France on Fire, Serbia to the Wire

Well, that didn't go too well for Switzerland. Well done, Kazakhstan, but Switzerland, really?

Enough about that. I suppose the playoffs pale in comparison to the real deal, the semi-finals, and I probably should at least mention that they're happening.

The regular Davis Cup heroism of David Nalbandian could not save Argentina this time - they have been absolutely taken apart by the French team. It would not be unfair to say, I think, that France are on fire. And given that the level of tennis talent in France is nothing short of immense, it is not unfair to say that they should always be on fire. They should be a fixture in the finals, not breaking a major drought.

But now isn't the time to lambast them - now that they have actually made good for once. France are a super deserving finalist for this year's Davis Cup - taking out Argentina and, moreover, Spain, is nothing to sneeze at. Their draw has been many things, but cupcake-y is not one of them. Allez!

And then there is Serbia vs the Czech Republic, and a tighter tie it would be hard to imagine. If Serbia had had Djokovic on the first day, one might imagine that the whole thing might have been a lot less tight. But no, Serbia have to win both matches on the final day to go through.

And they so easily could have been out in straights like Argentina - if Serbia go through to the final this year, they need to give Janko Tipsarevic a ticker-tape parade. His win over Berdych was some of the best clutch play around. And now the Czech Republic may be up a point, but if Djokovic can make good on his ranking and beat Berdych, and if Tipsarevic can keep his level up against Stepanek, well... what a tie this could end up being!

Talent Isn't Everything

As I have absolutely nothing else to talk about, I'm going to talk some more about Davis Cup. And what I have to say is this: if France don't win it this year, they are missing a huge opportunity.

Think about it. They have beaten Spain, the out and out favourites. They have so many players who can be so good on any given day... but who can also be terrible on any given day. If they all come out firing - can you imagine a France with a switched-on Jo Tsonga and Gael Monfils playing singles? - then nothing short of a miracle can stop them.

Of course, they're playing Argentina in the semis, and the Argentinians have a miracle up their sleeves. He goes by the name of David Nalbandian, and as just about any Davis Cup playing nation can tell you, he can derail the fiercest of challenges. But he is but one man, and the French squad is packed with talent.

What the French squad is not packed with is consistency. If they could find this like they did against Spain, they would be unstoppable. There are reasons why one man squads like Nalbandian's Argentina and Djokovic's Serbia can do so well, and that is maximising the consistency of a star player. France have a whole bunch of stars... but none of them seem to shine at the same time.

I hope, for their sake, much as I want Bandy to do well at this Cup they call Davis, that all the French guns fire in the semis. Because to have that much talent in a tennis nation and not have anything to show for it? That is a bit of a tragedy.

Bandy Shining

What is it about Davis Cup that brings out the best in David Nalbandian?

Seriously, the dude has missed, what, the last six Slams? He has been effectively absent on the individual tennis stage for about two years, ever since he went on that tear and won, like, the entire indoor season. But the second Davis Cup rolls around, Nalbandian is beating everyone in sight.

It reminds me a bit of Ljubicic, that year when he led Croatia to a big damn victory by winning just about every rubber he plays. Juan Martin del Potro may be Argentina's best player ranking-wise, but when it comes to Davis Cup, they don't have a bigger asset than Nalbandian. And I think it's probably good that they aren't currently playing alongside each other - I think we all remember the Argentinian disaster that was Mar del Plata a few years back, where they nearly punched each other out in the locker room.

Davis Cup does not bring out the best in all players. Sometimes it can completely cow them or crush them. Sometimes they're effectively uninterested - sure, they enjoy it when they're there, but Davis Cup is definitely not a priority (yes, Mr Federer, I am looking in your direction). But it's got something that brings out the best in David Nalbandian, and considering that his career on the individual stage seems to be effectively over (when was the last time you saw him play a tournament) I'm glad Bandy still has a place to shine. Because he is one of the great talents of our age and I would hate to see him wasted.

Davydenko and Other Disappointments

Spain have been sufficiently kept real. No Davis Cup threepeat for them. One tennis journalist wrote that while the defeat wasn't necessarily surprising, the 3-0 blowout was. I agree totally. Any nation is at risk against the hyper-talented France, but I would have expected Spain to have at least won one of the first three rubbers.

Nando Verdasco is going to wear this back home and no mistake. All the previous Davis Cup heroics will be forgotten in the face of his new found bunny status. I guess he'll just be hoping that Spain is too focused on the World Cup to care (which, to be fair, is probably true).


The Czech Republic are also through - without Berdych and Stepanek, which is a massive result for them - but the real battles going on are the two that are still alive, Russia vs Argentina and Croatia vs Serbia. They're both technically anyone-can-win, but you really have to like the team that took the doubles rubber in both situations.


In the former, that is Argentina. A lot is going to rest on Nikolay Davydenko, and he doesn't sound incredibly optimistic. He was phenomenally disappointing against David Nalbandian in the first singles rubber. I mean, sure, Nalbandian is awesome and all and he always brings it at Davis Cup, but Kolya was totally under par. Very disappointing. I'd be putting my faith in Mikhail Youzhny if I were the Russian Davis Cup captain - he seems like Russia's best bet for an equaliser.


