Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Snubbing Mr Milkshake

The Aussie Davis Cup team for the first round this year has just been announced, and we're looking at something pretty different to what we saw last time. Remember Chile, where we had that awesome young team, and we had a good seven people on the squad? Looks like they're not repeating that one this year. Our team is Lleyton Hewitt, Chris Guccione, Carsten Ball and Brydan Klein.
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Not a bad team, as far as they go, but I think there's one major snub in there - the guy that's been forgotten all year, ever since he lost in he play-off at the December Showdown. And it is such a shame, because he has played fabulously in Davis Cup just about every time he played. Where is Peter Luczak? I would have put you in, Mr Milkshake. I don't know if I would have played you, but you'd have been in the squad.
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And Bernard Tomic would have been in the squad as well. He's proven he can pull the upset on the senior scene - Potito Starace, anyone? - so why not give him another shot? Carsten Ball is, in my mind, a bit expendable - he's there for doubles, surely? Actually, that's a thought - where are our doubles specialists? Why is Paul Hanley not on the squad?
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And who is going to be the new coach? Darren 'Killer' Cahill has just stood down. I'm sad. I'm certainly not as impressed as I was with the awesome young squad last time... but then I am not the Davis Cup captain. I am impressed with the decision to put Brydan Klein in, however - with his recent results, he deserves it!
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Today's Results
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Regions Morgan Keenans Championships (Memphis)
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Men's Draw
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Mardy Fish def. Yen-Hsun Lu, 6-1 7-5
Robby Ginepri def. Simon Greul, 6-4 6-4
Philipp Petzschner def. Jarkko Nieminen, 6-3 6-4
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Women's Draw
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Lucie Safarova def. Vania King, 7-6 (7-1) 6-3
Sabine Lisicki def. Stéphanie Foretz, 6-2 6-4
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Copa Telmex (Buenos Aires)
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Juan Carlos Ferrero def. Marcel Granollers, 6-7 (7-8) 6-0 6-3
Franco Ferreiro def. Pablo Cuevas, 6-2 6-4
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Open 13 (Marseilles)
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Feliciano Lopez def. Dmitry Tursunov, 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-1)
Mikhail Youzhny def. Andreas Seppi, 7-6 (7-2) 6-3
Novak Djokovic def. Jeremy Chardy, 7-6 (7-4) 6-4
Paul-Henri Mathieu def. Gael Monfils, 4-6 6-4 7-5
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Andrey Golubev, 7-6 (7-5) 6-2
Michael Llodra def. Rik de Voest, 7-6 (7-2) 6-1
Georg Bastl def. Marc Gicquel, 6-4 6-3
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Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships (Dubai)
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Serena Williams def. Zheng Jie, 6-4 6-2
Kaia Kanepi def. Jelena Jankovic, 6-2 7-5
Elena Dementieva def. Anabel Medina Garrigues, 6-1 6-3
Vera Zvonareva def. Marion Bartoli, 5-2 retired
Venus Williams def. Alizé Cornet, 6-3 6-2
Ana Ivanovic def. Camille Pin, 6-2 7-6 (7-5)
Elena Vesnina def. Dominika Cibulkova, 4-6 6-1 4-0 retired
Virginie Razzano def. Daniela Hantuchova, 6-2 1-6 6-2
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Copa Sony Ericsson Colsanitas (Bogota)
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Edina Gallovits def. Klara Zakopalova, 6-3 6-4
Ioana Raluca Olaru def. Maret Ani, 6-4 6-2

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