Spain vs. Germany Highlights 2018 Davis Cup Quarterfinal Matchups Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic
The Davis Cup quarterfinals feature a host of top European sides along with team USA hoping to make it one step further towards the 2018 Davis Cup final. Here is your full preview, with predictions.
An experienced Italian side will battle on clay against the title favorites France. Lucas Pouille takes on Andreas Seppi, while Fabio Fognini is slated to face Jeremy Chardy in the opening ties. Those early ties should decide things, while the French have an edge in doubles with Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut opposite Simone Bolelli/Paolo Lorenzi. Italy at home has a chance, but I’ll back a strong French side.
On clay in Spain, Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer lead the Armada against a strong German side in the tie of the weekend. Alexander Zverev will look to strengthen his credentials as the top player for his country. Philipp Kohlschreiber is also on hand, while the Lopez brothers is set to face Tim Puetz/J.L. Struff in doubles. On clay Nadal and Ferrer should be too tough and Spain looks positioned to advance.
Marin Cilic and Borna Coric make the home Croatian side favorites on clay against Kazakhstan. The Kazakh’s play strong as a team led by Mikhail Kukushkin, but Dmitry Popko, Timur Khabibulin, and Aleksandr Nedovyesov are simply not strong enough against Cilic and Coric. Ivan Dodig and Nikola Mektic are on hand for doubles. Croatia should win easily.
John Isner and Sam Querrey are on home soil in Nashville on hard courts against a weak Belgian side. Ryan Harrison and Jack Sock are also on hand, while Joris De Loore, Ruben Bemelmans, and Sander Gille/Joran Vliegen counter for Belgium. Anything but a USA sweep would be a shock.
In Europe/Africa Group 1 Jiri Vesely and the Czech Republic takes on Dudi Sela in Israel, the Ymer brothers lead Sweden against Joao Sousa and Portugal, Martin Klizan and Damir Dzumhur feature in the Slovakia vs. Bosnia tie, and a strong Russian side looks to close out Austria with Andrey Rublev and Daniil Medvedev leading the charge.
Colombia vs. Brazil, Indian vs. China, and Argentina vs. Chile also feature, with Diego Schwartzman and Nicolas Jarry squaring off in Argentina on clay.
Alexander Zverev’s Germany and Team USA Surge into Davis Cup Quarterfinals Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic
Davis Cup action concluded on Sunday with one major upset and some otherwise interesting action on the weekend, highlighted by Germany upsetting Australia on the road, and Team USA dealing with a tricky road test against Serbia. Here is your full recap.
Despite Thiemo De Bakker’s opening rubber upset of Adrian Mannarino, the French team staved off the upset minded Dutch thanks to a big win from Mannarino against Robin Haase in five sets on Sunday. Richard Gasquet had beaten Haase on Friday, and Haase and Jean-Julien Rojer fell in doubles against Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert on Saturday. The defending champions remain alive and face Italy on the road next.
Fabio Fognini won a pair of five set matches, the first over Taro Daniel, and the second over Yuichi Sugita to push Italy through to the quarters. Fognini also won the doubles rubber paired with Simone Bolelli, and Sugita’s win over Andreas Seppi was the only joy for the home Japanese side. The weekend of Davis Cup was likely tiring for Fognini, but perhaps will inspire him on the ATP tour in coming weeks.
Cam Norrie came back from 2 sets down on clay to stun Roberto Bautista Agut, despite having practically no professional experience on the surface. He temporarily gave the underdog Brits hope. Spain didn’t let that hope go much further though, Albert Ramos beat Norrie on Sunday, and Liam Broady on Friday, and Pablo Carreno Busta/Feliciano Lopez beat Dominic Inglot/Jamie Murray in doubles. Spain hosts Germany next.
Alexander Zverev pulled off consecutive gutsy wins against Alex De Minaur (in five sets) and Nick Kyrgios to propel Germany into the quarterfinals. Kyrgios beat J.L. Struff in his other singles match, but a massive result for Struff and his partner Tim Puetz in doubles against Matthew Ebden and John Peers was perhaps what swung the entire tie.
Despite lacking in big name talent, Kazakhstan continues to produce results in the Davis Cup. It was a live rubber sweep for the Kazakh’s, Dmitry Popko and team leader Mikhail Kukushkin beat Henri Laaksonen and Adrian Bodmer in singles, and then Timur Khabibulin and Aleksandr Nedovyesov sealed the tie with a doubles win against Marc-Andrea Huesler/Luca Margaroli. The dead rubbers were split.
Croatia’s Borna Coric scored wins against Canada’s Vasek Pospisil and Denis Shapovalov in singles to send his country into the quarters opposite Kazakhstan. Shapovalov’s victory over Viktor Galovic ended up being of no importance, as Pospisil and Daniel Nestor fell in doubles from 2 sets to love up against Marin Cilic and Ivan Dodig. Playing on the road, and on clay, was too much for Canada.
USA d. Serbia 3-1
Team USA will host Belgium after Sam Querrey, John Isner, and Ryan Harrison/Steve Johnson dominated a weak Serbian side on the road, and on clay. Laslo Djere, Dusan Lajovic, and Miljan Zekic/Nikola Milojevic all went down in defeat. Johnson lost a dead rubber.
The defending finalists were tested by Hungary, but prevailed, Ruben Bemelmans and David Goffin gave the Belgians a 2-0 lead after defeating Marton Fucsovics and Attila Balazs. The Hungarian pair defeated Bemelmans and Joris De Loore in doubles, but Goffin sealed the tie with a win against the rising Fucsovics.