And for Croatia, who are down one rubber to two, it's all on the shoulders of mighty Marin Cilic. He is certainly capable of taking out Novak Djokovic, but Djokovic is coming off a great Wimbledon and Cilic has not been in great form of late. However, if he brings it, if he throws the kitchen sink at Djokovic, he definitely has a chance. I thought Davydenko/Nalbandian was going to be the match of the weekend and it was totally disappointing. Maybe Cilic/Djokovic will be the one to remember instead...

Big Damn Hero

Some more on Davis Cup, because you know what? I forgot to write about the real star of the Davis Cup weekend, the real story, the real big damn hero.

David Nalbandian, take a bow.

A browse through the back archives of this blog will reveal that I don't often warm to Bandy, though I think he's an important dude to have in the game. He went out in, what, May? last year, and apart from a couple of sporadic appearances, hasn't been in the game since. He's not the youngest player on the court any more and I, to tell the truth, was expecting that a retirement announcement might not be so far fetched.

But no. Bandy might still have some injury woes, but he's still Bandy. And did he bring it or did he bring it for Argentina? I'll answer that - he brought it. It can't have been anything even resembling easy, having a vital rubber on your shoulders when your body is betraying you - and to double up from doubles and play (and win) that crucial singles rubber? Nothing short of awesome.

Argentina should be proud of you, Bandy. Even when you're practically in a wheelchair, you've still got the cojones to step out on that court and be a big damn hero. Respect.

Underrated

What an interesting collection of countries we have in the Davis Cup semi finals - really quite an eclectic group. Israel was the biggest surprise, as we discussed yesterday, but Croatia? And the Czech Republic? Not to mention the upset that Germany nearly pulled? Quite remarkable.

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Let's start with Israel again. Russia managed to get one point on the board in this tie, but it was only because Dudi Sela retired in his match against Andreev, so I don't think poor Igor gets to save any face there. Dudi's retirement also puts the mantle of tie hero quite firmly on the shoulders of Harel Levy - what a weekend for him! First he beats Andreev to make it 2-0, and then he has an absolutely cracking win over Kunitsyn in the dead rubber. I think it would be underestimating things to say he's found his mojo...

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Hero for Croatia probably goes to Marin Cilic, who won both his singles rubbers against the USA, beating Fish and Blake. Fish, I thought, played well, but it looks like James Blake's tenure as president of the Club of Lost Souls is going to continue a little longer. He choked right at the end of his match with Karlovic, and I was really hoping (for his sake) he could do a little more against Cilic. But it was not to be. Oddity of this tie? Bob Bryan winning a singles rubber. Don't see that very often!

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Then we go to the Czech Republic and Argentina, and like I said... I told them it would be smart to play Stepanek in the singles. I understand he has a knee injury but he managed to play through it fine in Wimbledon in his match against David Ferrer and so it was today. And it was a deciding rubber, as well - Juan Martin del Potro tried valiantly to keep Argentina's hopes alive by winning both his matches, but it was nice to see the Czechs come through, I do admit. There will be no final in Mar del Plata this year. And Berdych plus Stepanek... that is a seriously underrated team.

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And then, finally, to what I thought was the most exciting tie, Spain against Germany. I bet you anything that Fernando Verdasco is going to be filthy with himself for letting that match with Kohlschreiber slip between his fingers. It must be very difficult for him to let someone else wear the mantle of hero for Spain when it's belonged to him for quite some time now. But I think we have to say that the hero was an oldie but a goodie, Juan Carlos Ferrero. He was thrown in at the last minute to replace Tommy Robredo in the singles, and he played a lovely match to beat the talented Andreas Beck in straights. Though what would have been really interesting is if Germany had played Kiefer... or if Haas was playing this tie. I'd venture to say that if Haas had played, Spain would have gone down.

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So the semis are set. Davis Cup pick for this year? I'm going to go with the Czechs. Underrated and unappreciated, I reckon they have what it takes...

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Today's Results

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Davis Cup

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Czech Republic 3, Argentina 2

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Juan Martin del Potro def. Tomas Berdych, 6-4 6-4 6-4

Radek Stepanek def. Juan Monaco, 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 6-2

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Croatia 3, USA 2

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Marin Cilic def. James Blake, 6-3 6-3 4-6 6-2

Bob Bryan def. Roko Karanusic, 5-7 6-3 7-6 (7-4)

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Israel 4, Russia 1

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Igor Andreev def. Dudi Sela, 4-3 retired

Harel Levy def. Igor Kunitsyn, 6-4 4-6 7-6 (7-2)

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Spain 3, Germany 2

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Philipp Kohlschreiber def. Fernando Verdasco, 6-4 6-2 1-6 2-6 8-6

Juan Carlos Ferrero def. Andreas Beck, 6-4 6-4 6-4

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Campbell's Hall of Fame Tennis Championships (Newport)

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Rajeev Ram def. Sam Querrey, 6-7 (3-7) 7-5 6-3

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GDF SUEZ Grand Prix (Budapest)

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Agnes Szavay def. Patty Schnyder, 2-6 6-4 6-2

Out of the Frying Pan...

