication), so you can bet that this will be one emotional event.
Prediction: Chile 4-1
GERMANY @ FRANCE
Venue: Palais des Sports, Toulon, France (Indoor)
Gael Monfils (FRA) v Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER)
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) v Benjamin Becker (GER)
Julien Benneteau/Michael Llodra (FRA) v Christopher Kas/Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER)*
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) v Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER)*
Gael Monfils (FRA) v Benjamin Becker (GER)*
Monfils is a bafflingly bad Davis Cup player in my experience watching him, which is bizarre for someone who feeds so greatly off crowd energy. It's not his best surface, either. But Tsonga and vastly superior doubles should be enough for the French to fend off a German team without two of it's biggest names (Haas and Kiefer).
Prediction: France 3-2
INDIA @ RUSSIA
Venue: Small Sports Arena "Luzhniki", Moscow, Russia (Indoor Hard)
Igor Andreev (RUS) v Somdev Devvarman (IND)
Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) v Rohan Bopanna (IND)
Teimuraz Gabashvili/Igor Kunitsyn (RUS) v Mahesh Bhupathi/Leander Paes (IND)*
Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) v Somdev Devvarman (IND)*
Igor Andreev (RUS) v Rohan Bopanna (IND)*
Russia suffered a shock defeat in last year's quarterfinals against Israel, but don't expect a repeat of that against a decidedly weaker Indian team. India shouldn't have a prayer in any of the singles matches, but it's entirely possible that a boneheaded Andreev could lose to Devvarman if Andreev is as messy as he can be. India should get a point in the doubles, at least.
Prediction: Russia 4-1
ARGENTINA @ SWEDEN
Venue: Kungliga Tennishallen, Stockholm, Sweden (hard – indoors)
Robin Soderling (SWE) v Eduardo Schwank (ARG)
Joachim Johansson (SWE) v Leonardo Mayer (ARG)
Robert Lindstedt/Robin Soderling (SWE) v Leonardo Mayer/Horacio Zeballos (ARG)*
Robin Soderling (SWE) v Leonardo Mayer (ARG)*
Joachim Johansson (SWE) v Eduardo Schwank (ARG)*
This would be a pretty awesome tie if Juan Martin del Potro was healthy enough to be there. But without him, or even Juan Monaco or Jose Acasuso, the Swedes may well run the table. Sweden has been in the upper echelon of Davis Cup for almost longer than any other country, a phenomenon that is now more explicable with the emergence of Robin Soderling as an elite player.
Prediction: Sweden 4-1
ECUADOR @ CROATIA
Venue: Gradska Sportska Dvorana, Varazdin, Croatia (Indoor Hard)
Ivo Karlovic (CRO) v Nicolas Lapentti (ECU)
Marin Cilic (CRO) v Giovanni Lapentti (ECU)
Ivan Dodig/Antonio Veic (CRO) v Giovanni Lapentti/Nicolas Lapentti (ECU)*
Marin Cilic (CRO) v Nicolas Lapentti (ECU)*
Ivo Karlovic (CRO) v Giovanni Lapentti (ECU)*
Thanks to the emergence of Nicolas' younger brother, the Ecuadorians may well be the first Davis Cup team to have a lineup entirely of siblings. The Maleevas, Williamses, and Bondarenkos have achieved the feat in Fed Cup, but I can't think of a pair of brothers who were ever their country's two best at a World Group level before. That bit of trivia aside, the Brothers Lapentti will be lucky to win a match. Croatia was smart to pick hard courts this time, which is their best surface despite their inexplicable decision to pick clay against the Czechs in last year's semifinals.
Prediction: Croatia 5-0
Tennis Channel will have coverage of the Americans, and the rest of the ties should be streamable online. Here's to a good weekend of tennis to get everybody pumped for the spring American hard court swing.
3 comments | 0 recs |
Agustin Calleri, 33, Retires From Tennis in Buenos Aires
by Ben Rothenberg on Mar 4, 2010 5:55 AM EST
in News
0 comments
Agustin Calleri's retirement from professional tennis was recently made official in a ceremony at the Copa Telmex in his native Buenos Aires. Calleri, 33, was honored by peers in the Argentine tennis community including Juan Monaco, Jose Acasuso, and Juan Ignacio Chela.
Calleri had not played at all in 2010, with his last match coming last year in a challenger in Bogota. Hanging up the racquet after his last season is certainly understandable, since 2009 saw his ranking fall from #83 to outside the top 400, a precipitous fall that fit his 3-15 record for the year.