Action outside the world group
Ties in America’s group 1 were set for round 2, Argentina will face Chile, and Brazil will travel to Colombia. In Asia, India faces China and Uzbekistan will take on Pakistan. In Europe it will be Israel traveling to the Czech Republic, Sweden hosting Portugal, Slovakia against Bosnia, and Austria facing Russia.
With a strong doubles team of Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert, along with Richard Gasquet and Lucas Pouille for singles, defending champions France are a heavy favorite at home on hard courts against Holland. Their pairing of Thiemo De Bakker and Robin Haase, with Matwe Middelkoop and Jean-Julien Rojer for doubles has plenty of peak talent but they have frequently failed to reach their ceiling. France should be the strong favorite.
Despite being on the road, the pairing of Fabio Fognini and Andreas Seppi has an edge against Taro Daniel and Yuichi Sugita for Japan. Simone Bolelli and Paolo Lorenzi should win the doubles rubber over Ben Mclachlan and Yasutaka Uchiyama, giving Italy the advantage on hard courts.
On clay in Spain, the home team will be a heavy favorite against team GB. Missing their top singles players, Liam Broady and Cam Norrie will carry the Union Jack against Albert Ramos and Roberto Bautista Agut. Pablo Carreno Busta and Feliciano Lopez should play doubles against Dominic Inglot/Jamie Murray, but outside of the doubles rubber Spain should win big, dominating singles.
In the biggest tie of the weekend Nick Kyrgios and Alex De Minaur go up against Alexander Zverev and Germany. J.L. Struff is also on hand for singles, while the doubles pairings are John Peers/Matt Ebden vs. Peter Gojowczyk/Tim Puetz. With both De Minaur and Kyrgios playing well, and the Aussies having a great doubles pairing, team Australia should win at home on hard courts.
Mikhail Kukushkin and Henri Laaksonen are the only players with notable ATP experience in thsi tie. Kazakhstan rounds out their team with Dmitry Popko, and Timur Khabibulin/Alexander Nedovyesov for doubles. The Swiss have Adrian Bodmer, Marc-Andrea Huesler and Luca Margaroli. A young Swiss team should struggle on the road on indoor hard.
Croatia’s Borna Coric takes to the clay courts of his homeland opposite fellow young gun Denis Shapovalov in this Davis Cup contest. Viktor Galovic and the veteran doubles pairing of Ivan Dodig/Franko Skugor round out Croatia’s team. Canada has veteran journeyman Peter Polansky, plus Vasek Pospisil and the ageless Daniel Nestor. Presuming Shapovalov can defeat Coric, Canada should be slight favorites on the road.
Sam Querrey and John Isner will have to play well on clay in Serbia in order to get the USA into the next round. Ryan Harrison and Steve Johnson are also on a balanced American team. Serbia is missing their best, as they have Laslo Djere, Dusan Lajovic, Nikola Milojevic, and Miljan Zekic on their team. Even on clay, Djere and Lajovic aren’t as good as the American singles options, and team USA should win.
Defending finalists Belgium have their core pairing of David Goffin and Ruben Bemelmans to go up against the rising Marton Fucsovics, and Attila Balazs for Hungary. At home on hard courts in Belgium, Goffin should lead his team to a win. Julien Cagnina/Joris De Loore will be playing in the doubles tie, perhaps to clinch a win.
2017 Davis Cup Round 1 Recap: Stunning wins for Belgium and Italy Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic
An exciting Davis Cup weekend saw three ties go the distance as nations booked their spots in the World Group quarterfinals for 2017. Here is your recap of all of the happenings at venues across the world.
A rowdy Buenos Aires crowd went home on Monday disappointed, in a tie that went an extra day after rainstorms prevented it from finishing on Sunday. The Italians strong 2-0 start put defending champions Argentina into a hole that they couldn’t recover from by the end of the tie. Paolo Lorenzi defeated Guido Pella to open the tie, and Andreas Seppi needed four sets to put away Carlos Berlocq. Argentina staved off defeat by winning the doubles, as Berlocq and Leonardo Mayer combined to defeat Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini in five sets. Berlocq then defeated Lorenzi to force a decisive fifth rubber that was played on Monday.
From two sets to love down, Fabio Fognini upset Pella in five sets. The Italian started in pedestrian form, sleepwalking through two sets, but Pella ran out of steam, and was unable to finish the match out, Pella went down a break against Fognini in the fifth, and despite having chances, he was unable to get it back.
Belgium d. Germany 4-1
Steve Darcis played nine sets of tennis in this tie, winning six of those sets, as the serve and volleying veteran led Belgium to an upset of neighboring Germany in Frankfurt. Darcis defeated Philipp Kohlschreiber in five sets on Friday, clinching the tie with an upset of Alexander Zverev in four sets on Sunday. Darcis pivotal leadership also helped Ruben Bemelmans and Joris De Loore defeat the Zverev brothers in the doubles rubber. The only German victory came for Alexander Zverev on Friday over Arthur De Greef. Bemelmans beat Mischa Zverev in a dead rubber. Presuming David Goffin returns to play for Belgium, the recent DC finalists have the makings of a great team that can make a deep run.