I'm not sure whose idea it was to put Davis Cup the week after Wimbledon - which is, effectively, the week after the most intense six week period of the year - but it seems to have worked out okay for them. The only person this intense scheduling seems to have really affected is Andy Roddick, who picked up a wee bit of an injury in the Wimbledon final (and who really deserves a rest anyway after that effort). So they got away with it, but it doesn't necessarily mean it was smart...

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The story so far of the tie has to be Israel. What do they think they're doing, taking a 2-0 lead over Russia? That was certainly not in the script. When your team consists of Harel Levy and Dudi Sela, you pretty much expect to get beaten in the first round... maybe you'll win a round courtesy of Dudi and the doubles dudes if you get a good draw, but a whole tie...? Never.

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And that's the way it looks like it's going. I mean, sure, Tarpischev definitely doesn't have the bestest Russian team ever out there, but Youzhny and Andreev, who played the singles matches yesterday, should be able to subordinate the Israelies any day of the week. Now a lot rests on the doubles, and the Israelis have a world-class doubles team in Erlich and Ram. So if Safin and Kunitsyn can't subdue them... we are heading for the biggest Davis Cup upset this year.

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Germany are holding their own against Spain, as well - Andreas Beck very nearly almost took out Nando Verdasco to make it 2-0, but Nando is an iron man in Davis Cup, as we all know. Still, this will be a very interesting tie to follow. There's only so much heroics one man can pull, and I get the feeling that Spain is relying very much on Verdasco right now...

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And over to Argentina and the Czechs... is something up with Radek Stepanek? Because dude, he should be playing singles. He's still listed as playing doubles... is he injured? Because I can't see any other reason the Czechs would have sent Ivo Minar out in singles. That is not very smart. Not that Stepanek would have stood a huge chance over del Potro either, but he would have had A chance. Minar had none.

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Today's Results

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Davis Cup

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Argentina 1, Czech Republic 1

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Tomas Berdych def. Juan Monaco, 6-4 2-6 2-6 6-3 6-2

Juan Martin del Potro def. Ivo Minar, 6-1 6-3 6-3

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Croatia 1, USA 0

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Ivo Karlovic def. James Blake, 6-7 (5-7) 4-6 6-3 7-6 (7-3) 7-5

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Israel 2, Russia 0

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Harel Levy def. Igor Andreev, 6-4 6-2 4-6 6-2

Dudi Sela def. Mikhail Youzhny, 3-6 6-1 6-0 7-5

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Spain 1, Germany 1

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Fernando Verdasco def. Andreas Beck, 6-0 3-6 6-7 (4-7) 6-2 6-1

Philipp Kohlschreiber def. Tommy Robredo, 6-3 6-4 6-4

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Campbell's Hall of Fame Tennis Championships (Newport)

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Sam Querrey def. Kevin Kim, 6-3 6-4

Sam Querrey def. Prakash Amritraj, 6-7 (7-9) 6-3 6-2

Fabrice Santoro def. Taylor Dent, 7-6 (7-5) 6-4

Nicolas Mahut def. Fabrice Santoro, 4-6 4-6

Jesse Levine def. Philipp Petzschner, 7-6 (7-3) 6-2

Rajeev Ram def. Jesse Levine, 5-7 6-2 7-6 (7-3)

Brendan Evans def. Robby Ginepri, 6-3 6-4

Olivier Rochus def. Brendan Evans, 6-4 6-4

Rajeev Ram def. Sam Groth, 6-4 6-2

Olivier Rochus def. Sergiy Stakhovsky, 5-7 7-6 (7-2) 6-4

Kevin Kim def. Daniel Brands, 4-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-4

Nicolas Mahut def. Alex Bogomolov jr., 6-2 6-2

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Bastad Swedish Open Women (Bastad)

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Caroline Wozniacki def. Flavia Pennetta, 6-3 4-6 6-2

Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez def. Gisela Dulko, 7-5 6-4

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GDF Suez Grand Prix (Budapest)

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Agnes Szavay def. Timea Bacsinszky, 6-2 6-3

Alona Bondarenko def. Shahar Peer, 7-5 6-1

Edina Gallovits def. Petra Martic, 6-3 7-6 (8-6)

Nando Brings Home The Bacon

What an incredible victory for Spain. But it is tinged with a few bittersweet notes, in my opinion. Not that Spain didn't deserve their win, because they wholeheartedly did, but there is some sadness among the gladness, and not just for Argentina.

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First, the health of Juan Martin del Potro. He was obviously pretty badly injured, considering he chose not to play or was sidelined or whatever in the reverse singles. Would the story have been different if he had been fully fit? I like to think not, because I don't want to take anything away from the achievements of Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco, who were both outstanding this weekend. But I'm sure that seed of doubt will linger in a few minds for some time to come.

