Davis Cup

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OMG Roddick has just lost the opening rubber Andrei Pavel after leading 2 sets to nil and lose 7-6 6-2 6-7 2-6 4-6

Last years runners up are 1-0 after Gonzalez beat Mertinek
7-6 7-6 6-3
Hrbaty leads massu 7-6

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Review of Day 1 Russia-Netherlands

Russia has taken a 1-0 lead in the first round Davis Cup by BNP Paribas tie against The Netherlands. Dmitry Tursunov defeated Raemon Sluiter in a close match 67 64 76 76. 'This was a must-win match', Sluiter said. ' Now we can only hope or dream, to be realistic.'

Sluiter didn't think the match should have been close: "There was a difference in class during the whole match, it may have been small but it was definitely there. Tursunov was clearly the better player today. Most of the time I was just trying to hang on."


Chances for Sluiter

However, there were a few moments when Sluiter could have beaten the odds. At 5-4 in the third set, Tursunov served for the set but had his serve broken, not helping himself with five double faults in that game.

"I like to make it a little dramatic," said Tursunov. "And maybe the crowd helped him as well a little bit. But that's what you expect, when there's 9,000 Dutch in the crowd and maybe 18 Russians or so."

So when Sluiter confidently served to a 6-5 lead, he suddenly looked favourite to win the match, 'even when it went to a tiebreak' said Sluiter.

"'But where I played that tiebreak well, he played it brilliantly."

With both players serving strongly, with many serves of over 200 km/h, the fourth set inevitably went to a tiebreak as well. At 5-4 down, Sluiter said he played his worst point of the match, when a weak forehand ended up in the net.

"I played a pathetic tiebreak, really," he said, using some stronger language on live Dutch television.

Sluiter said his concentration had been on a high level for the whole match, apart from that one point: "Just a little moment of doubt. So my practice of meditation almost fully paid off," said Sluiter, who has taken up meditation in the last few months as a way of relaxing and focusing before matches.


Tursunov took his chance

Tursunov pounced to close his first appearance in the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas. Tursunov is the lowest-ranked player on the Russian team, but still he was picked as the second singles player, after Nikolay Davydenko.

"I don't know why the captain picked me. Perhaps it was because he wanted to give me a little experience of a live match in the Davis Cup."

Sluiter had a different view on that: "I think they took a good decision in playing Tursunov. I like to play patient players like Andreev and Youzhny, when I can be the aggressive player. But Tursunov plays a quicker game than me, so that was tough."


Davis Cup brings so much more pressure, says Tursunov

Winning a singles match in the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas is a significant step in his career, Tursunov said.

"Coping with the pressure of representing your country is incomparable to any other match, I can say now. I mean, I played horrible in the first set and that was only down to nerves."

In the second rubber Davis Cup by BNP Paribas debutant Melle van Gemerden plays Russia's number one Nikolay Davydenko.

"I just told him to enjoy it," said Sluiter. "Let's see if it helps."

Davydenko wins in straight to put Russia 2-0 up
Russia has taken a 2-0 lead in its Davis Cup by BNP Paribas first round tie against the Netherlands.

In unspectacular yet efficient style Nikolay Davydenko brushed aside Melle van Gemerden 76 75 64 after an uneasy start.

“He [Van Gemerden] started so fast, with so much power. It was like Federer with his forehand, it was unbelievable, it was manic,” said Davydenko, still baffled well after the match. “I have never seen someone play like that before.”
“I had nothing to lose,” explained Van Gemerden.


Great start by Van Gemerden

The Dutchman, playing in front of a orange-clad home crowd for the first time in his career, soon went a break up to lead 3-1 and 4-2, at both stages getting chances to go a double break ahead.

“'It was winners, winners, winners. Crazy”, said Davydenko.

However, he stuck to his guns of safety and steadiness, and soon broke back after some careless play by Van Gemerden.
In the first set tiebreak, Van Gemerden double faulted to hand the Russian the first set.


First meeting in six years

Six years ago the players met twice in Challenger tournaments and twice Van Gemerden won.

“But Davydenko was a completely different player then,” remembered Van Gemerden. “He had this really slow serve which everyone thundered back at him.”

Davydenko didn't remember the way Van Gemerden had played back then.

That was hardly surprising. After that one successful season, Van Gemerden decided to go to pubs more often, socialize and enjoy a few drinks. He also smoked cannabis, for which he got a two-month suspension.

At the same time Davydenko became a great player. Quick footwork, patience and solidness are the hallmarks of his game, that almost beat Roger Federer in the Australian Open quarterfinals.

“He just gets back everything,” said Van Gemerden. “It's incredibly frustrating.”


Poor practice sessions

His teammate Raemon Sluiter told the press conference that Van Gemerden had practiced poorly during the week. On Monday, Sluiter said, he was bad. On Tuesday, he was bad. “Then on Wednesday, he played even worse,” said Sluiter. But on Thursday he was elected to replace the injured Peter Wessels. “Suddenly, he played fantastically well.”

Van Gemerden carried that form into Friday's match against Davydenko. Even though Van Gemerden played 'above his usual level', according to team captain Tjerk Bogtstra, the Russian's different class showed. At 5-5 in the second set he finally got the break that always loomed and comfortably held his serve for a two-set-to-love lead. When he broke Van Gemerden's serve immediately in the third set, the match was practically over.

Davydenko was happy that he managed to survive his opponent's furious start and the partisan crowd. “They were great though, noisy but never unfair. And there were even some Russians.” His teammate Dmitry Tursunov had pointed them out to him before the game.

In fact, the 16 fans that were clad in Russian red and with the Russian flag painted on their cheeks were one Russian girl and her 15 Dutch friends. “Oh well, whatever. Tell them to keep on cheering.”


Davydenko to play doubles ?

In tomorrow's doubles Davydenko and Igor Andreev are scheduled to play John van Lottum and Raemon Sluiter. If it were up to Davydenko, however, he wouldn't participate:

“I don't like doubles,” he said. “There is too much pressure, particularly in Davis Cup, certainly more than in a singles match. Then you have only responsibility to yourself and your country, in doubles it's to yourself, your country, and your partner. I'll ask the captain not to play me.”

[Annie]

thanks Ily!! great read!!! good work

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Andreev and Youzhny are playing in the doubles against Sluiter and Van Lottum and have won the 1st set 6-2

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Igor and Misha have been broken in 2nd set 3-4

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Sluiter & Van Lottum have won the 2nd set 6-3

DAVAI MISHA & IGOR

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Misha and Igor have broken in the 3rd set 3-1

UDACHI RUSSIA

[reese]

They won 3rd set 6-4=))))

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wohoo they broke right from the start of 4th set

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3-1 Misha/Igor

DAVAI BOYS

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Davai Igor Davai Misha

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5-3 in 4th

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5-4 serving for the tie

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30-15 2 more points for victory