Australia d. Czech Republic 4-1
Australia showed off a talented and deep squad, dominating the Czech Republic 3-0 in live rubbers as Jordan Thompson, Nick Kyrgios, Sam Groth/John Peers all won their matches without dropping so much of a set. Jiri Vesely lost to Thompson, Jan Satral lost to Kyrgios, and Satral and Vesely together dropped the decisive doubles point against Groth/Peers. Vesely beat Groth in a dead rubber, while Thompson eased past Satral in two sets to conclude the tie.
USA d. Switzerland 5-0
The lone round 1 whitewash came in Birmingham for team USA, as a weak Swiss team was no match for the USA’s best. Jack Sock beat Marco Chiudinelli in straights on Friday, while John Isner needed four sets and one tiebreak against Henri Laaksonen. Sock and Steve Johnson clinched the tie with a routine win over Laaksonen and Adrien Bossel, then Sam Querrey and Steve Johnson were called upon on Sunday to delight home fans with routine victories over Adrien Bossel and Antoine Bellier. Along with having five ATP caliber players, team USA showed off a lot of great team chemistry over the weekend.
France d. Japan 4-1
France swept Japan in live rubbers, as the experience of their squad shone through in two days of competitive action. Richard Gasquet and Gilles Simon eased past Taro Daniel and Yoshihito Nishioka on Friday, setting up Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert to pair up and defeat Yasutaka Uchiyama and Yuichi Sugita to clinch the tie. Mahut and Herbert played dead rubbers against Nishioka and Uchiyama, splitting results.
Great Britain d. Canada 3-2
A horrible mistake by teenager Denis Shapovalov doomed Team Canada, as Great Britain had to scratch and claw to survive a tie that was more challenging than expected for the Brits. Dan Evans got the tie started off great for Team GB, easing past Shapovalov in straight sets. Vasek Pospisil had an impressive tie though, as he defeated Kyle Edmund in straights on Friday, and despite dropping the doubles rubber alongside Daniel Nestor to Dominic Inglot and Jamie Murray, Pospisil came back to defeat Evans in a close four setter to setup Shapovalov with a chance to clinch the tie at home at a young age.
Down two sets against Edmund, a frustrated Shapovalov launched a ball off his racquet towards the stands that nailed the chair umpire in the eye, sending the umpire to the hospital, and resulting in a mandatory default that handed team GB the tie. It was the talk of the weekend in the tennis world, but GB was likely to win the fifth rubber anyway, and Shapovalov clearly didn’t intend to inflict injury on anyone with his careless actions.
Serbia d. Russia 4-1
The combined strength of Novak Djokovic and Viktor Troicki was too much for a young Russian squad, as the Serbians won 3-0 on live rubbers. Troicki defeated Karen Khachanov in four sets, while Djokovic beat Daniil Medvedev in four on Friday. Troicki and Nenad Zimonjic wasted no time putting away Konstantin Kravchuk and Andrey Kuznetsov in the doubles rubber.
Nearly embarrassed, a higher ranked Spanish team staved off an upset at the hands of Croatia, thanks to Pablo Carreno Busta and Roberto Bautista Agut winning both Sunday rubbers. RBA was perfect in the tie, posting wins over Ante Pavic and Franko Skugor, dropping just a set against Skugor. Croatia was up 2-1 after Saturday play, as Marin Draganja and Nikola Mektic beat the Lopez brothers in doubles, while Skugor had previously stunned Carreno Busta on Friday. PCB recovered to ease past Mektic in the decisive fifth rubber.
Results outside of the World Group
Americas Group 1 final round ties were set, as Ecuador and Chile won their ties 5-0 to setup matches against Brazil and Chile respectively. India and Uzbekistan advanced to the final round in Asia’s Group 1, as South Korea was upset by Uzbekistan.
In Europe’s Group 1, Hungary upset Slovakia 3-1, Bosnia beat Poland, Belarus defeated Romania, and Portugal swept Israel. Group 2 saw Sweden upset Tunisia, Turkey defeat Cyprus, Georgia come back for a huge result against Finland, and Slovenia slip past Monaco. South Africa, Denmark, Norway, and Lithuania also advanced.
2017 Davis Cup World Group Round 1 Preview and Predictions Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic
The Davis Cup kicks off for 2017 this weekend, in matches that feature Novak Djokovic, Nick Kyrgios, Jack Sock, John Isner, Richard Gasquet, Alexander Zverev, and Dan Evans among others. Here is your preview and predictions for the matchups, with a look at who might shine in the national colors this weekend.
The only world group tie taking place on clay this weekend pits defending champions Argentina against fellow clay loving nation Italy in Buenos Aires. Three top 100 Argentines, Diego Schwartzman, Carlos Berlocq, and Guido Pella are on the home squad, with veteran Leonardo Mayer as the fourth player. Veteran Paolo Lorenzi is Italy’s top ranked player, with Fabio Fognini, an in-form Andreas Seppi, and comeback kid Simone Bolelli completing their team. Bolelli hasn’t played a pro match since the middle of 2016, so it’s uncertain what part he’ll play in the tie. Home soil should inspire Argentina, a nation that fights hard in this team events, but with Lorenzi and Seppi as the top 2 players in this tie overall, I give Italy a slight edge to advance.
The Zverev brothers recent success in Melbourne could continue on indoor hard courts in Frankfurt against Belgium. Along with Alexander and Mischa, Germany has veteran Philipp Kohlschreiber, and top 60 ATP level player J.L. Struff to round out their squad. Belgium has veteran Steve Darcis leading the way, he’ll be playing alongside Ruben Bemelmans, Arthur De Greef, and Joris De Loore. The Belgians have just one top 60 player, while Germany has four. Regardless of how each team captain decides their rubber nominations, presuming team Germany is fit, they should win.