Calleri is certainly not the first name to come to mind when you think of players who spent time in the top twenty, but he did reach a career high ranking of #16. He won two ATP titles, Acapulco 2003 and Kitzbuhel 2006, both of which were (unsurprisingly) on clay courts, interestingly beating an Argentinian in both finals. He never made the second week of a slam, but he did have a surprising run to the finals of the Hamburg Masters in 2003, one of the four Argentinians who made it to the semifinals that year.
Perhaps most impressively, Calleri compiled an 11-1 record on clay in his Davis Cup career playing for Argentina, a record which is just about as good as any you'll ever find.
Calleri will not be remembered as much as the other Gauchos (Guillermo Coria, Gaston Gaudio, David Nalbandian), but he deserves credit for his relative consistency. It's amazing to think that despite being the most regularly visible of the four for the last several years, Calleri is actually the oldest, and first of the Gauchos to officially retire. Coria and Gaudio have been working hard at comebacks to absolutely no avail for some time now, and Nalbandian's lack of fitness has cut short every attempt at resuming a full-time career on the tour.
Calleri certainly doesn't have the resume of any of the other three, but at least he knew when to call it a day.
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Playing Catch-Up -- Part 2 (February 8-14)
by Ben Rothenberg on Mar 1, 2010 6:12 AM EST
in Results
0 comments
Here's part 2 of 3 in catching up on the month of February. At least it's a short month, right?
ATP 500 Rotterdam - ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament:
Robin Soderling beat Mikhail Youzhny 6-4, 2-0 (ret.) to take the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam after Youzhny retired early in the second set with a leg injury. The title is the biggest title of Soderling's career, his first 500 level victory after previously falling short in three other 500 level finals (and a grand slam final).
Robin Soderling long had a reputation as one of the best (and only) indoor, fast-court specialists on either tour, which is what made his breakout performance at the very outdoors and slow French Open last spring so baffling to me. By winning Rotterdam, the biggest European indoor tournament in the first half of the calendar, Soderling shows that he's still can be great at his old former strength while having added a big new strength. A win over Davydenko along the way certainly doesn't hurt his confidence, either.
Since the title (and *SPOILER!* Andy Roddick's early exit in Memphis), Soderling has risen to a career high ranking of #7. Not bad for someone who lost in the first round of the Australian Open to the likes of Marcel Granollers.
After the jump: ATP San Jose, ATP Costa do Sauipe, WTA Paris and WTA Pattaya City. Click away!
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It surprises me to see Rafael Nadal, known for being fairly bashful, to be following in Anna Kournikova's footsteps as eye candy in a music video. But I guess lying next to Shakira is an activity that doesn't put undue stress on his tender knees.
11 days ago
Ben Rothenberg
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Playing Catch-Up -- Part 1 (February 1-7)
by Ben Rothenberg on Feb 25, 2010 7:08 AM EST
in Results
4 comments
A combination of cataclysmic weather, internet outages, the Olympics and oversight have left this The Daily Forehand fairly stagnant for a while, for which I apologize.
I haven't been able to follow tennis nearly closely enough pretty much all of February, and while it's probably the least important month in the tennis calendar it's still something for which I should make amends.
So here is the first of a three-part series which will try to make sense of the results (and some news) from the post-Australian Open happenings in the sport with the fuzzy balls.
And if you haven't been playing super-close attention to tennis over these last few weeks either, hopefully this will serve as a nice way to get a digest of what's been going on.
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However ridiculous and over the top Serena Williams' infamous outburst at that lineswoman was, it seems all the more absurd and cruel after reading this SI.com piece.
Kudos to Jon Wertheim for getting the interview with the lineswoman, Shino Tsurubuchi, a look into her perspective which was incredibly humanizing and incredibly overdue.
14 days ago
Ben Rothenberg
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What We Learned From The Australian Open: ATP Edition
by Ben Rothenberg on Feb 8, 2010 8:54 PM EST
in Analysis
4 comments
Sorry for the delay, folks. Weather has not been kind to my internet access here in Washington...
Here's what we learned at the Australian Open about the top eight in the ATP (using their new post-Aussie rankings), as well as a few other notables.
