Not So Bad At All

You know, considering the amount of time I spend whinging about Australian tennis (which is very little compared to the Australian media, who seem to view our lack of awesome tennis players as some kind of national tragedy) it often comes as a surprise to me that our Fed Cup team is not so bad.

Think about it. We have Sam Stosur, who, while she has her sketchy days, has one of the best serves on the women's tour, an all-round great gam as well as stellar doubles credentials. Rennae Stubbs, ditto on the doubles credentials. We have Casey Dellacqua, who is not sub-par herself, and Alicia Molik, who is not bad, and Jelena Dokic, she of the sketchy brilliance. And then we have players like Olivia Rogwoska and Shannon Golds and Jess Moore and Monika Wejnert coming up... we are really okay when it comes to the ladies.

The Australian girls are currently one-all against the Spaniards, after Sam Stosur won her singles rubber but Casey Dellacqua lost hers. Apparently David Taylor agonised over who to put in as the second singles player, but I think Dellacqua was as good a choice as any, considering she was the second best performer of the Aussie girls at the Open. She's still not back to where she was but she did okay...

...but I digress. Stosur and Stubbs are looking the goods to take out the doubles and if Stosur can win her singles tomorrow then Australia will take out the tie. The Spanish women aren't exactly the powerhouse that the Spanish men are, but they're tough, and if the Aussie girls can get 'em that will be a real victory.

I know this doesn't say a lot, this here post, but really, I think we spend enough time bitching about the state of Australian tennis. There is my equivalent of fluff and celebration. This is my 'Australian tennis is not so bad' feel good post. Smiley face.

...and the Australians just totally won. Made of awesome!

Big Kev Said It Best...

I have to say it - I'm excited about our Fed Cup team. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Australian women's tennis has got a spring in its step again. I think Sam Stosur puts it best:

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"Right from when we first got here we thought we had a good team ... three of us in the top 100 and Rennae in the doubles and Casey or myself able to play with Stubbsy in the doubles matches. It's a really good combination. Obviously the next tie is going to be tough depending who it's against and where it is, but I think we've got a great chance."

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And she's pretty much right. Three women in the top hundred - when did that happen? Actually, come to think of it, we did have that before, but - well, it's all about Jelena Dokic, really. I think it would be fair to say that this clean sweepage that's been going on this week has been her triumph. I mean, it belongs to Stosur and Dellacqua and Stubbs, but this whole resurgence, this newfound confidence in women's tennis in Oz can almost wholly be credited to Dokic, I think, and that amazing showing she put in at the Aussie Open.

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Now, I don't want to leave Sam Stosur out of this. She has had a fabulous week all week - and she certainly defeated the better player on the New Zealand squad today when she took out Marina Erakovic easily, while Dokic had more of a struggle against unranked Dianne Hollands. And she had that amazing comeback victory against Tamarine Tanasugarn, and she's just come back from that bizarre disease she had last year, and... yeah, this belongs to Sam too. But I think just as far as actual confidence goes, the notion that Australia actually has some real quality strength in women's tennis - I think that one's all Dokic.

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It's not that we weren't strong before. Stosur and Dellacqua are both world class players. But just the injection of the energy that Dokic has brought... it's something special. Dokic mk. 1 was a fabulous player - she got to #4 in the world, the semis of Wimbledon, all kinds of things. But Dokic mk. 2 is a better model, methinks. I don't know whether she'll get to #4 in the world again, but as a tennis player and as a person, I think she is more complete now. And her meteoric rise out of nowhere... that is really, really good for Australian tennis. To use the immortal words of Big Kev, I'm excited!

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Today's Results

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SA Tennis Open (Johannesburg)

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Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Frederico Gil, 6-3 6-4

Jeremy Chardy def. David Ferrer, 1-6 7-6 (11-9) 7-6 (7-4)

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Movistar Open (Vina del Mar)

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Fernando Gonzalez def. Juan Monaco, 6-0 6-2

Jose Acasuso def. Tommy Robredo, 5-7 6-2 6-4

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PBZ Zagreb Indoors (Zagreb)

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Marin Cilic def. Viktor Troicki, 6-2 7-5

Mario Ancic def. Jan Hernych, 6-7 (4-7) 6-3 7-6 (11-9)

To 2011 And Beyond!

Well, well, well, Australian women's tennis. Maybe you are not as hopeless as you have been made out to be in the past. After sweeping Korea on the first day on competition, the girls have just made another clean one of Thailand, with Dokic and Stosur winning the singles and then Dellacqua and Stubbs finishing it off in the doubles. How 'bout that, eh? How 'bout that?

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I mean, of course, Australia is in a really low group right now - the Asia/Oceania group - and we have to win the final to have a chance to get into World Group 2, the group below the World Group proper. The earliest we could compete for the actual Fed Cup is 2011, when one has to think Dokic and Stosur will be a leeeeeetle past their prime. But I suppose we do have players like Isabella Holland, Monica Wejnert and Olivia Rogowska coming up...

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It's just really nice to see the girls doing well. Jelena cruised in her match, winning it 6-1 6-2, but the day belonged to Stosur, who came back from a set and 5-2 down to beat Tamarine Tanasugarn (who is actually ranked higher than she is) to win the tie. She won eleven straight games. Now that's pretty sweet.

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And then, in other Australian tennis news, I think Jarmila Gajdosova is 100% definitely an Australian citizen now - she just got married to Sam Groth. The new Mrs. Groth (who is going by Groth now) really troubled Victoria Azarenka in Brisbane - and actually could be another good addition to the Fed Cup squad one day. And we all know how Scary Sam played Davis Cup for Oz last year against Chile... and I didn't even know they were dating. Guess you learn something new every day.

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Today's Results

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SA Tennis Open (Johannesburg)

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Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Denis Istomin, 6-1 6-4

Guillermo Garcia-Lopez def. Leonardo Mayer, 6-4 7-5

Jeremy Chardy def. Marco Chiudinelli. 6-4 6-4

Kristof Vliegen def. Ivo Minar, 6-4 6-1

Frederico Gil def. Rik de Voest, 4-6 7-5 6-4

Sebastien de Chaunac def. Izak Van Der Merwe, 6-7 (3-7) 7-5 7-6 (7-5)

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Movistar Open (Vina del Mar)

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Tommy Robredo def. Brian Dabul, 6-3 7-6 (7-5)

Sebastian Decoud def. Agustin Calleri, 7-6 (7-3) 7-5

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PBZ Zagreb Indoors (Zagreb)

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Sergiy Stakhovsky def. Ivo Karlovic, 6-4 3-6 6-3

Jan Hernych def. Paul-Henri Mathieu, 6-7 (7-9) 6-4 6-2

Mario Ancic def. Teimuraz Gabashvili, 6-1 6-1

Ivan Dodig def. Ernests Gulbis, 7-6 (7-3) 6-4

Mischa Zverev def. Victor Hanescu, 6-4 5-7 7-6 (9-7)