Ferrer to face Stepanek in Davis Cup final opener

Updated November 16, 2012 07:21:20

World number five David Ferrer will start Spain's bid for a fourth Davis Cup title in five years against the Czech Republic's Radek Stepanek tonight.

The Czech team's top player, sixth-ranked Tomas Berdych, will then take on Nicolas Almagro in the second of the opening day's matches.

Defending champions Spain are without injured former world number one Rafa Nadal but team captain Alex Corretja was happy with the outcome of Thursday's draw.

"If I could choose, I would have David (play) first," Corretja told a news conference. "He has played in more finals... so I prefer David to start because of his experience."

The Czechs are aiming to achieve a rare double after the women's team won the Fed Cup in Prague two weeks ago.

A Davis Cup victory would make the Czech Republic the first country in 22 years to claim both trophies in the same season.

Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez will lead Spain in Saturday's doubles match. The pair are just coming off a doubles victory at the ATP Tour Finals.

Czech captain Jaroslav Navratil has slated Lukas Rosol and Ivo Minar for the doubles but will likely turn to Berdych and Stepanek instead.

Spain beat Argentina in the 2011 final, and hold the advantage over the Czechs after a 5-0 drubbing of a squad led by Berdych and Stepanek in the 2009 final in Barcelona.

"We knew that if we kept doing what we were doing, then another chance would come," Stepanek said.

"And here we are sitting with our second chance to win the trophy and we will put everything on the line to win.

The Czechs are counting on a home crowd of more than 13,000 in Prague's Sazka Arena and a fast indoor hard court that favours their play to help them win their first Davis Cup title since 1980.

AFP

Tags: sport, tennis, czech-republic, spain

First posted November 16, 2012 07:21:20

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Matosevic wins Delray Beach opener

Updated February 29, 2012 11:11:40

Australia's Marinko Matosevic upset Croatian Ivo Karlovic in the opening round of the Delray Beach International.

Matosevic triumphed 6-3, 6-4 to move through to the second round and he joins fellow Australian Bernard Tomic, who beat German veteran Tommy Haas 6-4, 6-3.

Tomic, the tournament's eighth seed, will next meet American Tim Smyczek, who dispensed of Austria's Juergen Melzer 6-4, 2-6, 7-5.

Other first-round winners included top seed John Isner, but Finn Jarkko Nieminen ousted Croatian second seed Marin Cilic 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 and Belgian Steve Darcis eliminated Serbian third seed Viktor Troicki 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.

ABC/AAP

Tags: tennis, sport, united-states

First posted February 29, 2012 10:16:40

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Hewitt cruises in Davis opener

Updated February 10, 2012 13:29:02

Australian veteran Lleyton Hewitt beat Chinese number one Zhang Ze in straight sets in the opening match of the Davis Cup Asia-Oceania qualifying tie in Geelong.

Hewitt, who turns 31 next month, dominated the encounter at the Geelong Lawn Tennis Club, winning 6-2, 6-1, 7-6 (7-4).

It was the baseliner's 38th Davis Cup singles victory, a remarkable 14 more wins than by any other Australian.

Hewitt cruised through the opening two sets but was made to work harder in the third by Zhang, who was unable to convert two break points in the sixth game.

The set eventually went to a tiebreak, which the vastly experienced Hewitt won when Zhang tugged a forehand wide on the first match point.

Hewitt also beat Zhang in the final round of Asia-Oceania qualifying last year, although on that occasion he was taken to four sets by the Chinese player on an indoor hardcourt in Beijing.

"Any Davis Cup match is extremely tough," Hewitt said on Friday.

"I just came out and tried to play my game.

"We had tough matches against these guys in Beijing last year and the third set here was tight."

Australian number one Bernard Tomic plays China's Wu Di in Friday's second singles match.

AAP

Tags: tennis, sport, geelong-3220, vic, australia, china

First posted February 10, 2012 13:29:02

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Advantage Tomic ahead of Verdasco opener

Updated January 15, 2012 20:23:18

It is advantage Bernard Tomic after the straight-shooting teenager was handed a high noon showdown with Fernando Verdasco on day one of the Australian Open.

The midday schedule for the marquee centre-court match-up was a double bonus for Tomic as he carries Australian hopes on Monday.

Apart from complaining two years ago about being asked to hit the court past his bed time, the Wimbledon quarter-finalist believes his best chance of combating Verdasco's firepower lay in the heat of the day.

Verdasco famously traded blows with Rafael Nadal for more than five hours in an epic night-time semi-final at Melbourne Park three years ago.

"If I played him at night, it would be much slower. I think he likes it slow," Tomic said on Sunday.

"To play him during the day, where it's a little bit quicker and a little bit more air can get in, I think it's better for me."

With wins last week over top-10 stars Tomas Berdych and Mardy Fish and grand slam semi-finalist Gael Monfils, the newly-crowned Kooyong Classic champion enters the Open brimming with belief.

"To have those matches under my belt, to win them all is great," Tomic said.

"I know I played them all in three sets. It's better to win in three. I played long matches, longer hours. I'm fit.

"Confidence is key before a tournament like this, to play a player like Fernando. I think I have the right confidence.

"I have a good chance, the way I'm playing, to beat him."

Tomic quite rightly believes a lot has changed since Verdasco routed him 6-4, 6-2 in their only previous meeting in Brisbane three years ago.

"I was 16," he said. "That was when he was on his run, playing well.

"The last six months he hasn't really done much. I think it's a good time to play him."

Such fighting words may stir Verdasco into action, but the Spaniard did have a poor 2011 on hard courts, claiming just one top-20 scalp as his ranking slid from number nine to 24th in the world.

"Fernando's got one of the best forehands (but) if you keep the ball to his backhand corner, he's not going to hurt you," Tomic said.