After the Australian Open, the green and gold squad of Nick Kyrgios, Jordan Thompson, Sam Groth, and AO doubles champion John Peers got to stay in Melbourne to face off with the Czech Republic on outdoor hard courts. Veteran Radek Stepanek leads them, as Jiri Vesely, Jan Satral, and young gun Zdenek Kolar complete their squad. Stepanek is solid for the doubles, and Vesely will put up a fight, but presuming Kyrgios is healthy, he should win his matches. Given the Aussie edge in doubles, and the fact Thompson is an improving player, team Australia should prevail.
Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka didn’t travel down south to Birmingham, Alabama for an indoor hard court contest against team USA. Without having much depth beyond their top two players, the Swiss are at a huge disadvantage against the Yanks. Jack Sock, John Isner, Sam Querrey, and Steve Johnson are all solid ATP players, while Henri Laaksonen, Marco Chiudinelli, Adrien Bossel, and Antoine Bellier are lacking in tour level accomplishments. Team United States should win with ease.
France hasn’t won the Davis Cup since 2001, but they once again bring one of the strongest and most well balanced team to the tournament. Veterans Richard Gasquet, Gilles Simon, and Nicolas Mahut lead team France. Pierre-Hugues Herbert is also on hand to pair with Mahut in the doubles tie. Japan is missing Kei Nishikori, which means Taro Daniel and Yoshihito Nishioka will be playing lead roles. Yasutaka Uchiyama and Yuichi Sugita are also on hand at home on indoor hard courts. Given the ATP level accomplishments of Gasquet and Simon, team France are heavy favorites against an inexperienced Japanese team. Mahut and Herbert should take the doubles and clinch the tie.
Despite the absence of ATP giants Andy Murray and Milos Raonic in Ottawa, this indoor hard court matchup between two commonwealth nations should be competitive, and entertaining. Teenager Denis Shapovalov and 44 year old Daniel Nestor are on the opposite ends of the career spectrum, but will play integral roles for team Canada in this tie. Vasek Pospisil and Peter Polansky round out the home squad. Team GB has the rising Dan Evans leading the way, with Kyle Edmund as #2 singles, and Jamie Murray and Dominic Inglot for doubles.
Evans should have an edge in both singles matches, given his 7-2 start to the season, and the British doubles pairing is strong, despite Nestor and Pospisil’s doubles success. Given their edge in at least three of the five possible matches, team GB are my pick. Great Britain‘s Edmund is also in better form than the struggling Pospisil, Shapovalov, and Polansky.
Novak Djokovic and Viktor Troicki will lead the way at home on indoor hard courts against Russia. Serbia brings Nenad Zimonjic for doubles, and Dusan Lajovic serves as their backup single player. Russia counters with two young guns, Daniil Medvedev and Karen Khachanov. Andrey Kuznetsov, an ATP level player, is also on their team, with Konstantin Kravchuk as their fourth player. Presuming Djokovic plays for Serbia throughout the competition, paired alongside Troicki, this Serbian team are favorites to take home the title at years end, and Serbia should routine Russia in this one, barring once in a lifetime performances from Russia in singles.
Spain brings three top 40 singles players to do battle on indoor hard courts in Croatia. The defending DC finalist Croats are lacking all of their nation’s top men’s tennis talents. A team of Franko Skugor, Nikola Mektic, Ante Pavic, and Marin Draganja, all relative journeymen, is unlikely to stand up well against Roberto Bautista Agut, Pablo Carreno Busta, and the Lopez brothers, Feliciano and Marc. Spain should sweep, with the Lopez brothers clinching the doubles rubber.
Notable Action Outside of the World Group
Tunisia’s Malek Jaziri leads the way against Sweden, while Casper Ruud leads a young Norwegian team against Latvia in the only notable ties in Group 2 level play. Taiwan and China face off in an Asia Group 1 tie that should roil political tensions. Denis Istomin, fresh off his victory against Novak Djokovic in Melbourne leads Uzbekistan against a young South Korean team that should feature recent Challenger champion Hyeon Chung, and the deaf Duckhee Lee.
In Europe/Africa Group 1, Lukas Lacko and Martin Klizan’s Slovakia will will be favorites against Hungary. 39 year old Max Mirnyi should play for Belarus against Romania, and Joao Sousa’s Portugal are home favorites against Dudi Sela and Israel.
Argentina and Croatia to Face off in 2016 Davis Cup Final Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic
The 2016 Davis Cup World Group semifinals saw two upsets, as Argentina and Croatia are set to do battle in the DC final after knocking off Great Britain and France in upsets. The World Group playoffs also saw a few upsets. Here is a recap of all of this weekend’s action.
Argentina got a huge boost on Friday from Juan Martin Del Potro, who stunned Andy Murray in a five set war, coming back from 2 sets to 1 down, to get off Argentina to a 1-0 start. Del Potro’s win was essential for Argentina to triumph, and he fended off Murray, and the Glasgow crowd in a thrilling opening rubber.
Guido Pella then followed up Del Potro’s win with a spirited performance to shock the favored Kyle Edmund in four sets. Edmund took the first set, but tailed off from there, and although Pella had a limited track record on hard courts, he didn’t appear fazed by the crowd, or Edmund’s game.