#1 Roger Federer (Champion - Stays at #1) -- There were some hiccups against Russians along the way, but in the end it was yet another routine, straight sets victory in a slam final for Roger Federer, winning his sweet sixteenth. He didn't look unbeatable, but he didn't get beaten. The killer instinct that was questionable in New York against del Potro was definitely there against Murray, almost certainly because he just doesn't seem to like the Scot at all. If he can muster that same disdain in the rest of his slam finals, no reason he can't reach 20. Here's a stat that I don't think anyone else has come up with yet: With this Australian Open title, his first since Melbourne Park switched over to the blue stuff in 2008, Federer becomes the first player to win slams on five different surfaces (grass, clay, Rebound Ace, DecoTurf, Plexicushion).
#2 Novak Djokovic (lost in quarterfinals to Tsonga - Was #3) -- Congrats to Djokovic on making it to a career high ranking of #2, but man, did he ever fail to get any style points in the process. After running through one of the softest slam draws in recent memory (Gimeno-Traver, Chiudinelli, Istomin, Kubot), Djokovic flamed out against the first tough opponent he faced, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. He outplayed Tsonga for the first three sets, but then physically broke down with a mess of nausea and exhaustion, losing the fourth and fifth sets in short order. While draws at major tournaments will feature a "Djokovic half" for the first time, he's hardly a lock for the finals with these questions still lingering about his conditioning when the going gets tough.
#3 Andy Murray (lost in final to Federer - Was #4) -- Definitely a strong run for Murray, but like Djokovic his bump in the rankings comes with more questions attached than answers. And while the British media does deserve just about all the flak they're getting for wondering aloud if Murray will ever win a slam, they do have a point. He may be "only" 22, but the last player to win a first career slam at an older age was Gaston Gaudio back in 2004. Djokovic, Nadal, and del Potro (and Federer and Roddick just before Gaudio) were all younger when they struck paydirt for the first time.
#4 Rafael Nadal (lost to Murray in quarterfinal - Was #2) -- Nadal's lowest ranking since 2005 is all about not being able to complete his title defense due to injury on the surface, but in reality he was never going to be competitive against Murray in his quarterfinal loss. Nadal lost bulky muscle up top in an announced attempt to keep his lower body healthier, but he's now less powerful and still perpetually injury prone. I think it's about time to stick a fork in this career, sadly. Many say he still has a shot on the clay, but from where I sit I can't imagine that long, grinding matches are the cure for what ails him.
#5 Juan Martin del Potro (lost to Cilic in fourth round - Stays at #5) -- del Potro didn't do much with having a quarter to his name for the first time at a grand slam, but he never really looked 100% with his arm, either. There was a real nice gut-check win in the second round vs. James Blake for him, but also a real bizarre bageling at the hands of Florian Mayer before he finally went down in a battle of attrition against Cilic in the fourth round. Cilic was impossible to get any rhythm against the entire tournament, so it is a pretty excusable, explicable loss as far as I'm concerned.
#6 Nikolay Davydenko (lost to Federer in quarterfinal - Stays at #6) -- Hard to really grade Davydenko's run at this tournament. He largely failed to live up to the darkhorse label that had been bestowed upon him by the fawning Mary Carillo, but he did show that he has the potential to beat the best in the world when at his best. He looked absolutely untouchable for his first three matches, losing a combined seventeen games in those three straight sets wins. But then he absolutely stunk up the joint halfway through his fourth round match against Fernando Verdasco, and then stunk up the joint again halfway through his quarterfinal vs. Federer, playing so listlessly as to not win a single game for an hour. I think the French Open still represents his best shot to make a grand slam final, as it always has, but it's clear that he's going to need to learn not to peak too early if that's going to happen.
#7 Andy Roddick (lost to Cilic in quarterfinal - Stays at #7) -- He comes away having not defended his semifinal points from a year ago, but it was a real impressive run for Roddick. That five-set win against Gonzalez is exactly the type of match he would have routinely lost from 2004-2008. His comeback effort against Cilic was also pretty valiant, but in the end the result is probably a sign that he doesn't have what it takes to beat these big, young guns on a consistent basis.
#8 Robin Soderling (lost to Granollers in the first round - Stays at #8) -- A bizarre early exit for Soderling, who looked to be cruising against the weaponless Granollers early on then totally fell apart as the match wore on, losing his two-set lead on the way to a first round exit. The surface in Melbourne is probably too slow for him to have made much noise. I'm more interested to see what he'll do in Dubai, Miami, and Wimbledon. I still don't understand how his best ever run at a major was on clay, and I refuse to believe it could happen again.
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