Davis Cup Preview

On Friday the 1st round of the Davis Cup will begin.  Here is a preview of who will be playing and who I think will come out on top.


The first matchup will be the defending Davis Cup champions Spain taking on a Roger Federerless Switzerland team.  The matches will take place  on clay in Lograno, Spain.

Here are the players representing Spain:

David Ferrer (#16 in the world)

Nicolas Almagro (#40)

Tommy Robredo (#23)

Marcel Granollers (#114)

Ferrer and Almagro will be the singles players.  Robredo and Granollers will team up to play doubles together.

The Swiss Team:

Stanislas Wawrinka (#19)

Marco Chiudinelli (#56)

Michael Lammer (#192)

Yves Allegro (#128 doubles player in the world)

Wawrinka and Chiudinelli are scheduled to play singles.  Wawrinka will do doubles duty with Michael Lammer.  Yves Allegro will keep the bench warm and play if only needed or if its a beatdown.  Basically hes a scrub who will only play if its out of hand in either direction.

Schedule (as of Thursday.  All matchups are subject to change)

Friday:

Nicolas Almagro (ESP)  vs.  Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI)

David Ferrer (ESP)  vs.  Marco Chiudinelli (SUI)

Saturday:

Marcel Granollers and Tommy Robredo (ESP) vs. Stanislas Wawrinka and Michael Lammer (SUI)

Sunday:

David Ferrer (ESP)  vs. Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI)

Nicolas Almagro  vs.  Marco Chiudinelli (SUI)

I think this Spanish-Swiss matchup will be close.  I can see a split on the first day, and the Swiss winning the doubles match to take a 2-1 lead.  It will all come down to a Ferrer-Wawrinka matchup.  David Ferrer was 6-0 in his Davis Cup singles matches and has the experience in tough situations.  The home crowd won't hurt the Spanish team either.  Spain gets by in a close one 3-2

Germany and France will meet in Toulon, France with all matches being played on indoor hardcourts.

The French Team:

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (#11 in the world)

Gael Monfils (#15)

Julien Benneteau (#37)

Michael Llodra (#65)

Tsonga and Monfils will play singles.  Benneteau and Llodra to play doubles.

German Team:

Philipp Kohlschreiber (#30)

Benjamin Becker (#39)

Simon Greul (#58)

Christopher Kas (#32 doubles player in the world)

Kohlschreiber and Becker playing singles.  Kohlschreiber and doubles expert Kas will team up for doubles.

Schedule (as of Thursday. All matchups are subject to change)

Friday:

Gael Monfils (FRA)  vs.  Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER)

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA)  vs.  Benjamin Becker (GER)

Saturday:

Julien Benneteau and Michael Llodra (FRA) vs. Philipp Kohlschreiber and Christopher Kas (GER)

Sunday:

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA)  vs.  Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER)

Gael Monfils (FRA)  vs.  Benjamin Becker (GER)

This one shouldn't be close.  When you have two talented and energetic guys playing at home like the French do, it spells trouble for Germany.  Kohlschreiber and Becker could surprise and pull an upset, but it takes more than one upset to win.  France will win 4-1.

On indoor hardcourts in Moscow.  Russia and India will battle this weekend. 

Team Russia:

Mikhail Youzhny (#13)

Igor Andreev (#38)

Igor Kunitsyn (#107)

Teimuraz Gabashvili (#109)

Youzhny and Andreev will play singles.  Kunitsyn and Gabashvili will be the doubles team.

Team India:

Somdev Devvarman (#128)

Rohan Bopanna (#416)

Leander Paes (#6 doubles player in world)

Mahesh Bhupathi (#8 doubles player in world)

Devvarman and Bopanna will be the singles players.  Paes and Bhupathi will team up for doubles.

Schedule (as of Thursday. All matchups are subject to change)

Friday:

Igor Andreev (RUS)  vs.  Somdev Devvarman (IND)

Mikhail Youzhny  vs.  Rohan Bopanna (IND)

Saturday:

Igor Kunitsyn and Teimuraz Gabashvili (RUS) vs. Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi (IND)

Sunday:

Mikhail Youzhny (RUS)  vs.  Somdev Devvarman (IND)

Igor Andreev (RUS)  vs.  Rohan Bopanna (IND)

The Russians figure to have too much firepower on the singles side for the team from India.  The doubles match should be a win for India.  With a little luck India can make it interesting, but is not good enough to win.  Russia to advance with a 4-1 win.

Sweden and Argentina will play their 1st round on indoor hardcourts in Stockholm, Sweden.

Team Sweden:

Robin Soderling (#7 in the world)

Andreas Vinciguerra (#232)

Joachim Johansson (#373)

Robert Lindstedt (#31 doubles player in the world)

Soderling and Johansson will play singles.  Lindstedt and Soderling are scheduled to play doubles together.

Team Argentina:

Horacio Zeballos (#50)

Leonardo Mayer (#73)

Eduardo Schwank (#64)

David Nalbandian (#154)

Mayer and Schwank will play singles.  Mayer and Zeballos will be the doubles team.  Nalbandian is injured and will not play but is still on team.

Schedule (as of Thursday. All matchups are subject to change)

Friday:

Robin Soderling (SWE)  vs.  Eduardo Schwank (ARG)

Joachim Johansson (SWE)  vs.  Leonardo Mayer (ARG)

Saturday:

Robert Lindstedt and Robin Soderling (SWE) vs. Leonardo Mayer and Horacio Zeballos (ARG)

Sunday:

Robin Soderling (SWE)  vs.  Leonardo Mayer (ARG)

Joachim Johansson (SWE)  vs.  Eduardo Schwank (ARG)

Robin Soderling will single handedly keep the Swedes in it, but the Argentine team will take advantage of Sweden's lack of depth behind Soderling and get the road win 3-2.

