Making The Best

Australia doesn't have the world's best Davis Cup team. No arguments there. There's a reason we're not in the World Group at the moment - we just aren't competing at the right level yet. But my God, I think we make the best of what we've got.

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Team Captain John 'Fitzy' Fitzgerald has just named the lineup for our tie against Thailand - Lleyton Hewitt is going to open up the singles, with Brydan Klein to follow, then Chris Guccione and Carsten Ball are going to play in the doubles. I'm not an expert, but this seems like the best possible decision he could have made, if you ask me - the best possible deployment of resources.

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Guccione is the higher ranked singles player, sure, but he is a long-term underachiever, so I think Fitzy has definitely made the right choice putting Klein in. Not only is Klein pretty hot right now - he's won two Challengers and got to a semi - I think this will be pretty big for his confidence in the future. He opens up against Danai Udomchoke, the current Thai #1, and I think Klein will have his number. There is something to be said about playing and winning for one's country - look at Nando Verdasco! If Klein performs well here, I think it could be a great springboard into the rest of his career.

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Normally Lleyton Hewitt would have to double up and play doubles (Fitzy hailed him as the greatest Davis Cup servant of his generation, and though we all know that I don't really bat for the Lleyton team, I'm hardpressed to prove him wrong), but Guccione and Ball have had a lot of success as a pairing, including that memorable five-set win over the Chileans. Added to which, they'll be fresh. So often, only two or three players on a Davis Cup team actually play. I'm liking the four way deployment of the Aussie boys here. Nice one, Fitzy!

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Today's Results

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Monterrey Open (Monterrey)

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Zheng Jie def. Melinda Czink, 6-3 6-4

Gisela Dulko def. Mariya Koryttseva, 6-2 6-4

Lucie Safarova def. Maria Kirilenko, 6-4 4-1 retired

Li Na def. Petra Cetkovska, 6-3 6-4