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And secondly, poor David Ferrer. I was all geared up for him to bring home the bacon today - not that he had to make up for losing to Nalbandian, because there's no shame in that, but it would have been nice if he could have had a second chance, so to speak. I wonder how difficult it was for Emilio Sanchez to make the decision to play Verdasco instead of Ferrer - and how Ferru reacted? Tennis is not by nature a team sport - rejection is not something players would often have an opportunity to cope with. Losing, yes, but not even being allowed the opportunity to lose? Poor Ferru. He was part of the winning team, all right, but he was the 1, not the 3. Tremendous as Fernando Verdasco's victory was, for it to come sort at the expense of Ferrer was, for me, bittersweet. I love Ferrer's style of play and he seems like such a nice bloke. It's great that he won Davis Cup and all, but I don't think he made any progress in coming out from Rafa's shadow. I'm sad he didn't get his chance.

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But how can one ignore the way that Lopez and Verdasco came through bigtime? I talked about Fidgiano yesterday, so let's talk Nando today - what a victory that was over Acasuso! Isn't it strange, the way the biggest event in world team tennis can come down to a match between two men who are essentially journeymen: neither have been or probably never will be near the top ten, and yet what a spectacle they put on! I always go on about how un-patriotic I am in terms of tennis and how it's about the individual not the nation, but I really think that the nationalistic element of Davis Cup really spurs the players on to excellence. In normal tour tennis, sure, you're playing for your country to a degree, but mostly you're playing for yourself. In Davis Cup, you've got a country behind (or at least the part of your country that pays attention to tennis, however meagre it may be.) This match between Verdasco and Acasuso was a real thriller, a popcorn match. You have to feel for Acasuso as well - this isn't the first time he's been the losing guy in a deciding rubber. You only have to think back to Argentina vs. Russia, Davis Cup final '06. But Nando really pulled it out. I bet his lovely girlfriend Mademoiselle Ivanovic will be pleased.

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This proves that Spanish tennis isn't all Rafa - just like Stan Wawrinka proved this year that Swiss tennis isn't all Roger. Fidgiano and Nando have been round for a while and they've done a whole heap of good stuff, but they just brought home the Davis Cup for their country, with no help from Rafa at all. Congratulations, guys - and congratulations to David Ferrer and Marcel Granollers and Emilio Sanchez and the whole team. Spain is the deepest country in men's tennis right now - and they've got the enormous trophy to prove it.

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Today's Results

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Davis Cup (Mar del Plata)

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Spain 3, Argentina 1

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Fernando Verdasco def. Jose Acasuso, 6-3 6-7 (3-7) 4-6 6-3 6-1

Ferru Up To Bat

Well, well, well. This certainly is an interesting turn of events. When Rafa announced he was out of the Davis Cup final, I think just about everyone wrote off Spain entirely - including, I am not ashamed to admit, me. But now, after two days of play, we find ourselves in a very interesting place. Spain are up 2-1.

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I stand by my statement that the real hero of this tie, if Spain can pull it out, will be Feliciano Lopez. His singles victory over Juan Martin del Potro was crucial - it cannot be expressed just how crucial it was. If Spain wins, I think that will be seen as the match that turned the tide. Even though del Potro is Argentina's star player this year, when it comes to Davis Cup, Nalbandian is and always has been rock solid. He proved that yesterday, with his victory over Ferrer - a victory one can only describe as solid, actually. Ol' Dave N ain't going anywhere. Del Potro may be ranked higher, but it is over his head that the question mark lies. Nine times out of ten, based on recent form, you'd pick del Potro to come out over Lopez. But Fidgiano pulled it out.

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Spain has to win one more match to win the tie - just one. If Feliciano Lopez wins that match, he will become a national hero. But who knows whether or not he will actually be the guy to play the reverse singles rubber? After that great win over del Potro and the gruelling doubles victory with Verdasco today, he might be the guy with the hot hand, but he must also be absolutely buggered.

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It is time for David Ferrer to step up to bat. He is the highest-ranked player on this team, and though he's played Spanish second banana to Rafa for, like, ever, it's time for him to do something absolutely outstanding in his own right. He's due to play the first singles rubber, nominally against del Potro, but there is a bit of an injury cloud as well as that question mark I was talking about before hovering Juan M's head. Presumably Jose Acasuso would be the replacement if del Potro cannot play. If Acasuso wins, he will be a hero, and he will leave Feliciano Lopez or Nando Verdasco or whomever Emilio Sanchez picks to save the day and become Spain's hero. Ferrer will be out in the cold, second banana once more.

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But if Ferru can step it up and win this rubber - he's not been in the best of form lately, but hello, he's David Ferrer - then maybe he can emerge, just a bit, from Rafa's shadow. Lopez will still be the hero of the tie: but at least he won't be the only hero.

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And then, hey, maybe Marcel Granollers will get a bit of court time in the dead rubber. I'm sure he'd like that.

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Today's Results

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Davis Cup (Mar del Plata)

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Spain 2, Argentina 1

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Lopez/Verdasco def. Nalbandian/Calleri, 5-7 7-5 7-6 (7-5) 6-3

Argentinian Grudge Match

Anyone else get the feeling that David Nalbandian and Juan Martin del Potro don't really like each other too much?

