Without a doubt, it was certainly one of the best opening rounds for a Davis Cup in recent history.  All eight ties were undecided after the doubles, leaving the drama to be decided on the final day for everyone.  Here are the match results:

Belgium over Australia is a bit of a shocker, although Hewitt is not the player he once was and Guccione is not exactly Rod Laver, or Mark Philopoussis for that matter.  Besides, Olivier Rochus is as tough a competitor as there is, and from all accounts Kristof Vliegen played like a man possessed this weekend.  Germany over 2005 Champs Croatia is an upset as well, especially since Croatia features Ancic and Ljubicic, both in the top 10, and Germany was without Nicholas Kiefer.  Just goes to show how one great player, in this case Tommy Haas, can change the outcome of a match.

I’m assuming everyone had a chance to watch the US-Czech Republic Tie because it was on the network conglomerate that is the Versus Network.  In all seriousness, the US victory this weekend was a significant one.  Even though the Czech team featured only one notable player, Tomas Berdych, winning on clay (something the US had not done in an entire decade) away from home will help to restore some confidence in a US team that has not won the Davis Cup since 1995.  Roddick once again carried the load, needing 4 sets to take out Ivo Minar on Friday, then sealing up the tie with another 4 set victory over Berdych Sunday, to improve to 8-0 in Davis Cup clinchers.  Blake, much maligned lately for his lack of ability to come through in the clutch, lost to Berdych in the second match Friday in a tight 4 setter.  Unfortunately, the highlight of that match was really a lowlight, as Berdych double faulted at 2-3, 30-40 in the 4th set to give Blake a 4-2 lead, however it was not called and the umpire refused to come out of his chair to look at the obvious ball mark.  Now, who’s to say what happens from there, but that certainly didn’t help Blake’s cause, and it left the Tie at one a piece heading into the doubles, which the Bryans took care of with relative ease in straight sets.  Bob Bryan actually rounded out the 4-1 victory with a straight set victory over Lukas Dlouhy (as the match had already been clinched, both teams used backup players in a more or less meaningless match).

Next up for the US will be Spain, April 6-8 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.  The US team will be looking to avenge its 3-2 loss to Spain in the Finals of the 2004 Davis Cup. The major differences between the upcoming match and the finals in 04 are that the US will play in front of a hometown crowd, and most likely on a fast hardcourt to get a leg up on the Spanish Dirtballers. The US team has been composed of Andy Roddick and James Blake for Singles, both ranked in the top 10, with the World Number 1 Bryan Brothers playing Doubles. The Spanish team that beat Switzerland in the first round included David Ferrer and Fernando Verdasco, ranked 15th and 34th respectively, but expect Rafael Nadal to include himself for the tie against the US- not to mention the possibility of Tommy Robredo and Juan Carlos Ferrero. Either way, it will be a challenge for the United States.

Here are some links for you to peruse:

Nice article by the always entertaining Peter Bodo on proposed Davis Cup changes.

Preview of this week’s San Jose Tournament, courtesy of Tennis Week.

Part 1 of 3 from a Tennis.com feature with Paul Goldstein.

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