"That's what I'm going to do tomorrow."

The great irony is that, despite his hot form and the fact he is undoubtedly on the up and up, Tomic faces his own rankings dip if he loses to the 22nd seed.

The world number 37 has a bundle of points to defend after reaching the third round last year.

Should he beat Verdasco, though, Tomic would be strongly favoured to outclass American Sam Querrey or French wildcard Kenny De Schepper in the second round to at least match his 2011 effort.

With Lleyton Hewitt slumping to world number 182 after his injury-marred 2011, Tomic will arrive at Melbourne Park for the first time as Australian number one.

Not that Hewitt is too bothered as he embarks on his 16th consecutive Open campaign.

The 2005 runner-up said not carrying any great expectations had not altered his approach to his home slam.

"You still go in, focus on your first-round match just like anything else, try and prepare as well as possible. I think I've done that," Hewitt said ahead of his first-round meeting on Tuesday with young German Cedrik-Marcel Stebe.

Australia's women's title contender Samantha Stosur also plays her opener on Tuesday, against Romanian Sorana Cirstea.

But Ashleigh Barty, Olivia Rogowska, Casey Dellacqua, Greg Jones, Ben Mitchell and Anastasia Rodionova, who takes on world number one Caroline Wozniacki, are all up on Monday.

AAP

Tags: australian-open, tennis, other-sports, sport, melbourne-3000, vic, australia

First posted January 15, 2012 20:23:18

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Falla outsmarts Young in Auckland opener

Updated January 09, 2012 20:17:57

Colombian Alejandro Falla recovered from a poor start to beat American Donald Young 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the first round of the Auckland ATP tournament.

In one of only three matches played on the opening day as organisers rushed to complete the rain-disrupted qualifying tournament, Young broke Falla twice as he raced to a 4-0 lead in the opening set.

The Colombian, who was only promoted to the main draw on the weekend, fought back breaking Young twice before losing the set when he dropped his serve for the third time.

But he then settled into the game, bustling through the last two sets 6-3, 6-3 as he grew accustomed to the windy conditions.

In the other completed first round matches, Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil beat Portugal's Rui Machado 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) while Santiago Giraldo of Colombia beat Michael Venus of New Zealand 6-4, 6-3.

AFP

Tags: tennis, sport, new-zealand

First posted January 09, 2012 20:17:57

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Tomic, Wawrinka to play Cup opener

Updated September 15, 2011 12:47:32

Australia has been given the best possible chance to get its Davis Cup World qualifying tie against Switzerland off to a winning start with Bernard Tomic to play Stanislas Wawrinka in the opening match.

Swiss world number 19 Wawrinka was paired with Wimbledon quarter-finalist Tomic for the opening fixture on Royal Sydney's grass courts on Friday, with Lleyton Hewitt to play world number three Roger Federer in the second match.

Hewitt and Chris Guccione have been named to play in the doubles against Federer and Wawrinka on Saturday.

While only ranked 59 in the world, Tomic will fancy his chances against Wawrinka, who comes into the tie under an injury cloud and with few outstanding results on grass.

Six-times Wimbledon champion Federer has a 17-8 playing record against Hewitt, but the South Australian did enjoy victory in their last match on grass in 2010.

The reverse ties on Sunday begin with Tomic playing Federer, followed by Hewitt against Wawrinka.

Hewitt says he is fit and looking forward to renewing his rivalry with the 16-time major champion.

"It's been what I've been working towards in terms of getting my game up to scratch and my body as close to 100 per cent right to take on one of the greats," he said.

"It's going to be a tough match.

"Hopefully Bernie can get us off to a good start against Stan on the grass tomorrow and then I can go out there and take Roger on."

While Wawrinka confirmed he still was not at 100 per cent, having been battling a foot injury, there was unfortunately for the Australians no such qualms for Federer, despite his gruelling five-set loss to Novak Djokovic in the US Open semi-finals.

"I'm not sore, sorry to disappoint you - I'm feeling good, really good actually," Federer said.

The winner of the tie advances to the Davis Cup World Group for 2012, while the loser will be forced to battle it out in zonal qualifiers for a chance to enter the elite competition again in 2013.

AAP

Tags: tennis, sport, sydney-2000, nsw, australia

First posted September 15, 2011 10:57:07

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Nadal cruises through Barcelona opener

Posted April 21, 2011 08:32:00

World number one Rafa Nadal began his quest for a sixth Barcelona Open title in seven years by trouncing fellow Spaniard Daniel Gimeno-Traver 6-1, 6-1 in their second round match.

The top seed, coming off a seventh straight Monte Carlo Masters crown on his favoured clay surface, took his phenomenal winning record on the red dust since 2005 to 182-6 to set up a last-16 clash against Colombian Santiago Giraldo.

The Wimbledon, French Open and US Open champion sealed victory on his second match point with a trademark forehand winner down the line that his 60th-ranked opponent was unable to get a racket on.

"I played quite a good match," Nadal said in an interview with Spanish television.

"At times he made more mistakes than probably he usually would and I was able to make the most of that," added the 24-year-old, who missed last year's edition due to injury.

"I am very pleased to be back here in Barcelona after not being able to make it last time."

Third seed Robin Soderling had a day to forget when he was upset 6-2, 6-4 by unseeded Croat Ivan Dodig.

The Swede, runner-up at the French Open for the last two years, had his serve broken five times by the 56th-ranked Dodig and misses out on a possible meeting with Nadal in Saturday's semi-finals.

Fourth-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer, beaten by Nadal in the final in Monte Carlo, eased through with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Carlos Berlocq of Argentina.

Unseeded Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero beat Germany's Mischa Zverev, who replaced injured second seed Andy Murray, 6-4, 7-5.

-Reuters

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