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I have pretty much nothing on which to base this hunch, but I can't help but feel it's true. I know if I were David Nalbandian and some little upstart teenager from my country came up and started winning stuff and being the pride of Argentinian tennis I would be a bit pissed off. Sure, it's great for Davis Cup, but... let's just say I don't think you'll ever see Headbandian and Juan Martino playing doubles together. Headbandian doesn't strike me as the nicest guy anyway - he appears to have a very contrary, surly sort of disposition - and we all know Juan is not unaggressive himself, after that whole 'you and your mother' incident with Andy Murray in Rome. Like I said, I have nothing on which to base my theory that Dave and Juan are at each others' throats... but does anyone else think the same thing?

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So this semi-final in Basel is going to be pretty interesting. Headbandian is the higher seed, but I'd be banking on del Potro. The way he's playing at the moment... well, there's a reason he's probably going to qualify for the Tennis Masters Cup and Headbandian probably isn't. Meanwhile, speaking of the Masters Cup, five have qualified and the top of the remaining three is Roddick, del Potro and, randomly, Gilles Simon. I knew Simon has had a good year, but has it really been that good? I guess it must have been.

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The Fed is through in Basel is well, stomping all over Simone Bolelli, which was nice. Fourth seed Blake is out, so he'll face Feliciano Lopez, and I think he should come through that one just fine, especially as he seems to have been lifting his game throughout the week. So he'll play the winner of the Argentinian grudge match... and he will win. Because I said so.

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Oh, and Ana Ivanovic is in the semis of Linz! Can she keep it coming? I sure hope so - I want her back!

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Today's Results

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Davidoff Swiss Indoors (Basel)

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Roger Federer def. Simone Bolelli, 6-2 6-3

David Nalbandian def. Benjamin Becker, 7-6 (7-4) 6-4

Juan Martin Del Potro def. Igor Andreev, 6-4 7-5

Feliciano Lopez def. James Blake, 6-4 7-6 (9-7)

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St Petersburg Open (St Petersburg)

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Andy Murray def. Janko Tipsarevic, 7-6 (7-5) 7-5

Fernando Verdasco def. Rainer Schuettler, 7-5 6-2

Victor Hanescu def. Michail Elgin, 6-1 6-4

Andrey Golubev def. Mischa Zverev, 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 7-6 (7-4)

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Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon (Lyon)

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Robin Soderling def. Andy Roddick, 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-5)

Gilles Simon def. Josselin Ouanna, 6-3 7-5

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Juan Carlos Ferrero, 7-6 (7-5) 6-1

Julien Benneteau def. Steve Darcis, 6-3 6-2

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Generali Ladies Linz (Linz)

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Ana Ivanovic def. Flavia Pennetta, 6-4 6-4

Vera Zvonareva def. Alizé Cornet, 7-5 6-1

Agnieszka Radwanska def. Nadia Petrova, 6-3 6-2

Marion Bartoli def. Alona Bondarenko, 6-3 5-7 6-1

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FORTIS Championships Luxembourg (Luxembourg)
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Elena Dementieva def. Amélie Mauresmo, 6-4 6-0

Sorana Cirstea def. Daniela Hantuchova, 7-6 (7-2) 6-2

Caroline Wozniacki def. Anabel Medina Garrigues, 6-1 7-6 (9-7)

Li Na def. Iveta Benesova, 6-4 4-6 6-2

Argentina Changes It Up

For the first time ever, Argentina is not playing a home Davis Cup tie on clay. Which is very, very smart, though you don't need to be a genius to work that out. They've proposed the indoor stadium at Cordoba, with their alternate offering being another indoor stadium. It's certainly the best way to give themselves a fighting chance.

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Rafa, in past years, has kind of disappeared after Wimbledon, and by the indoor season he's pretty much gone altogether. He certainly didn't disappear after this year's Wimbledon, what with that Olympic gold medal and suchlike, so it will be interesting to see how he handles the indoor season - the season that was absolutely owned by David Nalbandian last year. That is how Headbandian is still in the top ten, yesno - those carryover points from Paris and Madrid last year?

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Nadal has never beaten Nalbandian (I think) and so it will be veeeeeery interesting to see how this tie plays out, on Nalbandian's preferred surface. You still wouldn't bet against Nadal - the guy beat Federer on grass, so you'd think he can do just about anything - but this is a pretty big challenge, at any rate. I suppose it'll be contingent on which Nalbandian shows up. GoodDave usually appears at Davis Cup, but you never know when LameDave will rear his ugly head...

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We have several tournaments going on this week - the ATP is in Metz, the WTA in Stuttgart and Tashkent, and there's a joint tournament in Tokyo. One of my Stars is active in Metz, and he's making a very good account of himself - that would be Ernests Gulbis, who took out Mario Ancic, the eighth seed. All portents of good things - well, maybe not for Ancic, but for Gulbis certainly. Ancic is not necessarily in the best shape ever right now, but a victory is a victory and it's nothing to sneeze at! I would dearly love to see Gulbis make an assault on the title here. Marin Cilic has won his first title - it's Ernests's turn!

