Davis Cup Qualifying Previews, Safina Shows Dokic Who is the Boss in Shanghai

World Group Qualifying Round Previews:

Czech Republic at Thailand
Site: Exhibition Hall #4, Muang Thong Tthani Exhibition Centre, Bangkok, THA
Surface: indoor hardcourt (Greenset)
Ball: Wilson Double Core

Good ol' Exhibition Hall #4 will be the site for this standoff, whereas not unlike Roger Federer and the Swiss team, Paradorn Srichaphan will have to carry this one across the finish line alone. The Czechs were narrowly beaten in the World Group first round in February by Russia, when Nikolay Davydenko edged Radek Stepanek in five sets in the fifth and deciding rubber. Thailand gained the World Group playoff round from below when they eased by Uzbekistan in the Zone I playoffs. Even at home, Thailand will be the underdogs in this match-up, and all the pressure will be on Srichaphan in singles and doubles in this first-time encounter between nations. Stepanek was not named to the Czech team due to injury, which evens up the playing field and leaves the No. 2 singles spot to 18-year-old No. 109-ranked Tomas Berdych, behind Czech No. 1 Jiri Novak. Srichaphan and Novak have played only once, with the Czech winning in three tight sets last year at the TMS-Madrid on hardcourt. This one is a toss up. "Without Stephanek, our chance is now about 50 percent, while we were just underdogs at the beginning. However, the Czech team is still the favorite because overall they are still stronger than us," says Chanachai "Father Of" Srichaphan, who has headed the Thai team since the qualifying zone competition in February. "Tomas is just moving from the juniors to join the pro tour. He is a good player but in terms of experience he has less than Stephanek does, while Paradorn and Danai (Odomchoke) have played Davis Cup for many years," Chanachai said. A win by the Thai team would put them in the World Group for the first time.

Belarus at Germany
Site: TC Blau-Weiss Sundern, Sundern, GER
Surface: outdoor red clay
Ball: Penn Prestige

Can Max "The Beast" Mirnyi and former Wimbledon semifinalist Vladimir Voltchkov dump the despondent Germans out of the World Group in this first-time national match-up? No. Not on the red clay, which neutralizes Mirnyi's aggressive game, and totally deflates the fast-court game of Wimbledon semifinalist Voltchkov, who has been the "Where's Waldo?" of 2003. Once upon a time, Top 10-ranked Tommy Haas and Nicolas Kiefer were going to lead Germany back to Davis Cup greatness the likes of the Boris Becker/Michael Stich era, but that never happened. Haas has yet to play a match in 2003 after surgery, and Kiefer struggles to put two wins together. Now Rainer Schuettler is Germany's top dog, and with Kiefer the pair should not have a problem in elevating Germany back into the elite 16-nation World Group. Schuettler goes into the tie with a 4-1 career record vs. Mirnyi, while Kiefer is 3-0 vs. The Beast.

Tomorrow: World Group qualifying previews in Great Britain at Morocco (bye bye Brits), and India at The Netherlands.

WTA REVIEW/PREVIEW
Unseeded Dinara "Little Sis" Safina showed No. 5-seeded Jelena Dokic what time it is in their first-ever match-up Wednesday at Shaghai, with the Russian pounding the struggling Yugo-Aussie 6-1, 6-4. There were two other upsets on the day in Maria "Orgasmo-Grunt" Sharapova edging (7)Loit in three sets, and Japan's Akiko Morigami handling (4)Martinez in straights. No. 6 Alicia Molik (d. (LL)Craybas) was the only seeded winner, with unseeded winners including Mandula (d. Widjaja in three), Barbara "Now I Give a" Schett (d. (Q)Neffa-de los Rios), and Barna (d. Ashley "Anna 2.0" Harkleroad 6-0, 6-4).

On the Thursday Shanghai schedule are Schett vs. (2)Rubin (Schett leads head-to-head 4-3), (3)Sugiyama vs. (WC)Sun (first meeting in this Japan vs. China match-up), Sanchez Lorenzo vs. Sharapova (first meeting), and (1)Dementieva vs. Mandula (Dementieva leads 1-0).

NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES, AND BARBS
Barbara "Don't Give a" Schett has advanced past the second round only twice in 21 events this year...One weak WTA event in Shanghai, and waiting for this weekend's Davis Cup to start, has this been a boring week or what? Time to throw on the tape of that Connors-Krickstein match for the 15th time...The USTA is STILL receiving fall-out from this year's "American Open"...This United States vs. Slovak Republic Davis Cup match will be the debut event at the new Slovak National Tennis Centre, a state-of-the-art facility with a retractable roof. The facility, which seats 4,200 fans, is just being completed in time for this Davis Cup tie...The Tennis Channel will show the "Battle of the Sexes" at 8 p.m. ET Saturday, immediately followed by "Billie Jean vs. Bobby," A Special Edition of Center Court with Chris Myers, at 10:30 p.m. ET. The 90-minute program includes an in-studio interview with Chris Myers and King, and a never-before-seen interview with Riggs giving his views on the match, filmed shortly before his death in 1995. Back in 1973, television networks fought for the right to air the event, and ABC assigned its Monday Night Football tandem of Howard Cosell and Frank Gifford to call the match, which remains the most-watched tennis event in history...Andy Roddick has yet to win a Davis Cup match outside the U.S...In a surprise move, U.S. Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe announced he will go with Mardy Fish over James Blake for the No. 2 singles spot versus Slovakia on the slow red clay...If you live near the St. Jean de Luz Challenger in France, be sure to get to the event to watch the Rafael Nadal-Richard Gasquet second round match. Should be a good one!