Italy and United States advance to Fed Cup Final

 

I'm going to take a second to "toot my own horn".  In my previous post I predicted that Italy would win in a dominating way, calling for either a 5-0 or possibly a 4-1 victory.  Well the Italians dominated a Czech Republic team that came into the matchup outgunned.  Italy was all over the Czech's and cruised to a easy 5-0 win.  The defending champions will now face the United States in the final.

The United States "lucked out", when the Russians sent a inferior team to their matchup in Birmingham, Alabama.  Before the matches got underway, I predicted that the Americans would lose their singles matches to Elena Dementieva, but win the remaining 3 to advance to the final.  Well that is exactly what happened.  Dementieva did her part in the singles, but her teammates couldn't give her any help.  Could you imagine what would of happened if Russia would of sent a team with any other Russians like Svetlana Kuznetsova, Vera Zvonareva, Maria Sharapova, Dinara Safina, or even Maria Kirilenko?  Oudin, Mattek-Sands and the bunch would of been at the wrong end of a beat down.  Its a shame the best of the best aren't always willing to play Fed Cup.  It would be fun, and interesting to see who would come out on top.  The Italians do that, they send their best to Fed Cup, and the women players WANT to play, unlike almost all of the other countries.

So unless the U.S. can convince Serena, Venus, or both of them to play, the Italians should cruise to another Fed Cup championship.

Verdasco tops Soderling for Barcelona title.

Fernando Verdasco won his 2nd title of the season today, beating Robin Soderling 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in the final of the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell in Barcelona, Spain.

This is a good homecoming for the Spaniard who has been playing well on the clay heading to the French Open which begins in only a few weeks.

"I have been training here since I was 15 or 16 years old so it's always a very special tournament and winning here is an incredible feeling," said Verdasco, who only decided to play on a wild card at the last minute. "I wasn't planning to play here and I won the tournament so imagine how I feel - amazing."

"I hope Rafa is not here again next year so I can win again," he joked, before he and Soderling sprayed the ball boys and girls and each other with champagne.

Really, who sprays underage kids with champagne?  Sounds like a R. Kelly video to me.

Verdasco on the left, Soderling on the right.

Barcelona Mens Final preview.

Fernando Verdasco and Robin Soderling, on Sunday will meet in the final of the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell in Barcelona, Spain.

(#5 seed) Fernando Verdasco  vs.  (#2) Robin Soderling

Verdasco will be playing in front of his fans in his home country, but will be very fatigued after battling fellow Spaniard, David Ferrer in the semifinals.  Soderling with his big forehand has been rolling over his opponents.  This is a tough match to predict.  Verdasco at times seems he would rather be a model, than concentrate on tennis, while Soderling does not want to be a model, but has struggled with injuries.  Has the long week on clay aggravated Soderling's bothersome knee?  Will Verdasco come into the final focused on winning?  With this match being in Spain, I believe Verdasco will be ready to grind out a win.  I like a close victory by Verdasco in straight sets 6-4, 7-6.

Pick - Verdasco

RESULT:  Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.

Fed Cup Preview and Updates.

The Fed Cup semifinals are this weekend, with Italy and the Czech Republic are battling for one spot in the finals, along with Russia and the United States fighting for the other spot.

Team Italy

Flavia Pennetta  (#15 World Ranking)

Francesca Schiavone  (#17)

Sara Errani  (#36)

Roberta Vinci  (#58)

Team Czech Republic

Lucie Safarova  (#38 World Ranking)

Petra Kvitova  (#60)

Lucie Hradecka  (#74)

Kveta Peschke  (#17 world ranking in doubles)

Schedule:

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Flavia Pennetta (ITA)  vs.  Lucie Hradecka (CZE)

RESULT:  Flavia Pennetta (ITA)  6-4, 7-5.

Francesca Schiavone (ITA)  vs.  Lucie Safarova (CZE)

RESULT:  Francesca Schiavone 6-0, 6-2.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Flavia Pennetta (ITA)  vs.  Petra Kvitova (CZE)

RESULT:  Flavia Pennetta 7-6, 6-2   ***** Italy clinches matchup

Sara Errani (ITA)  vs.  Lucie Hradecka (CZE)

RESULT:  Sara Errani 6-4, 6-2.

Sara Errani and Francesca Schiavone (ITA)  vs.  Lucie Hradecka and Kveta Peschke (CZE)

RESULT:  Sara Errani and Francesca Schiavone 6-2, 6-4.

