Aussies Make Shock Davis Cup Exit Against Sweden
Posted on February 9, 2004
Sweden d. Australia 4-1The defending champ Aussies are stunned in the first round and sent out to World Group qualifying later in the year. The Swedish veterans take charge with Thomas Enqvist beating Mark Philippoussis on opening day, then Jonas Bjorkman and rookie Joachim Johansson teaming to edge the experienced Wayne Arthurs/Todd Woddbridge in five sets on Saturday, and Bjorkman closing the deal on Sunday with a straight-set win over the hapless Philippoussis. Fire up the media barbie for Flipper, who has lost his last NINE SETS. Enqvist won the dead rubber singles over Arthurs in straight sets.
USA d. Austria 3-0
A walk for the U.S. with Robby Ginepri coming from two sets down to beat Jurgen "Tuna" Melzer, and Roddick straight-setting Stefan "Tony" Koubek on Friday, and the Bryan brothers clinching on Saturday with a straight-set beating of Austrian doubles specialists Julian Knowle/Alexander Peya. Will now meet the upset-minded Swedes in the quarterfinals.
Russia at Belarus -- Tied 2-2
Wow, Safin is taken out of the fifth and deciding singles match after losing a five-setter on day one and winning the Saturday doubles. Max "The Beast" Mirnyi levels the tie at 2-2 in the first of the Sunday singles, with the decider between Vladimir Voltchkov of Belarus and Russia's Mikhail Youzhny, who was the fifth-match hero last year against the U.S. That's a shaky move for Russia, Youzhny has been off of late, should have went with Marat.
Argentina d Morocco 3-0
The Argentine Army blows past Morocco, which went into the match without the injured Younes El Aynaoui, and after day one they were missing Hicham Arazi with injury. Guillermo Coria and David Nalbandian do the work in singles, with Lucas Arnold and Agustin Calleri winning the clinching doubles. The Argentines will face the Russia-Belarus winner.
Switzerland d. Romania 3-1
Team Fed strikes again, coming into hostile territory and winning all three of his matches, on day one beating Victor Hanescu in straights, winning the doubles on Saturday 10-8 in the fourth with Yves Allegro, then on Sunday clinching with a straight set win over Romanian No. 1 Andrei Pavel.
France d. Croatia 3-1
The experienced team of Nicolas Escude/Michael Llodra roll Mario "Baby Goran" Ancic and "Dr." Ivo Karlovic in straight sets Saturday to give France the 2-1 edge, then Arnaud Clement seals it with a four-set win over Ivan Ljubicic on Sunday. On Friday, Clement got France off on the right foot with an easy victory over Baby Goran, but Ljubicic evened the tie with a straight-set win over Cup neophyte Thierry Ascione. The French will now face Team Roger Federer in the quarterfinals.
Netherlands d. Canada 3-1
With Canada trailing 0-2 going into the Saturday doubles, they caught a break when Dutch doubles specialist Paul Haarhuis injured his shoulder and was forced to retire. In the first Sunday singles, Martin "Berzerker" Verkerk came back from a set down to beat No. 1 Canuck Frank Dancevic and clinch the tie on the red dirt. The Dutch will face the Spain-Czech Republic winner.
Spain at Czech Republic -- Tied 2-2
The Czechs entered Sunday with a 2-1 lead after Jiri Novak/Radek Stepanek breezed by Rafael "The Prodigy" Nadal/Tommy "The R." Robredo in the doubles, but the surprise Spanish insertion Feliciano Lopez evened the tie in the first match on Sunday with a four-set win over Czech rookie Tomas Berdych. The decider will be between The Prodigy and Stepanek in a first-time meeting, with The Prodigy getting a chance to avenge his opening-day loss.
WTA REVIEW/PREVIEW
No. 2 seed Lindsay Davenport successfully defended her Tokyo title Sunday, rolling past unseeded Magdalena "Don't Call Me Maggie" Maleeva 6-4, 6-1 for her first title of the year, and fourth in Tokyo after winning in 1998, 2001, and last year. It was her first title since winning in Tokyo last year when she defeated Monica Seles in the final.
"It's been a year since I won my last title and it was here," Davenport summed up for the assembled media. "I think it's a remarkable achievement to win a tournament four times. It's great, for me to start the year off winning a title so early in the year. It's so much easier to hit groundstrokes and break serve if you feel you can always hold serve. Today it allowed me to be looser and go for my shots. I wish I could have that confidence all the time."
In the Saturday semifinals, Davenport housed the oft-troubled (7)Jelena Dokic 6-1, 6-0, and Maleeva received a walkover from (5)Chanda Rubin, who bowed out with a left knee injury.
In the doubles final, the No. 3-seeded Cara Black/Renee Stubbs won their second title on the year after Sydney, roughing up the No. 4-seeded team of Elena Likhovtseva/Maggie Maleeva 6-0, 6-1 in the championship match.
NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
The WTA event in Shanghai, after last year being moved from Tokyo, will now be moved again to Beijing...Serena was pulled from the WTA Gaz event, saying she is just shy of being ready: "I am continuing to train, and I feel that I am just about where I want to be. My knee feels great, and I look forward to coming back in championship form." Amelie Mauresmo also withdrew with a back injury.