Tennis: Davis Cup update
Between July 9 and 11, the 2010 World Group Davis Cup quarterfinals were played out on multiple continents. There were shocking upsets, expected victories, and nail biting clutch wins among the last eight remaining teams.
Last year’s winner and Davis Cup betting favorite, Spain was eliminated in a surprising 5-0 sweep by the underdog French team. The first three matches were very close, but the French managed to play some great tennis and secure a spot in the World Group semifinals. On the first day, Gael Monfils defeated David Ferrer in five sets, and then Michael Llodra upset Fernando Versaco in four sets. The next day, Llodra teamed up with Julien Benneteau to win the doubles match in four sets against the lefty duo of Feliciano Lopez and Verdasco. This was the first time in nearly 80 years that France defeated Spain in Davis Cup.
In the tie between Argentina and Russia, David Nalbandian was the hero of this clash. Nalbandian won his first rubber against Nikolay Davydenko, and then won the fifth deciding rubber against Mikhail Youzhny. Both victories were in straight sets, and the home Russian crowd didn’t affect Nalbandian’s focus. Argentina won the tie 3-2 and will face France in the semifinal.
The clash between Serbia and Croatia had a lot of tension, mainly because of the historic political problems between the two neighbors. However, Serbian star Novak Djokovic led his team to a 4-1 victory against the Croats. Tipsarevic and Zimonjic also deserve credit for this win at Split, Croatia.
In the last Davis Cup quarterfinal, the Czechs quietly defeated Chile 4-1. Chile’s home advantage didn’t help at all. Also, Fernando Gonzalez‘s absence hurt the Chilean team. Ivo Minar, Jan Hajek, and Lukas Dlouhy helped the Czech team advanced to the semifinal against Serbia.
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