Croatia and Ecuador will play thier first round matchup in Varazdin, Croatia on indoor hardcourts.

Team Croatia:

Marin Cilic (#9 in the world)

Ivo Karlovic (#29)

Ivan Dodig (#260 doubles player)

Antonio Veic (#324 doubles player)

Cilic and Karlovic will play singles.  Dodig and Veic will team up for doubles.

Team Ecuador:

Nicolas Lapentti (#94)

Giovanni Lapentti (#222)

Ivan Endara (#479)

Julio-Cesar Campozano (#478)

The Lapentti brother will both play singles and doubles. 

Schedule (as of Thursday. All matchups are subject to change)

Friday:

Ivo Karlovic (CRO)  vs.  Nicolas Lapentti (ECU)

Marin Cilic (CRO)  vs.  Giovanni Lapentti (ECU)

Saturday:

Ivan Dodig and Antonio Veic (CRO) vs. The Lapentti Brothers (ECU)

Sunday:

Marin Cilic (CRO)  vs. Nicolas Lapentti (ECU)

Ivo Karlovic (CRO) vs. Giovanni Lapentti (ECU)

Can you say beatdown?  Croatia to crush Ecuador 5-0

Serbia and the United States is the next matchup.  The matches will be played on indoor clay in Belgrade, Serbia.

Team Serbia:

Novak Djokovic (#2 in the world)

Viktor Troicki (#35)

Janko Tipsarevic (#36)

Nenad Zimonjic (#1 doubles player in the world)

Djokovic and Troicki will play singles.  Tipsarevic and Zimonjic to team up for doubles.

Team USA:

John Isner (#20)

Sam Querrey (#22)

Bob and Mike Bryan (#2 doubles team in the world)

Isner and Querrey will play singles.  The Bryan brothers will play doubles.


Schedule (as of Thursday. All matchups are subject to change)
Friday:
Viktor Troicki (SRB)  vs.  John Isner (USA)
Novak Djokovic (SRB)  vs.  Sam Querrey (USA)
Saturday:
Janko Tipsarevic and Nenad Zimonjic (SRB) vs. Bob and Mike Bryan (USA)
Sunday:
Novak Djokovic (SRB)  vs. John Isner (USA)
Viktor Troicki (SRB)  vs.  Sam Querrey (USA)

This matchup comes all down to how well Viktor Troicki plays.  You can pretty much give Djokovic the 2 singles matches and the Bryan Brothers the doubles match.  It all depends on if Troicki can atleast win 1 of his singles matches.  The way the U.S. plays on clay and in Serbia, that is a great possiblility.  Serbia advances with a close 3-2 win.


Belgium and the Czech Republic will meet on indoors clay in Bree, Belgium
Team Belgium:

Olivier Rochus (#59 in the world)
Xavier Malisse (#87)
Steve Darcis (#99)
Christophe Rochus (#136)

O.Rochus and Malisse will play singles. Darcis and O. Rochus will play doubles.  Christophe Rochus warms the bench.

Team Czech Republic:

Tomas Berdych (#25)
Radek Stepanek (#17)
Jan Hajek (#82)
Lukas Dlouhy (#5 doubles player in the world)

Berdych and Stepanek to play singles.  Hajek and Dlouhy will team up for doubles.

Schedule (as of Thursday. All matchups are subject to change)
Friday:
Olivier Rochus (BEL)  vs.  Tomas Berdych (CZE)
Xavier Malisse (BEL)  vs.  Radek Stepanek (CZE)
Saturday:
Olivier Rochus and Steve Darcis (BEL)  vs.  Jan Hajek and Lukas Dlouhy (CZE)
Sunday:
Olivier Rochus (BEL)  vs.  Radek Stepanek (CZE)
Xavier Malisse (BEL)  vs.  Tomas Berdych (CZE)

Look for the Czech's to have this one wrapped up after Saturday.  Up 3-0 they may elect to let Dlouhy and Hajek play some singles which i believe will be the case.  Czech Republic cruises to a 4-1 win over Belgium.


And the last matchup of the week will be between Chile and Israel in Coquimbo, Chile.  The matches will be played on red clay and start a day late due to the recent earthquake that struck Chile.
Chilean Team:

Fernando Gonzalez (#10 in the world)
Nicolas Massu (#92)
Paul Capdeville (#146)
Jorge Aguilar (#223)

There has not been an official release as to who will play what.  My guess is Gonzo and Massu at singles.  Capdeville and Aguilar doubles.  I wouldn't be surprised to see Gonzo do double-duty though.

Israeli Team:

Dudi Sela (#66)
Harel Levy (#118)
Jonathan Erlich (#101 doubles player in the world)
Andy Ram (#9 doubles player in the world)

Sela and Levy will probably play singles, and Erlich and Ram will probably be the doubles team for Israel.

Schedule (as of Thursday. All matchups are subject to change)
The matches will begin Saturday.  One day later than the rest of the Davis Cup nations.  No official matchups have been announced yet.  I will edit them in as soon as they become available.
UPDATE***
Friday:
Nicolas Massu (CHI)  vs.  Dudi Sela (ISR)
Fernando Gonzalez (CHI)  vs.  Harel Levy (ISR)
Saturday:
Fernando Gonzalez and Nicolas Massu (CHI) vs. Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram (ISR)
Sunday:
Fernando Gonzalez (CHI)  vs.  Dudi Sela (ISR)
Nicolas Massu (CHI)  vs.  Harel Levy (ISR)

Gonzo will take both of his singles matches.  The Israeli team of Ram and Erlich will probably win the doubles.  It comes down to one of the Chilean's beating either Sela or Levy.  At home on the clay this will most definetly happen.  Chile will advance 3-2.