FC Day 1 Update
Some Fed Cup notes from Day 1:
**Zone Play**
-- Poland advances from the Europe/Africa 1 Zone thanks to you-know-who. Although, thanks to two singles losses by Ula, the Radwanskas had to team up twice in doubles in make-or-break matches, first to advance out of Pool play (vs. ISR) to the Zone Promotional Playoff and then in the PO (vs. CRO, stopping 15-year old Ana Konjuh's FC week run at four straight s/d match wins). A-Rad is now 34-7 in singles/doubles matches during her FC career.
-- GBR vs. BUL in the other E/A Playoff, and BRA vs. CAN in the Americas Zone.
-- Kazakhstan defeated Uzbekistan to win the Asia/Oceania playoff as Shvedova/Voskoboeva win a deciding doubles match. Shvedova avoided being a goat here, as she went 1-2 in singles this week.
**WG II**
-- France is adrift w/o Bartoli, going down 0-2 to Germany after Day 1.
-- Flipkens falls to 8-15 in her FC career, losing to Romina Oprandi as SUI levels w/ BEL at 1-1.
-- FC stalwarts Larsson & Arvidsson (a combined 55-32 in their careers before Saturday) do no good for SWE. ARG leads 2-0, as does the Conchita Martinez-coached Spanish team over Ukraine.
**WG I**
-- Ayumi Morita levels the RUS/JPN tie w/ a win over Ekaterina Makarova, giving her 13 straight FC singles/doubles wins.
-- with SVK up 1-0 vs. the AnaIvo & JJ-less Serbs, Cibulkova leads Dolonc 6-4/5-4, but has to retire from the match with cramps. She's taken off the court on a stretcher, and the tie is suddenly 1-1. Hantuchova had to retire from a match last week. If SRB somehow survives this, it'll be a Queen Chaos Special, even with JJ never stepping onto the court.
-- Lepchenko knots USA/ITA tie w/ win over a cramping Roberta Vinci, who falls to 1-4 in her FC singles career (she's 17-0 in doubles, though).
-- Sam, Sam, Sam. In the CZE/AUS tie, with CZE up 1-0 (after Kvitova erased an early 4-2 hole to def. Czech-born Gajdosova in straights), Stosur led Safarova 3-0 and 4-1 in the 1st set, as well as 5-3. Things went to a tie-break. Stosur led that 6-5, then double-faulted and committed two more errors to drop it 8-6.
Things were knotted at 3-3 in the 2nd set tie-break, then Stosur stopped a point to challenge a call. She was wrong, then she didn't win another point, losing a second tie-break and the match 7-6(6)/7-6(3) as the Aussies go down 2-0.
I guess leaving Australia didn't help Sam much this time out.
All for now.
posted by Todd.Spiker @ 3:33 PM
6 Comments:
And Canada def. Brazil to get the promotion from Americas Zone 1 on Saturday, as Sharon Fichman & Gabriela Dabrowski win the deciding doubles match. In all this week, Canada went 10-1 in singles/doubles matches, with Eugenie Bouchard a perfect 4-0 (running the 18-year old's career FC record to 5-1).
Sam Sam Sam, with all youngsters gunning upwards, anyone betting Sam to fall out of top 10 this year?
The Open title was thought to maybe be career-changing, but she still hasn't won a title since. It'll be two years ago come this September.
Not only is Sam playing badly right now she's also falling in the same holes like Vika and Kuznetsova - delaying the play and faking injuries - sorry. Another thing when will there be a minimum demand to WTA tournaments websides. Paris has a crappy one almost useless and the same goes for Qatar. In Qatar the draw was only visible for a l-o-n-g time via their LIVEscore page and in that pressing the LIVEdraw button. It should be fairly easy to have an expert servicing that homepage. Why is the WTA not demanding a minimum service?? Anyone knows that?
If I was Sam, I'd be much more concerned about blowing a match point and losing yet another big match than anything else. :)
Maybe teaming up w/ Lisa Raymond again in doubles at the next few events (as Davenport said she was doing today on TC), especially if they have some nice success, will be good for her singles.
oh noesssssssssssssssss....Rafa :(
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