The Italians are the defending champions and are playing at home in Rome, Italy.  Team Italy is a close knit group who take pride in playing Fed Cup and on paper have the better team of higher ranked women.  I don't see how the Czech Republic has a chance to win and advance to the finals.  Italy will either sweep this 5-0, or with a convincing 4-1 win.

The 2nd semifinal matchup is Russia vs. The United States in Birmingham, Alabama, United States.

Team United States:

Melanie Oudin (#31 in World Rankings)

Bethanie Mattek-Sands  (#129)

Liezel Huber  (#1 world ranking in doubles) 

Sloane Stephens (#374)

Team Russia

Elena Dementieva  (#6 World Ranking)

Ekaterina Makarova  (#62)

Alla Kudryavtseva  (#78)

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova was suppose to be on this team, but has injury problems, so the Russians are going with only 3 players.

Schedule:

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Melanie Oudin (USA)  vs.  Alla Kudryavtseva (RUS)

RESULT:  Melanie Oudin (USA) 6-3, 6-3.

Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA)  vs.  Elena Dementieva (RUS)

RESULT:  Elena Dementieva (RUS) 6-4, 6-3.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Melanie Oudin (USA)  vs. Elena Dementieva (RUS)

RESULT:  Elena Dementieva 7-6, 0-6, 6-3.

Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA)  vs.  Ekaterina Makarova (RUS)

RESULT:  Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-4, 2-6, 6-3.

Liezel Huber and Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA)  vs.  Elena Dementieva and Alla Kudryavtseva (RUS)

RESULT:  Liezel Huber and Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-3, 6-1.

Its a shame none of the Russian women are willing to get together and win the Fed Cup.  Dementieva is elite, but the other two women on the team are nothing special.  Dementieva will win her 2 singles matches, but the United States will beat up on Kudryavtseva in the singles and will dominate the doubles to move on to the final after a 3-2 victory.

Venus Williams will not play Fed Cup this weekend.

Venus Williams has told Fed Cup coach Mary Jo Fernandez that she will be unable to play for the United States this weekend against the Russians, because of a knee injury she aggravated in Miami a couple weeks ago.

Her statement to the USTA read: 

“I am continuing to rehabilitate my knee and regret that I will not be able to participate in the Fed Cup tie against Russia this weekend. I waited until this moment in hopes that I would have an opportunity to play, but I am being advised by my medical support team that I will need more time to recover.”

We all know whats going on here.  The reason she is not playing is two things.  The Fed Cup just doesn't pay enough, and she is planning on playing Davis Cup, because we all know she has a peninsula just south of the equator.

Safina still recovering from back injury.

Dinara Safina the #3 ranked woman in the world is still fighting a nagging back injury that has bothered her since last August.  Safina recently wrote in her blog that an MRI revealed that her L5-S1 disk had two small stress fractures, and on top of that a ruptured muscle in her back.

“That was the worst news I could ever hear from a doctor, but now finally I’m recovering, though not as fast as I would prefer,” she said.

The Russian who hasn't played a match since the fourth round of the Australian Open is currently working with her trainer Tomislav Vrbnjak, and is slowly starting to practice.  She has set no timetable for her return to competition.

Injuries, Injuries, and more Injuries...

Rafael Nadal has pulled out of this weeks tournament in Barcelona, Spain due to soreness in his knee that developed last week when he won in Monte-Carlo.

Nadal will not be able to defend the title he has won the last 5 years in a row.  He often calls the Barcelona his "home".

Nadal said this in a recently released statement: “I feel bad about not playing Barcelona more than any other tournament, but after Monte Carlo my body is asking me to rest, I’ve said on many occasions that the tennis calendar, especially during the clay court season, is badly structured and for me not being able to play Barcelona is a consequence of that.”

Tournament director had this to say about Nadal not participating this week: “The withdrawal of Rafa hurts the tournament, but we have to go on and there will be a lot of other interesting matches."

That bum knee must of really been bothering him for him to just destroy everyone he faced.  I would of loved to see him at 100%, nobody would of probably even won a point.  Every match would of been 6-0, 6-0.  48 points to 0....Its hard not to call "bullshit" on this one.  The guy demolished a top 10 player just a day ago and now he has a bum knee?...hmmm this stinks of someone trying to use leverage against the ATP's scheduling of tournaments. 