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Meanwhile, how rude was it of Andy Roddick not to go to Mardy Fish's wedding? I mean, sure he's a tennis player and he has to play and stuff, but didn't they, like, grow up together? I hope Mardy Fish refuses to attend Roddick's wedding. I would. What I found particularly ironic is that the tournament Roddick played which caused him to miss the wedding was in Beijing. Should have gone to China when everyone else was there for the Olympics, Andy!

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And finally, does anyone know what's going on with Marina Erakovic? She was sailing beautifully for a while there, and now she's losing all the time. What's going on?

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Today's Results

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Open de Moselle (Metz)

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Ernests Gulbis def. Mario Ancic, 7-6 (7-3) 6-4

Jose Acasuso def. Guillermo Canas, 6-3 2-6 6-3

Janko Tipsarevic def. Jeremy Chardy, 7-6 (7-5) 7-5

Carlos Moya def. Albert Montanes, 6-1 4-6 6-4

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AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships (Tokyo)

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Men's Draw

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Ivo Minar def. Mischa Zverev, 7-6 (11-9) 2-6 6-2

Amer Delic def. Go Soeda, 6-4 6-2

Hyung-taik Lee def. Satoshi Iwabuchi, 6-1 6-4

Takao Suzuki def. Yuichi Sugita, 6-3 7-6 (8-6)

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Women's Draw

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Kaia Kanepi def. Lucie Safarova, 4-6 6-3 6-4

Marta Domachowska def. Aiko Nakamura, 6-4 7-5

Ayumi Morita def. Marina Erakovic, 6-1 6-4

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Porsche Tennis Grand Prix (Stuttgart)

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Sybille Bammer def. Tatjana Malek, 4-6 6-2 7-5

Li Na def. Nicole Vaidisova, 6-1 6-2

Alona Bondarenko def. Eleni Daniilidou, 7-6 (7-5) 6-1

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Tashkent Open (Tashkent)

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Sabine Lisicki def. Dilyara Saidkhodjaeva, 6-0 6-1

Magdalena Rybarikova def. Kathrin Woerle, 6-4 6-4

Sofia Shapatava def. Kinnie Laisne, 6-3 4-6 6-4

Miracle Territory

We have a point! A whole one! I don't know if I've ever been so pleased by an Australian tennis result in my life. Trust me to only get behind my country when we have absolutely no chance of winning. But still! a point! A whole, entire point! Yay! Good work, Guccione and Ball!

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That said, we are still going to lose - I can envision no universe in which Gonzalez loses to Guccione. But Luczak has the capability of beating Massu if he plays well, and 3-2 ain't nothing to be ashamed of. Hell, we avoided being whitewashed 5-0 - there should be dancing in the streets anyway!

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Tennis Australia described the win as 'miraculous' and I do not disagree. We will need a miracle to win this tie - and I don't think it'll be delivered. Nonetheless, we took our first baby steps into miracle territory. Even though we're not very good, I find this Davis Cup team so exciting. Give it a few years, and we are going to rock the tennis house.

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Surprisingly few teams closed out their ties today - Switzerland and Serbia were the only ones. If Federer and Wawrinka commit to playing a full year of Davis Cup next year, I don't know who would gainsay their chances - Spain, maybe, if they played Nadal and Ferrer and it was on clay, would start favourites against them, but I can't think of anyone else.

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Meanwhile, Britain is in big trouble... it'll be sad if they don't claw back into the World Group, because they probably deserve it more than Austria, in that they have a top singles player and a top doubles player. Nonetheless, if they don't win, then they don't deserve to be there. Snaps to Austria.

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Meanwhile, what a match that was in the Argentina/Russia tie! I'm glad Russia won it and kept the tie alive, because it is such an intriguing match up! It'll be really interesting to see which way it goes tomorrow, especially in the Davydenko/Nalbandian match. Del Potro will probably close it out for Argentina, I would imagine, but anything can happen with those crazy Russians. And speaking of crazy, I was obviously a little insane to doubt the ability of Mike Bryan to pair with someone else, as he and Mardy Fish managed quite nicely in their win. Somehow I don't see Andy Roddick beating Rafa Nadal tomorrow, but, like the Aussies, at least they managed to get a point.

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And well done to my girl Dinara Safina, who is in yet another Tier I final! She plays Svetlana Kuznetsova for the Tokyo crown, and somehow I'm feeling Dinara on this one... I wonder why.

