Davis Cup Singles Kick Off Today, Top Three Seeds into Quarterfinals at WTA Shanghai

World Group Qualifying Round Previews:

Great Britain at Morocco
Site: Complexe Sportif Al Amal, Casablanca, MAR
Surface: red clay outdoors
Ball: Penn ATP

Britain will not look so "great" once they lose this tie and are relegated to zonal competition for a year or more. The Moroccans have put Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski on red clay in an ambush led by veterans Younes El Aynaoui and Hicham Arazi, and are going to work Rusedski's backhand like a broken ATM spewing out free bills. Dancing in the streets will ensue.

India at Netherlands
Site: Ijsselhallen, Zwolle, NED
Surface: indoor carpet (Greenset Trophy)
Ball: Dunlop Max TP

This will be a rout for Sjeng Schalken, Martin Verkerk and crew, facing an Indian team without superstar Leander Paes who is out with injury. India will offer up Davis Cup neophytes Rohan Bopanna and Prakash Amritraj for the slaughter. Log on to an Internet betting site and put the mortgage on the Dutchmen.

Romania at Ecuador
Site: Quito Tenis Y Golf Club, Quito, ECU
Surface: outdoor red clay
Ball: Wilson Championship Hard Court

This will be a first time match-up between the two countries. Ecuador beat Venezuela in brutal conditions to gain the World Group playoff round from below, with Ecuador's Giovanni Lapentti and Venezuela's Kepler Orellana retiring during singles matches due to the heat. Romania lost earlier this year in the World Group first round when Andrei Pavel, Adrian Voinea and crew were spanked 3-0 by France. Ecuador has chosen the red dirt to highlight the games of the Lapentti brothers, and the Romanians are in trouble without their injured star Pavel. With Victor Hanescu and Razvan Sabau struggling to carry the load for Romania, Ecuador should have an easy time of it.

United States at Slovakia
Site: National Tennis Centre, Bratislava, SVK
Surface: red clay outdoors
Ball: Dunlop Fort All Court

A chance for U.S. captain Patrick McEnroe to get back on track in the World Group, or be banished to the dreaded zonal play for all of 2004. Pat Mac has all his big guns at his disposal in US Open winner Andy Roddick, up-and-comer Mardy Fish (chosen for the singles over James Blake), and making their debut for the U.S. squad, French Open winners Bob and Mike Bryan. The Slovaks will counter with smooth veteran Karol Kucera, and the explosive Dominik "The Dominator" Hrbaty. The two nations met for the first time in February 2002, when Pete Sampras and Andy Roddick in singles, and Blake/Fish in doubles blanked the Slovaks 5-0 in the U.S. This time around, look for things to be a bit tougher with the Slovaks on their home red clay, and the appearance of Hrbaty who was missing from the 2002 tie. The Slovaks squeaked by Luxembourg 3-2 (without Hrbaty) to gain this World Group playoff round, while the U.S. lost a very winnable tie to Croatia. "It's put up or shut up time," U.S. captain Patrick McEnroe said. "It's no longer being young (as an excuse). It's time to perform. This is a match we should win. Once we get a win on the road, it should help us confidence-wise and we can go on and compete next year."

Today's Davis Cup singles matches:

World Group Semifinals:

Switzerland at Australia (tied 1-1)
Hewitt (AUS) d. Kratochvil (SUI) 6-4, 6-4, 6-1
Federer (SUI) d. Philippoussis (AUS) 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(3)
Note: Hewitt pounds Kratochvil as expected, but Flipper can't rise up to meet Club Fed, and the tie is even at 1-1. Will Swiss captain keep himself in the doubles line-up with Fed on Saturday against Woodbridge-Arthurs?

Argentina at Spain (Spain leads 1-0)
Ferrero (ESP) d. Gaudio (ARG) 6-4, 6-0, 6-0
Moya (ESP) vs. Zabaleta (ARG)
Note: JC embarrasses Gaudio in the first singles, putting the pressure on Argentina's Mariano Zabaleta to avoid a 0-2 deficit.

