Davis Cup Preview
Quarterfinals of the Davis Cup get underway tomorrow, here is a quick preview:
Russia vs. Czech Republic (Moscow, Indoor Clay) – In a surprise move, Davydenko is not playing singles this weekend. Maybe he was mentally and physically exhausted after capturing last week’s Sony Ericsson Open, but he is playing the best tennis of his career, and playing a couple of streaky players like Andreev and Safin seems risky. On the other side, Berdych is also playing extremely well and has the capability of winning both his singles matches. I like the Czech to win, 3-2 in a tight match, for two reasons – 1. Stepanek and Berdych are a more solid pair than Andreev and Safin and 2. The Czech doubles team of Dlouhy and Vizner have plenty of experience playing together (finishing 5th in the world last year).
Argentina vs. Sweden (Buenos Aires, Outdoor Clay) – Argentina, at home, should roll in this tie. I can see the Swedish Doubles team of Bjorkman and Lindstedt possibly winning their match, and Soderling has a small chance against Acasuso, but the Argentines on clay will dominate. I’ll give the Swedes one match, but my pick here is easy, Argentina 4-1.
Germany vs. Spain (Bremen, Indoor Hard) – This is an intriguing matchup (that would be even more intriguing if Haas were playing) because while Spain appear to be the clear favorites on paper, playing at home on indoor hardcourt could really give the Germans a fighting shot here. Is it that far-fetched too see Ferrer, who has played relatively poorly so far in 2008, losing both his singles matches to talented players Kiefer and Kohlscreiber? Or for Spanish baseliners Verdasco and Lopez to come up empty handed in doubles? The answer is No, it is not that far-fetched. However, I still don’t think it will happen. I’ll pick Spain, but in a closer match than most people think, 3-2.
USA vs. France (Winston-Salem, Indoor Hard) – If I wrote this blog this morning, this part would have been a lot longer. However, now with both Gasquet and Tsonga out for France, I don’t think they have much of a chance. In order for them to win, not only would they need a win out of Clement and Llodra in the doubles match (they did beat the Bryans last time they played, but the Bryans are 14-1 in Davis Cup play), they would also need Mathieu to defeat both Blake and Roddick, because I don’t see Llodra winning a singles rubber. Like Germany vs. Spain, all the above COULD happen, but it won’t. I’ll go with the US 4-1.
I’ll post a bunch of links tomorrow, today I’m going to prove how smart I am – below are results from the first round with my picks in parentheses:
US over Austria 4-1 (US over Austria 4-1); France over Romania 5-0 (France over Romania 5-0); Spain over Peru 5-0 (Spain over Peru 4-1); Germany over South Korea 3-2 (Germany over South Korea 4-1); Sweden over Israel 3-2 (Sweden over Israel 3-2); Argentina over Israel 4-1 (Argentina over Israel 5-0); Czech Republic over Belgium 3-2 (Czech Republic over Belgium 4-1); Russia over Serbia 3-2 (Russia over Serbia 3-2).
So before you think I am bad at this kind of thing, realize I picked every tie correctly and only missed a perfect prediction by four matches.