Team GB was on the ropes, but the tie would last into Sunday thanks to the Murray brothers beating Del Potro and Leonardo Mayer in doubles. After a grueling match on Friday, both Murray and Del Po returned to court, which was a bit of a surprise.
Murray got the job done vs. Pella in the 4th rubber, setting up Dan Evans vs. Mayer in the key 5th rubber, as Del Potro was skipped in favor of the fresh veteran Mayer. Evans fought mightily, but once again team GB saw their hopes slip away after taking a 1 set lead. Mayer battled back from a set down, and sent Argentina into the DC final with a spirited performance.
The Argentinian team showed great chemistry, while defending DC champions team GB looked lost all weekend, and simply ran up against a team of destiny in Argentina.
Croatia and France split rubbers on Friday, as was predicted, with Richard Gasquet cruising past Borna Coric, and Marin Cilic defeating the young gun Lucas Pouille in 4 sets.
From there the tie swung in favor of the underdog Croatians. Ivan Dodig and Cilic stunned doubles specialists Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut in 4 sets, setting up Cilic to finish the tie off and send his nation into an unexpected DC final on Sunday. Cilic faced Richard Gasquet, who struggled, and the former Grand Slam champion won in straight sets, setting him up for a chance to add Davis Cup champion to his resume.
Lucas Pouille won the dead rubber against Marin Draganja, regardless, Cilic was the hero of the weekend, and will be likely to face off with fellow big hitter and former US Open champion Del Potro in the DC final.
World Group Playoffs
Switzerland d. Uzbekistan 3-2
An undermanned Swiss team pulled off an amazing road upset against Uzbekistan to remain in the world group. Denis Istomin won his pair of rubbers against Antoine Bellier and Henri Laaksonen, but Laaksonen and Bellier won both of their other singles rubbers against Sanjar Fayziev, and Jurabek Karimov respectively. The deciding point turned out to be the doubles, as Laaksonen, the most experienced member of the Swiss team, teamed with Adrian Bossel to beat Farrukh Dustov and Denis Istomin, both of whom have ATP experience. Bellier won a live fifth rubber to send France through, as the unknown Swiss player made a splash this weekend.
David Goffin and Steve Darcis were all team Belgium needed, as they dominated Brazil, dropping just one set in their first two rubbers. Ruben Bemelmans and the unknown Joris De Loore combined to win the deciding doubles point, as they stunned Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares to clinch the tie. Both Thiago Monteiro and Thomaz Bellucci struggled for Brazil as well. Bellucci lost twice, as he fell to De Loore in a dead 4th rubber.
Australia d. Slovakia 3-0
Traveling to Sydney to face a solid Australian team turned into a nightmare for Slovakia, as Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic dominated Andrej Martin, and Jozef Kovalik on Friday. The Slovak team conceded the tie meekly to Sam Groth and John Peers, as they won the doubles point over Martin and Igor Zelenay. The Green and Gold are back in the world group, and look ready to do damage next year.
Canada dominated a weaker Chile team to maintain their spot in the world group. Frank Dancevic and Vasek Pospisil both dropped sets against Christian Garin and Nicolas Jarry in Friday rubbers, but won anyway, and Pospisil teamed with Adil Shamasdin to beat Jarry and Hans Podlipnik-Castillo in a tie clinching doubles match.
Denis Shapovalov made his DC debut as a teenager in a dead 4th rubber, he dispatched Garin, while Dancevic beat Gonzalo Lama in straights to complete the sweep.
Rain delayed the start of Russia vs. Kazakhstan, but it turned into home joy for the Russian fans as Andrey Kuznetsov came up big with a pair of critical wins over Aleksandr Nedovyesov and Mikhail Kukushkin respectively to take the tie. Kukushkin beat Evgeny Donskoy in the second rubber, but Andrey Golubev and Nedovyesov disappointed as they lost to Andrey Rublev and Konstantin Kravchuk in the doubles. The Kazakh’s veterans proved to not be enough.
The Lopez brothers carried Spain as Feliciano Lopez beat Ramkumar Ramanathan, and Marc Lopez teamed with Rafael Nadal to beat Saketh Myneni and Leander Paes in a tie clinching doubles rubber. David Ferrer snuck in an expected 2nd rubber win over Saketh Myneni, and he also beat Ramanathan, while Marc Lopez beat Sumit Nagal in dead rubbers. India put on a good showing, but they had no chance against an ATP quality Spanish team.
Jan-Lennard Struff was the hero for Germany, as his five set win over Kamil Majchrzak, and his three set win over Hubert Hurkacz carried the day for the German team over their Polish neighbors. Florian Mayer also beat Hurkacz, but wins by Majchrzak over Mayer on Sunday, and Lukasz Kubot and Marcin Matkowski over Daniel Brands and Daniel Masur in Saturday doubles kept Poland alive. It fell on Struff’s shoulders to get the critical fifth win, and he came through.
Japan d. Ukraine 5-0
Taro Daniel and Yoshihito Nishioka beat Sergiy Stakhovsky and Illya Marchenko right off the bat to put Japan 2-0 up before Kei Nishikori even took the court. Japan saved their #1 to clinch the tie, and with Yuichi Sugita they won the doubles and the tie over Artem Smirnov and Stakhovsky, who continues to struggle.
Daniel and Nisihoka finished out the sweep with dead rubber wins over Smirnov and Danylo Kalenichenko.
