Davis Cup 2007

[luxsword]

thanks

[Natasha]

they lost the first set and losing the second one :-(

[SAFINNO1]

[Happiness]

Hi everyone

Here are some photos from today's match:





























Take Care




Happiness

[justsafin]

MARAT and Igor lost ....straight sets...which means they both have to play tomorrow!!

DAVA MARAT I!!!

I worry about the next SAP open starting Feb 12 for Marat. Our boy is gonna be so tired.......

[Patxy]

Hard luck guys.
Well, tomorrow is another day where 2 butts will be quickly kicked like yesterday (I hope so... )
DAVAI MARAT & IGOR

[Joyce]

You have tried your best,that's enough,I hope tomorrow you can win

[Patxy]

[safinbgfan]

Thanks for the pics,everyone ;D

So sorry for Marat and Igor Good luck tomorrow!

[Patxy]

[Mrs. Fabregas]

Too bad they've lost this game, but there's always tomorrow !
And thank you all for the lovely pics..... love it when he's all dirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrty from the gravel ;D

[val]

i was there...the only girl screamig vamos marat!....lol....i was at the press conference 2...so nice...i got like 100 videos....im soooo happy!!!!!!!!!!..

[Joyce]

FROM DAVIS CUP OFFICAL WEBSITE
Olympic Gold Medalists Gonzalez and Massu take doubles point
The 2004 Olympic Gold Medallists Fernando Gonzalez and Nicolas Massu kept Chile's hopes alive by securing a straight sets win over Igor Andreev and Marat Safin in Saturday's doubles rubber. The 76(3) 63 64 win, which took two hours and 45 minutes, gives Chile its first point in its first round clash with defending champions Russia.

Massu and Gonzalez stepped on court knowing they had to put all they had on the line if they wanted to retain Chile's hopes of booking that quarterfinal spot. Russian Captain Shamil Tarpischev, on the other hand, intent on securing an early win, changed the original line-up of Teimuraz Gabashvili and Igor Kunitsyn for his singles players, Marat Safin and Igor Andreev.

However, the move didn¡¯t pay off for the Russians as Massu and Gonzalez added another chapter to their legend with an excellent performance, vastly improving on their poor showing on Friday.


A very tight game

The first set was very tight and the logical conclusion was a tiebreak. The Chileans started to put the pressure on Andreev, and the Russian No. 2 made a couple of errors. Nothing much, but enough to give the first set and the lead to Massu and Gonzalez 76 (3).

The Russian team felt the sting and the pressure on Andreev continued. Losing his serve just once was all the Chilean pair needed to take the second set 63.

Safin and Andreev tried to make a comeback in the third set and were close to breaking, but the home team withstood the assault and broke Safin when they were leading 5-3, to the delight of the crowd who gave their national heroes a warm cheer at the end.

Massu and Gonzalez elected to play long points with mainly staying at the baseline, and Safin never looked comfortable with that. Andreev, on the other hand, seemed more nervous and unsure of himself in comparison with the solid game he showcased in the singles against Massu.


Hope is rekindled

¡°This victory is very important for our confidence¡± Massu said.

¡°I¡¯ve always had a positive mindset for this tie. What happened yesterday is past, and I will try to be in my best form for tomorrow¡¯s game¡±.

Gonzalez seemed less cheerful, but was also positive about the outcome of the tie.

¡°Tomorrow¡¯s matches are very different. I know how Safin plays, what he likes and what he dislikes¡­ that is important when facing him."

Captain Hans Gildemeister was satisfied, although he did not lose sight of his situation.

¡°At this point, I had hoped we would be 2-1 up and not 1-2 down, but we are already thinking of tomorrow.¡±

¡°Safin should feel the pressure in the match, and I¡¯m sure Fernando (Gonzalez) will feel a lot looser than yesterday. I am sure the tie will be defined in the final match."


Safin: They were better than us

The Russians were not happy, obviously, but they knew nothing is yet decided.

¡°Gonzalez and Massu played very well, they were very solid today and did better than us,¡± Safin said.

¡°But that¡¯s it, we¡¯re still 2-1 ahead and we have two opportunities tomorrow to win the tie¡±.

The Chilean team¡¯s hopes are still alive, and the huge improvement over yesterday¡¯s form is a promising sign, but they can¡¯t take more chances now. Russia knows it and, together with their experience in difficult situations, that is perhaps their greatest asset for tomorrow: knowing their opponent must take a lot of risks if they want to win this tie, while they still have some breathing space.

[ginapants]

DAVAI RUSSIA!!!! thanks for all the pics girls
Good luck today my boys!!!!
I think that I lost like 3 pounds yesterday while i was watching the doubles between France and Romania ! It was a great match and I'm glad the little ones won the game YAY ...the funny thing was that the hole time Llodra had a problem with his underwear (i was like "Hey WTF!!! Your ass is not as famous as Rafa's you know! )

[nic]

ginapants said:

DAVAI RUSSIA!!!! thanks for all the pics girls
Good luck today my boys!!!!
I think that I lost like 3 pounds yesterday while i was watching the doubles between France and Romania ! It was a great match and I'm glad the little ones won the game YAY ...the funny thing was that the hole time Llodra had a problem with his underwear (i was like "Hey WTF!!! Your ass is not as famous as Rafa's you know! )

lol Gina! I really know what you mean! The match between Andrei Pavel and Richard Gasquet is about to begin, so more tension for us in front of the tv. Thank you Horia and Florin for keeping our hopes alive!!! Back to nails bitting now. ;D
Good luck for the Russian team, too!