Caroline Wozniacki received some good news today after having an MRI.  The good news is that the MRI showed just some stretched tendons and a bone bruise.  She will be out for only a short while and should be healed soon.

In her blog she wrote: “The doctor said that I might be ready soon,” she wrote. “I just need to make sure the right treatment.”  Wozniacki is scheduled to receive treatment this week in Barcelona.

Barcelona you say?  Isn't that where Fernando Verdasco is playing this week?  I wonder if riding Fernando's "pogo stick" is a part of the rehab treatment.

Along with Nadal, David Nalbandian has also pulled out of this weeks tour stop in Barcelona.  It has been found that Nalbandian has a tear in his left hamstring that will pull him out of this week, but also Rome in a couple weeks.

This guy cannot stay healthy.  It looks like the years where he didn't really care about his fitness are coming back to haunt him.

Sabine Lisicki has pulled out this weeks Fed Cup due to a lingering ankle injury.  Germany's highest ranked woman will surely be missed.  Lisicki had this to say about her bum ankle:  “Ever since Indian Wells, I have been working very hard to get my ankle better, I hope to be back in the weeks to come.”

Should of toughed it out, only a pansy needs a wheelchair.

ITF: Odesnik accepts voluntary ban.

This is a story taken from the Associated Press.

LONDON (AP)

American tennis player Wayne Odesnik has accepted "a voluntary provisional suspension'' from all events after pleading guilty last month to importing human growth hormone into Australia.


The International Tennis Federation said in a statement Monday that the suspension, which covers Grand Slam tournaments and ATP-sanctioned competitions, started last Friday. Because it is a voluntary suspension, the 111th-ranked Odesnik could decide to play again at any time.


Odesnik has not tested positive for a banned substance. He will face an independent tribunal in the next two months, according to ITF rules, and could be banned for two years.

"How long that suspension will remain in place will be at the discretion of the player, but we would normally expect it to continue through to the point at which a tribunal renders a decision on the case,'' said Stuart Miller, the head of the ITF's anti-doping program. "Technically, the length of any withdrawal is his choice.''

The 24-year-old Odesnik was stopped by customs officers on Jan. 2 when he arrived in Australia ahead of the Brisbane International, a warmup for the year's first Grand Slam event. Eight vials, each containing 6 milligrams of the performance-enhancing substance, were found in his baggage.

He was fined more than $7,000.

"Wayne Odesnik has accepted a voluntary provisional suspension from all events covered under the Tennis Anti-Doping Program,'' the ITF said in a statement. "In accordance with normal policy, the ITF does not intend to make further comment on this matter until its resolution.''


Odesnik has denied taking the banned substance, and despite his plea and subsequent fine, continued to play on the ATP tour. He reached the semifinals of the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships this month.

Several players have criticized the ATP for allowing Odesnik to compete.

By agreeing to a voluntary suspension, Odesnik will be able to accumulate credit against any suspension brought down by a tribunal. But he must not play in any ATP or ITF events.

"If he decides to return to competition in advance of the decision that is imposed in this case, then he would lose that credit,'' Miller said.


On Thursday, the ITF said it would review the rules that had prevented it from suspending Odesnik.

Under current rules, the governing body of tennis can only provisionally suspend players who are being investigated for a failed doping test. But players cannot be prevented from playing while they are investigated for other suspected doping violations, such as possessing a banned substance.

Odesnik was born in South Africa and moved to the United States as a child. He turned pro in 2004 and has a 35-43 career record in tour-level matches. He has never won an ATP title and his best ranking was 77th. He has reached one ATP final, on clay in Houston last year, and the highlight of his Grand Slam career was reaching the third round at the French Open in 2008.

Odesnik spends part of the year training in Miami. He is coached there by former top-10 player Guillermo Canas of Argentina, who served a 15-month ban in 2005-06 after failing a doping test.

Iceland volcano is causing travel problems for many players.

The volcano in Iceland is making travel difficult for many of the players trying to get to this weeks tournament in Barcelona.  Most of the players who played in Monte-Carlo this past week, and are scheduled to play this week are either going by train or car to make it to Barcelona on time.

The ITF is now considering delaying the April 24-25 Fed Cup matchups being played in Italy and the United States because of the travel disruptions.

Sharapova turns 23 today.

Bone bruise in my elbow, what bone bruise?  I'm gonna get wasted and let my greasy NBA benchwarming boyfriend hit it hard.

Sincerely,

The birthday girl, Maria.