2016 Davis Cup World Group Quarterfinals Preview and Predictions Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic
A busy week of tennis will expand with the Davis Cup World Group quarterfinals, and ties in lower level groups starting tomorrow. Here is your preview with predictions for the final Davis Cup ties before the Olympic games in Rio.
Two recent Davis Cup champions will face off in Belgrade on clay. Serbia has a b-level squad that is anchored by the veteran presence of Janko Tipsarevic and Nenad Zimonjic, while Dusan Lajovic, and Filip Krajinovic, a pair of fringe ATP dirtballers round out their squad. Team GB is unlikely to get the services of Wimbledon champion Andy Murray, although he’s on the squad. Andy’s brother Jamie, Kyle Edmund, and DC hero Dan Evans are on Leon’s Smith team though, as team GB looks to defend their DC title.
Zimonjic and Jamie Murray should cancel each other out as doubles specialists, on clay, Edmund is credible, Evans much less so, having not played on clay in two years, and Lajovic and Krajinovic both have a chance to win the three singles rubbers out of four needed to take the tie on their own. Tipsarevic is a shell of his former self after injuries, and Krajinovic hasn’t played in weeks however, thus team GB has a puncher’s chance, but they will need the doubles rubber. Unless Andy Murray plays, Serbia is the favorite.
Italy vs. Argentina
Home court advantage should be crucial for Italy as they try to win an evenly matched tie against Argentina on clay. Fabio Fognini and Andreas Seppi are leading the Italian team, with veteran Paolo Lorenzi and Marco Cecchinato also on the squad. Argentina counters with a newly rejuvenated Juan Martin Del Potro, veteran performer Juan Monaco, and younger dirtballers Guido Pella and Federico Delbonis.
This is a tough tie to predict, if Del Potro plays, and plays well, Argentina has a clear advantage. Regardless, Pella, Delbonis, and Monaco are all steady on clay, while Fognini, and Seppi are more erratic in form. Italy could win, but I’m going with the more consistent Argentina.
Czech Republic vs. France
On indoor hard in the Czech Republic, veteran Radek Stepanek leads a Czech squad that also features upward rising Jiri Vesely, big hitter Lukas Rosol, and the challenger level Adam Pavlasek. France counters with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the lead, the world class doubles pairing of Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert, and rising young gun Lucas Pouille.
Despite playing at home, France has a clear advantage if Tsonga is fit and plays. Pouille may not win a match, but he’s capable of playing well, Mahut and Herbert are perhaps the best doubles team in the world, and the Czech’s don’t have Tomas Berdych to rely on for this tie. Only multiple upsets would prevent France from advancing.
The Pacific Northwest will get a taste of professional tennis on outdoor hard courts as Portland hosts the USA vs. Croatia. Jim Courier opted to go with his usual squad, skipping Wimbledon hero Sam Querrey, and the in-form Steve Johnson. John Isner leads the way, with Jack Sock as the #2 singles player, and the Bryan brothers for doubles. Croatia has most of their best players, with their #1 Marin Cilic leading the way, the young Borna Coric as his #2, and Ivan Dodig and Marin Draganja for doubles.
The Wimbledon quarterfinalist Cilic should prevail in both of his singles matches against Isner and Sock. Isner and Sock aren’t in great form, but will be happy to return to outdoor hard courts. Coric isn’t in great form himself, and I see him losing both singles rubbers, which means this match is likely decided on the Saturday doubles point. The Bryans are in decline, but still a tremendous pairing, and assuming they win, the USA will advance.
Action outside of the World Group
In Americas Group 1, Thomaz Bellucci’s Brazil are favorites against Ecuador and Santiago Giraldo’s Colombia should knock off Chile on the road. In Europe-Africa Group 1, Spain are heavy favorites on the road against Romania as they have ATP regulars Roberto Bautista Agut, Pablo Carreno Busta, and Feliciano Lopez on their squad. Romania has a great doubles team with Horia Tecau and Florin Mergea, but little else. Veteran former top ATP player Jurgen Melzer is playing for Austria in Ukraine, his team are underdogs against a team led by Sergiy Stakhovsky.
Russia vs. Netherlands should be a close tie in Moscow, young gun Andrey Rublev is playing for Russia, while the Netherlands have fringe ATP veterans Robin Haase and Thiemo De Bakker on their squad. In Europe-Africa Group 2, Jarkko Nieminen is unretiring to help Finland against Denmark.
2016 Davis Cup World Group Round 1 Recap: Serbia Survives, Czechs and Americans Prevail Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic
The Davis Cup World Group saw no opening round upsets this year, though a star studded Serbia team was put to the test against Kazakhstan. Here is a recap of all the weekend Davis Cup action.
Andy Murray nearly did it alone for team GB in Birmingham. The British #1 demolished Taro Daniel on Friday, then teamed with his brother Jamie to handle the Japanese doubles team of Yasutaka Uchiyama and Yoshihito Nishioka on Saturday. Kei Nishikori had beaten Dan Evans in a competitive three set contest on Friday to force competitive action on Saturday, but he would need to get past Murray to force a live fifth rubber.
Murray quickly build a two set lead, at which point Nishikori had his back against the wall. Kei forced a fifth set with improved play, but after five breaks of serve in the final set, Murray served the match out to win the tie. The fifth rubber was then canceled as Birmingham native Dan Evans was only needed once. Next for the defending champion Brits is team Serbia on the road.