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Today's Results

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Davis Cup Semi Finals

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Argentina 2, Russia 1

Kunitsyn/Tursunov def. Canas/Nalbandian, 6-2 6-1 6-7 (9-11) 3-6 8-6

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Spain 2, USA 1

Bryan/Fish def. Lopez/Verdasco, 4-6 6-4 6-3 4-6 6-4

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Davis Cup Playoffs

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Chile 2, Australia 1

Ball/Guccione def. Gonzalez/Massu, 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (10-8) 6-3 5-7 7-5

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Austria 2, Great Britain 1

Knowle/Melzer def. Murray/Hutchins, 6-4 6-3 6-1

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Switzerland 3, Belgium 0

Federer/Wawrinka def. Malisse/Rochus, 4-6 7-6 (8-6) 6-3 6-3

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Croatia 2, Brazil 1

Melo/Sa def. Karlovic/Zovko, 6-7 (3-7) 6-2 7-5 6-7 (5-7) 6-3

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Israel 2, Peru 1

Levy/Ram def. Echazu/Silva, 6-1 6-1 6-2

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Netherlands 2, Korean Republic 1

Huta Galung/Wessels def. Jun/Lee, 4-6 6-4 6-4 6-3

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Romania 2, India 1

Bhupathi/Paes def. Cruciat/Tecau, 6-4 7-6 (7-0_ 6-4

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Serbia 3, Slovak Republic 0

Troicki/Zimonjic def. Mertinak/Polasek, 7-6 (10-8) 6-4 6-7 (7-9) 7-6 (7-5)

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Toray Pan Pacific Open (Tokyo)

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Dinara Safina def. Nadia Petrova, 6-1 6-0

Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Katarina Srebotnik, 7-6 (7-5) 6-2

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TOE Life Ceramics Guangzhou International Women's Open (Guangzhou)

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Vera Zvonareva def. Zheng Jie, 6-3 7-5

Peng Shuai def. Camille Pin, 6-2 6-1

Nothing's Out Of Reach If You've Got Long Arms

If you're sick of talking Davis Cup, stop reading now.

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Let's start with the Argentinians today. They are, I feel, a perpetually underestimated tennis nation, and yet they're always up here in Davis Cup. I can't remember a time they weren't in the last four... that said, my Davis Cup memory is not the best, as I don't normally follow it as closely as normal tour tennis. Nonetheless, this Davis Cup week is pretty interesting, and the performance of the Argentinians is going to be intriguing.

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Nalbandian and del Potro are the singles players, which I think is a very smart move. Argentina has tennis depth, but, unlike Spain, who are arguably the deepest nation in men's tennis at the moment, they don't have any players that are massive superstars. At the moment, that is - Nalbandian has been a superstar, but he hasn't been playing like one this year. Del Potro is well on his way to being a superstar, but he's got a way to go yet. He is only about twelve years old, we must remember.

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The outcome of this tie is going to be very much on Argentina's racquet, I feel - more particularly, on the racquet of David Nalbandian. Despite his otherwise mediocre record this year, he is flawless in Davis Cup. Both Andreev and Davydenko, the singles players for Russia, are capable of beating him. That said, he is more than capable of beating both of them. He is more talented than Davydenko and more refined than Andreev, and if he can pull out a GoodDave, as opposed to a LameDave, performance, then I would put good money on Argentina to win.

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I'd normally go for Russia every time in this equation - the Tursunov factor - but I find myself pulling for Argentina this time, just a bit. Mostly because I think a match up between them and Spain would be incredibly compelling. What happens when you put Nadal and Nalbandian on a court together? WHAT HAPPENS?

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Another tie that is going to be very interesting is Croatia vs. Brazil playoff. You'd have to go with Croatia, who are playing Karlovic, Cilic and Ancic, but Brazil's team might be a dark horse. Presumably they're playing Melo and Sa, their gun doubles team, and probably Thomaz Bellucci too... hey, we could see a Cilic/Bellucci Stars of the Future Showdown! Move over Grapple in the Apple!

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Meanwhile, Australia has finally named their team, though I suppose they are still capable of pulling a swap - we have up till an hour before we take the court, yesno? Guccione and Luczak are the singles players (Luczak has to play Gonzalez first, poor bugger) and then Smeets and Ball will play the doubles. Groth, Tomic and Klein will have to watch from the sidelines, I guess. Still, Aussie Aussie Aussie!

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There was a great quote from John Fitzgerald today - someone asked him if thought Gooch was going to be able to bear the burden of being team leader, and he said 'he's got big shoulders.' I loved that. Who knows? We'll need a miracle to win this one, but nothing's out of reach if you've got long arms.

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In other, non-Davis Cup news, the nightmare continues for Ana Ivanovic, who got beaten by Nadia Petrova in Tokyo... I thought not being #1 would settle her down a bit, but obviously not....

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Today's Results

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Toray Pan Pacific Open (Tokyo)

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Jelena Jankovic def. Flavia Pennetta, 6-2 6-1

Nadia Petrova def. Ana Ivanovic, 6-1 1-6 6-2

Elena Dementieva def. Alizé Cornet, 6-0 6-3

Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Ayumi Morita, 6-1 6-1

Agnieszka Radwanska def. Marion Bartoli, 6-2 6-3

Katarina Srebotnik def. Francesca Schiavone, 6-4 6-3

Kaia Kanepi def. Virginie Razzano, 6-4 6-2

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TOE Life Ceramics Guangzhou International Women's Open

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Vera Zvonareva def. Xu Yi-Fan, 6-1 7-6 (7-4)

Zheng Jie def. Ioana Raluca Olaru, 6-4 6-0

Peng Shuai def. Lu Jingjing, 6-3 6-4

Arantxa Rus def. Gisela Dulko, 6-4 6-4

Tamira Paszek def. Pauline Parmentier, 6-2 2-6 6-3

Camille Pin def. Alla Kudryavtseva, 2-6 6-0 6-2

Bryan/...Fish?