World Group Qualifying:

Belgium at Austria (Austria leads 1-0)
Koubek (AUT) d. C.Rochus (BEL, replaces injured Malisse) 6-2, 6-4, 6-1
Melzer (AUT) vs. O.Rochus (BEL)

Brazil at Canada: Niemeyer (CAN) vs. Saretta (BRA), Nestor (CAN) vs. Kuerten (BRA)

Czech Republic at Thailand (tied 1-1)
Novak (CZE) d. Udomchoke (THA) 6-2, 6-2, 7-6(1)
Srichaphan (THA) d. Ulihrach (CZE) 7-6(2), 6-2, 7-6(4)
Note: Srichaphan counters Novak's singles win to even up the tie going into the all-important Saturday doubles.

Belarus at Germany: Behrend (GER) vs. Mirnyi (BLR), Schuettler (GER) vs. Voltchkov (BLR)

Great Britain at Morocco: Henman (GBR) vs. Arazi (MOR), Rusedski (GBR) vs. El Aynaoui (MOR)

India at Netherlands: Verkerk (NED) vs. Bopanna (IND), Schalken (NED) vs. P.Amritraj (IND)

Romania at Ecuador: G.Lapentti (ECU) vs. Hanescu (ROM), N.Lapentti (ECU) vs. Sabau (ROM)

U.S. at Slovak Republic: Roddick (USA) vs. Hrbaty (SVK), Fish (USA) vs. Kucera (SVK)

WTA REVIEW/PREVIEW
Things chugged uneventfully along Thursday in Shanghai with the top three seeds moving into the quarterfinals in (1)Dementieva (d. Mandula), (2)Rubin (d. Barabara "Don't Give a" Schett), and (3)Sugiyama (d. (WC)Sun). In the only unseeded match, Maria "Grunt-o-licious" Sharapova defeated Maria Sanchez Lorenzo in three sets. Jelena Dokic pulled from the doubles, citing a left toe bruise. Believe it or not.

Friday's quarterfinal matches in Shanghai feature Molik vs. Morigami, Barna vs. Rubin, Sugiyama vs. Safina, and Dementieva vs. Sharapova.

NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES, AND BARBS
Addressing the U.S. Davis Cup team, Slovak President Rudolf Schuster -- a keen sports fan -- had a special request for Andy Roddick: "Please, I ask you, don't play so well."...The U.S. Davis Cup team has lost their last two matches, one short of the record of three straight in 1986-87, and have yet to win on the road since captain Patrick McEnroe took over in 2001...Andy Roddick is 7-2 in Davis Cup singles play, but both losses came on the slow red clay last year against France: "They picked the surface so they know what they are doing," said Roddick of the Slovak's choice of surface. "It will be just as difficult for me as for anybody else. Everybody else has been playing on the hardcourts, grass courts for the last three or four months so it is an adjustment for all of us."...Bob and Mike Bryan will make history Saturday when they become the first brothers to play on the U.S. Davis Cup doubles team in 100 years. Robert and George Wrenn teamed up in 1903, and John and Patrick McEnroe both played doubles for the U.S. but never together...The WTA Tour announced that it somehow convinced ESPN to sign a multi-year agreement to broadcast the WTA Tour Championships, though they will dish it off on ESPN2. Last year's WTA Championships attracted a record low number of fans at the STAPLES Center in LA, with this year expected to be no different. "After a successful Monday night telecast of the singles final in 2002, this year's singles final will again be shown live in prime time on November 10, opposite ABC's Monday Night Football," said the WTA. This year's WTA Championship format will feature an eight-woman round robin, copying the ATP's format...Boris Becker, convicted of tax evasion last year, was back in court Thursday defending himself in a $1.7 million lawsuit from the Internet portal Sportgate, which claims Becker had promised to pay to cover the firm's losses...Patrick McEnroe is going out on a limb with his No. 2 singles pick of Mardy Fish (0-1 career vs. Kucera, losing in straights at this year's US Open) over James Blake (1-0 vs. Hrabty, beating the Slovak on clay), that could bite him in the ass, as have many of his past poor doubles choices...The Czech Republic D-Cup team has elevated Bohdan "I Didn't Do It" Ulihrach to the No. 2 singles position for this weekend against Thailand...Mardy Fish failed to make a dent during this year's claycourt season, losing first round at the TMS-Monte Carlo (l. to Kuerten), second round at the TMS-Rome (l. to Mantilla), first round at the TMS-Hamburg (l. to Sanchez), and first round at Roland Garros (l. to Burgsmuller) -- so why is he playing singles for the U.S. instead of Blake, who has a win over Slovak Dominik Hrbaty on clay?...No. 33-ranked Tim Henman, who will team with No. 90-ranked Greg Rusedski, does not view the British team as the underdogs going into the red clay clash in Morocco this weekend: "I'm sure the Moroccans are going to have massive support but it's an atmosphere that I enjoy playing in. I think the way mine and Greg's games match up against them, we do feel very confident that we can win this match." Wait until that Moroccan heats starts beating down on you -- have to disagree there Timbledon, you guys are ripe for the picking on the red dirt...31-year-old Daniel Nestor is salivating at the thought of putting Canada back in the Davis Cup World Group after an 11-year absence, and beating Brazil's Gustavo Kuerten on the slick Canadian hardcourts...In the last 43 U.S. Davis Cup ties, the U.S. holds a 23-2 record when it wins the doubles point, and an 11-10 record when it loses...Brazilian Davis Cup captain Ricardo Acioly is confident his boys will be prepared for the slick hardcourt in Canada during their Davis Cup clash: "All of them come off seasons on fast surfaces, with the clash with Canada on synthetic floor, and the last match before the tie in the Brazil Open (hardcourt). All this will serve as preparation."...The out-gunned India Davis Cup team goes up against The Netherlands with 19-year-old Prakash Amritraj, the son of India's former tennis great Vijay Amritraj, ranked No. 324, and No. 344-ranked Rohan Bopanna. Vijay Amritraj took India to the Davis Cup final twice in 1974 and 1987...The injured Guillermo Coria has yet to make his Davis Cup debut for Argentina...Morocco's Younes El Aynaoui says Britain was on their Davis Cup wish list all along: "We saw the teams we might play and, tell you the truth, we wished we could play against Great Britain in Morocco. Not only do we have the chance to win, but also because it's a good experience for our country to receive one of the founding nations of the Davis Cup. My mother will come, my father, too. But as soon as I step on court he will go for a walk."...Looks like Mark Philippoussis will face Roger Federer today suffering from the same cold and stiff neck that has been dogging him all week. Aussie captain John Fitzgerald says he needs to suck it up: "What's 100 percent fit? In the 15 years I played Wimbledon, I was lucky if I was ever 100 per cent fit. Everyone's fine, and we're almost ready to go. Mark hit the ball extremely hard in practice today and he'll be well enough to play to a high standard." In the old Aussie tradition, Fitzy will be damned if he'd let Flipper puss out, eh?...Thirteen years ago, at age 18, El Aynaoui was the first Moroccan to become a professional tennis player, and was rejected for training by the French Tennis Federation...As expected, Swiss Davis Cup captain Marc Rosset, who has hardly practiced this week in Melbourne, has named himself to play the Saturday doubles with Roger Federer against the Aussie team. Being the captain is sweet...The Australian Associated Press (AAP) went on and on in a story about Marc Rosset being a left-hander, who are they watching during that Davis Cup preparation Down Under?...And in the all baby prodigy battle in St.Jean de Luz, it was Richard Gasquet getting the nod over Rafael Nadal 6-2, ret, as the Spaniard retired with an apparent upper leg injury.