Serbia d. Kazakhstan 3-2
Serbia had a top 20 doubles player,the world #1 singles player Novak Djokovic, and top 30 player Viktor Troicki on their squad. On paper, they should have swept at Kazakh team playing on the road without a top 50 player. When it came to the actual matches, the result ended up being quite different. Djokovic started the tie with a routine win over challenger veteran Aleksandr Nedovyesov in straight sets, but team leader Mikhail Kukushkin steadied his team and upset Viktor Troicki in straight sets to even the tie at 1-1 on Friday.
Andrey Golubev and Nedovyesov then combined to stun Djokovic and Nenad Zimonjic for the biggest win of their career in doubles. Even more shockingly, the Golubev/Nedovyesov tandem got the job done in straight sets, as Djokovic was well off his game.
Facing elimination, Djokovic went up against Kukushkin in an all out war for the first three sets. Kukushkin won the first set in a tiebreak, lost the second set tiebreak, and then came back to win the third set, putting Serbia just a set away from elimination. Djokovic upped his game at that point however, overcoming any injury or rust he may be carrying to win the final two sets 6-3 6-2 and force a live fifth rubber.
Called on for the third time in the tie, Nedovyesov lost in straight sets to Troicki, who shook off his poor showing on Friday to erase any doubts of a Kazakh miracle win. Serbia still has some great players, but they won’t be able to afford to play so poorly against team GB in the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, you have to admire the fight and warrior’s heart of the underdog Kazakh team.
Italy d. Switzerland 5-0
On indoor clay, Italy proved too much for a lowly ranked Swiss team. Marco Chiudinelli gave it his all in the opening tie, only to lose in a long fifth set to Paolo Lorenzi, a true dirtballing warrior. Andreas Seppi then finished off Henri Laaksonen in four competitive sets to give Italy a 2-0 lead.
In the final live rubber, Seppi and Simone Bolelli dominated an exhausted Chiudinelli/Laaksonen in straight sets to win the tie. In the dead rubbers, Lorenzi beat Davis Cup débutante Antoine Bellier, and Marco Cecchinato beat Adrien Bossel, both in straight sets. Italy will host Argentina in the quarterfinals.
Argentina d. Poland 3-2 (3-1 on live rubbers)
This tie was live on Sunday, but the Poles simply lacked the talent to defeat Argentina, even with the crowd behind them. The experienced Leonardo Mayer defeated Hubert Hurkacz, and Guido Pella defeated Michal Przysiezny in straight sets on Friday to give Argentina 2-0 lead. Poland then called on their veterans Marcin Matkowski and Lukasz Kubot to keep the tie alive, and they did so, defeating Carlos Berlocq and Renzo Olivo in four sets.
Mayer then defeated Przysiezny from a set down to win the tie, with Hurkacz winning his first Davis Cup rubber over Olivo in a dead fifth rubber. Argentina will travel to Italy for their next tie.
The Caribbean paradise of Guadeloupe saw the French tricolore waved proudly as a loaded French team dominated a weakened Canadian one without dropping a set. Gael Monfils demolished Frank Dancevic, and Gilles Simon outdueled Vasek Pospisil on clay to take a 2-0 lead on Friday. Richard Gasquet and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga then defeated Pospisil and Philip Bester to win the doubles rubber and capture the tie. Gasquet beat Bester in the dead fourth rubber, and Dancevic retired in the dead fifth rubber. France will next travel to the Czech Republic with a great chance to win the Davis Cup.
An injury to Tomas Berdych resulted in this tie going to a live fifth rubber, but young gun Alexander Zverev was the weak link for team Germany at home. Philipp Kohlschreiber lead the way for Germany, winning an opening fifth set match against Lukas Rosol. Berdych then fired back with a tough five set win over Zverev, who put his heart and soul into the match. Berdych and veteran Radek Stepanek won the doubles in straight sets over Kohlschreiber and veteran Philipp Petzschner.
In the live fourth rubber, Kohlschreiber won the first two sets over Berdych, who then promptly retired with an injury. That thrust Zverev into the spotlight against Rosol, but the big hitting Czech demolished him 6-2 6-3 6-1. Zverev was never really into the match, even though it should have been more competitive. The Czech Republic will host France next.
The unretirement of Lleyton Hewitt wasn’t enough to save Australia on grass against team USA in a battle between two of tennis’ historical giants. John Isner was the hero for team USA as the big server won matches over Sam Groth in straights on Friday, and Bernard Tomic in four sets on Sunday to clinch the tie. Isner had a surprisingly great return game on grass.
Tomic beat Jack Sock in four sets on Friday, and the Bryan Brothers beat John Peers, and Aussie captain Lleyton Hewitt in the doubles tie, though it went five sets, and Hewitt played quite well for a (just) retired player. Despite the leadership of Hewitt, the Australian team had a running spat all weekend about whether young gun Nick Kyrgios was fit enough to play and should have helped his country out. A frustrated Bernard Tomic accused Kyrgios of faking an injury in the match against Isner.
With the result, team USA will host Croatia in the quarterfinals.
Croatia d. Belgium 3-2
The young Borna Coric won a live fifth rubber to send Croatia into the quarterfinals of the World Group, and end the hopes of Belgium to reach the Davis Cup final once more. Coric lost his five set contest with David Goffin on Friday, though he battled to the end from 2 sets to love down. Marin Cilic beat Kimmer Coppejans in straight sets on Friday though to even the tie at 1-1.