The news is all Davis Cup today - probably the biggest news being that America is now well and truly screwed. There was no way either Roddick or Querrey was ever going to beat Rafa Nadal on clay, even if Rafa sleepwalked his way through the match. All their hopes rested on winning the doubles and then snatching a couple of reverse singles rubbers, but I think that's shot now. Bob Bryan is out, Mardy Fish is in and one can imagine both he and Mike Bryan would be a bit at sea.

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I know BryanBryan are the best doubles team in the world, but I have serious doubts about their abilities playing with other partners - and I guess we'll find out if I'm right. Mike Bryan and Mardy Fish will (probably) contest the doubles against Verdasco and Lopez, one would imagine, and though they still have a shot at winning (you wouldn't count them out) their chances are greatly lessened. I don't Patrick McEnroe would be a very pleasant person to be round right now.

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Though it may turn out OK for the US, I guess... if Rafa falls over and breaks his leg. To be honest, I think I'd prefer to see Spain in the final anyway - with the depth they have in men's tennis, they sort of deserve a Davis Cup win! I think Spain/Argentina would be veeeeeeery interesting, especially if Rafa played Nalbandian... I am itching for those two to have a rematch, because I want to know what'll happen, what with Rafa having a losing record against Headbandian, but LameDave keeps turning up and losing and it is, like, so annoying. The four teams still left in the running are all very good and all the potential finals match ups are intriguing, but that'd be my preferred one, I think.

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The two teams I want to see back in the World Group next year are Australia and Switzerland, and Switzerland look pretty sure to make it. The Swiss team is Federer, Wawrinka, Allegro and Bohli, playing the Belgians, Darcis, Vliegen and the Rochus brothers. Forgive me, but I'm feeling the Swiss might just win that one. Not only have you got the Mighty Fed in there, you have the Olympic gold medal winning doubles team... though one would imagine Allegro is in there as a doubles specialist. Nevertheless, hopp Suisse. I'm sure you won't be needing the luck I'm sending you, but I'm sending it anyway.

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Australia, of course, are Belgium to Chile's Switzerland, but I have to say that I'm very impressed with the attitude the team is taking. The fact that there's seven guys competing for four spots seems to be pushing them all to greater heights - I only hope they don't wear themselves out before competition actually starts! I would really, really like to see Tomic make the cut, even if they only play him in dead rubbers - I think it would be really good experience for him. I also think he is the player most likely to pull an upset, because he has the potential for absolute fabulousness and the Chilean guns are going to have pretty much no clue who he is, one imagines. I can't see him beating Gonzalez, but against Massu... who knows?

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The Australian team knows that they have very little shot at winning, but it seems like they're prepared to give it their all - Chris Guccione said this morning:

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“I've had some of my best results in Davis Cup. If I can get a win or two its going to be huge.”

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Oh, Gooch, I'd love to see you get some wins too. I think Johm Fitzgerald and Darren Cahill have taken just the right line on this. Gooch and Luczak, you'd think, would be certs to be part of the four man squad, and there are older players like Sirianni they could have gone with, but going with the youth is perfect. There is pretty much no way we're going to win, no matter who we play - so why not have a go and blood the young guys? And if anyone has any chance, one would think it's the young guys, who are so explosive and unpredictable... I am very impressed indeed. Aussie Aussie Aussie!

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Today's Results

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Toray Pan Pacific Open (Tokyo)

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Agnieszka Radwanska def. Aiko Nakamura, 6-1 6-4

Francesca Schiavone def. Daniela Hantuchova, 6-1 7-5

Kaia Kanepi def. Anna Chakvetadze, 6-4 3-6 6-3

Marion Bartoli def. Maria Kirilenko, 6-2 6-2

Flavia Pennetta def. Shahar Peer, 6-4 6-4

Alizé Cornet def. Aleksandra Wozniak, 4-6 6-3 6-3

Dominika Cibulkova def. Amélie Mauresmo, 0-6 6-1 7-6 (10-8)

Ayumi Morita def. Agnes Szavay, 6-7 (7-9) 7-5 6-4

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TOE Life Ceramics Guangzhou International Women's Open (Guangzhou)

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Zheng Jie def. Sun Tiantian, 6-0 6-1

Gisela Dulko def. Tatiana Poutchek, 7-6 (7-3) 3-6 6-4

Pauline Parmentier def. Han Xinyun, 6-1 7-5

Jill Craybas def. Anastasia Pivovarova, 6-2 6-4

Arantxa Rus def. Yanina Wickmayer, 6-7 (2-7) 6-2 6-4

Xu Yi-Fan def. Stéphanie Dubois, 6-3 6-1