Ivan Dodig and Franko Skugor then got the job done for Croatia over Ruben Bemelmans and Goffin. Goffin scored a minor upset over Cilic to force a live fifth rubber. With Bemelmans injured, Coppejans was called on again, and that was when Coric won in straight sets to send Croatia through.
Action outside the World Group
Wins for Ecuador and Chile in Americas Group 1 one set them up for battles with Brazil and Colombia respectively for a spot in the World Group Playoffs. India will face Korea, and China will face Uzbekistan in the final round of Asia’s Group 1. In Europe/Africa Group 1, Romania beat Slovenia, Dominic Thiem and Austria handled Portugal, Russia beat Sweden, and Hungary slipped past Israel. Romania hosts Spain, Ukraine hosts Austria, Russia hosts the Netherlands, and Hungary hosts Slovakia for spots in the World Group playoffs.
In notable Europe/Africa group 2 ties, Bosnia’s Mirza Basic won an 18-16 fourth set tiebreak and went on to lead his nation to a win over Malek Jaziri and Tunisia. Marsel Ilhan won twice to give Turkey a win over Bulgaria in a battle of neighbors in Ankara, Turkey.
Team GB was going to have two chances to advance to the Davis Cup quarterfinals in Sunday singles action, and their leader Andy Murray ensured they only needed one to get the job done. Murray went head to head with the Japanese #1 Kei Nishikori in a nearly five hour thriller in Birmingham, and came away the victory to secure a 3-1 tie victory for team GB.
Andy Murray d. Kei Nishikori7-5 7-6(6) 3-6 4-6 6-3
Murray had won the previous two meetings against Nishikori, and lead the h2h 5-1 overall, thus he was the favorite on home court. He got off to a quick start, breaking for a 3-1 lead, after saving a break point in the opening game of the match. From there he would save another break point to go up 4-1. He was broken for the first time all weekend by Nishikori, who worked himself into the match and eventually got it to 5-5 after saving a set point. However, Murray would convert his third set point of the opening set to take it 7-5.
Nishikori was now firmly in the match at this point however, he broke Murray to open the second set, before being broken back for 2-2. The second set would then go to serve without another break point chance until Kei was serving 5-6, at which point he saved two set points and got it to a tiebreak that he lost 8-6 after having a set point chance.
With team Japan facing elimination from the World Group first round, Nishikori didn’t give an inch, forcing a break point chance at 1-2, and going on to break Murray for 5-3, eventually taking the third set 6-3 without facing a break point. In the fourth set, Murray upped his game and generated two early break point chances in two different games, but Nishikori held on by the skin of his teeth, and broke Murray for a 5-2 lead in two consecutive service games. Murray clearly didn’t want a fifth set, as he broke back and got it to 4-5, but Kei converted his second set point chance to send the match into a decisive fifth set.
The fifth set was a complete circus, featuring five breaks of serve, the fifth and final going to Murray’s benefit. Nishikori broke to open, and was broken twice in a row in his own right to go down 3-1. He didn’t fade though, getting it back to 2-3, before being broken one final time in a long game to go down 4-2. Nishikori fended off two match points on his own serve, but with the crowd at a fever pitch, Murray converted his fourth match point to give team GB victory in the tie.
The fifth rubber between Taro Daniel and Dan Evans was not needed, and was canceled. Team GB will now travel to Serbia and face them in the quarterfinals as they continue the quest to repeat as Davis Cup champions.
A fresh Andy Murray gave team GB an edge in the Saturday doubles tie, and they took advantage, as Andy and his brother Jamie Murray defeated the young Japanese pairing of Yasutaka Uchiyama and Yoshihito Nishioka in the Saturday Davis Cup doubles tie 6-3 6-2 6-4 in just under 2 hours.
The experienced Murray pairing was comfortable from the start, with a raucous Birmingham crowd behind them. Uchiyama/Nishioka held their mettle until 3-4 serving in the opening set, where they were broken, and lost the next game to surrender the opening set. The Murray boys then took firm control of the match momentum, striking quickly to break in the opening game of set 2 on their second break point chance, and holding serve from there, adding another break along the way to take the second set 6-2.
The Japanese pairing gathered themselves and played tough in the third set, but they couldn’t generate any break point chances against the British pairing the entire match, and the third set was no different. Under intense pressure in their final two service games of the match, they were finally broken for 5-4, and the British pairing would serve the match out at love in the next game for 6-4.
The win was the fourth in a row for Andy and Jamie in Davis Cup play, dating back to last year The Murray brothers are likely to end up representing team GB in Men’s doubles at the Rio Olympic games. Doubles specialist Dominic Inglot ended up being held in reserve, but GB captain Leon Smith said that didn’t bother him, stating in the post-match press conference.
“As usual it was professional, the decision on the doubles has been talked about in the team before the tie and all the rest of the weekend. Dom knows the situation and understands it. He respects both Andy and Jamie (both ranked #2) and respects the decision. Dom always prepares as if he will be playing and came out and practiced this morning with the team.”
Today it will be Andy Murray against Kei Nishikori with a possibility of clinching the tie. If needed, Dan Evans will go up opposite Taro Daniel. Murray and Nishikori both posted wins on Friday without dropping a set, though Evans put up a tougher fight than Daniel. Japan would have to pull off a shock to end up winning the tie.
Tennis Atlantic 