The Clinchers: Fed Cup First Round

It's not just the men who had something to atone for in the days after the Australian Open. This weekend a couple ladies who may have fallen a little short of expectations in Melbourne -- either their own or others' -- stormed back onto the courts for the first round of Fed Cup action. And a few of their wins may have gone a long way to make up for their recent losses.

Germany vs. Australia

There was plenty of talent on display at the tie between Germany and Australia, but most these players got off to a slow start in 2015 -- together the four singles entrants had combined for just two wins Down Under. But they were all hungry for redemption this weekend -- Jarmila Gajdosova, who scored her first ever win at her homeland's Major last month, opened by stunning heavy favorite Angelique Kerber in three sets, but Andrea Petkovic, winless since taking the trophy in Sofia late last year, endured a marathon third set against former U.S. Open champion Sam Stosur, closing out the win after more than three hours of play. She proved the more resilient on Sunday, too -- after Kerber gave the Germans a slight lead in the first reverse singles match, beating Stosur in straight sets, Petkovic went the distance again, edging Jarkka 8-6 in the third, and securing her country a return to the semis. Last year's runners-up haven't won a Fed Cup trophy since 1992, and while there's a lot more play left before a champion is decided, this group of ladies has certainly shown they have the will to put up some big numbers for their team.

Czech Republic vs. Canada

The Czechs, on the other hand, have had a little more success of late, winning the title three of the last four years. But without some of their biggest stars -- both defending Wimbledon champ Petra Kvitova and underappreciated Lucie Safarova sat out this contest -- there was no certainty in this rubber. But the Canadians were missing their biggest star too, and without Genie Bouchard, their top player was world #185 Gabriela Dabrowski. But the twenty year old proved no match for Karolina Pliskova on Sunday -- the rising star, one of my dark horses for Melbourne, fell surprisingly quickly to eventual Aussie semifinalist Ekaterina Makarova in the third round. But she made up for it this weekend, first trumping eighteen-year-old Francoise Abanda on Saturday and then clinching the win for her country with a straight set win over Dabrowski. The Czechs may not have brought their A-team to this rubber, but with a field as deep as theirs it doesn't seem to matter.

Italy vs. France

Things were a little closer between the 2013 champion Italians and the upstart French team, who made the World Group this year after a playoff win over the U.S. last spring. The favorites got off to a good start on Day One with former Roland Garros finalist Sara Errani bouncing back from a third round upset at the Open to Yanina Wickmayer for a win in the first tie and Camila Giorgi, who fell just short of a monstrous win over Venus Williams, pulled off her own victory over world #19 Alizé Cornet. But the 2-0 lead did not prove insurmountable -- on Sunday, doubles specialist Kristina Mladenovic, who's had some huge wins at the Majors herself, kept the Frenchwomen alive with a win over Errani and young gun Caroline Garcia drew her country even with a three-set win over Giorgi. The two then paired up against the top-ranked doubles team of Errani and long-time partner Roberta Vinci, stunning the Italians for the come-from-behind win. Neither had been able to follow up defeats of low seeds in Melbourne, but their wins this weekend may have shown they still have a lot more to give.

Russia vs. Poland

But perhaps the one player who was most anxious to get back on the court was the one who fell just short of taking the title Down Under. Maria Sharapova made it all the way back to the final at the Australian Open, but despite her best efforts just couldn't get the upper hand against Serena Williams during their nearly two-hour match. But she got right back out there this weekend, playing on the Fed Cup team for only the third time in her decorated career. She kicked off win a quick and easy win over Urszula Radwanska, but even with a 2-0 lead over the Poles, the pressure was on Sunday. Maria faced off against long-time rival Aga Radwanska, a woman who had notched her first ever victory over Serena already this year, and should have been eager to add another high-profile win to her resumé. But Sharapova was undaunted, rolling through the first set and staying the more focused in a tight second. The victory clinched a return to the World Group semis, where the Russians will face off against Germany in April. But more importantly, it erases the bad taste of Maria's loss just a week ago and may have replaced it with a hunger for even bigger wins down the road.

Davis Cup Final Preview: Tensions Running High

A lot has been said about the little spat between Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka after their semifinal battle in London last weekend. But even as both players have put to rest rumors of any hard feelings that may have existed, there's plenty of pressure on everyone as we head into this weekend's Davis Cup championship tie. The Swiss are going for their first ever trophy while the homecourt-advantage French are looking for title #10, but their first since 2001. And we'll be treated to some banner match-ups from the start.

Wawrinka opens play Friday against former world #5 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who declined an alternate spot to the World Tour Finals to focus on exactly this match. The Frenchman has a slight edge in their head-to-head, but every one of the pair's five meetings have gone the distance, including their two Roland Garros encounters which combined for ten sets, three tiebreaks and more than eight hours of play. Tsonga's been a little quiet since the U.S. Open and Wawrinka did somewhat redeem his late-season slump at the O2, but with these guys' history, I'd expect this to a be a battle too.

But the rubber everyone will be watching Friday will certainly be the rematch between Roger and Gael Monfils. Federer, you're remember, narrowly eked out a win over the big-time showman in New York, coming back from two sets and a break down in the quarterfinals before powering through for the win. LeMonf has only played a couple events since then, but he has conquered threats like Jerzy Janowicz and John Isner, so seems more than match ready. And Roger, despite a run to the final at the year-end championships, is still contending with the back injury that forced him out of the title match in London. It took a couple days before he was able to get back on court and, if he's not a hundred percent, Monfils is more than capable of exploiting any weakness.

Of course everything could get wrapped up by Saturday in the doubles rubber. Julien Benneteau and Richard Gasquet, both accomplished on the singles circuit themselves, will take on the much lesser-known Swiss team of Marco Chiudinelli and Michael Lammer. But something tells me the matches on Day Two will both be crucial to this weekend's outcome. In the early rubber we'll get a rematch of the Toronto final in which Tsonga stunned Fed after already beating not one, not two, but three top ten players in a row. The pair have put on some classic displays in the past, and the Frenchman has walked away the winner on a couple big stages. He might still trail Roger in their overall history, but expect him to step up to the plate again when so much is on the line.

And the potential final rubber between Wawrinka and Monfils could be just as exciting. The two don't have a long history -- they've met every couple years, but not since 2011 and have split their four previous meetings. The Swiss might be the on-paper favorite in this one, but again he's notched some surprising losses in the final weeks of the regular season -- to Mikhael Kukushkin in Basel, Tatsumo Ito in Tokyo -- and could find himself a little vulnerable at the hands of his opponent. Gael may not have won a title since very early in the season, but he's got three top-ten wins on his résumé this year and might just be primed to add number four to that list.

The last couple Davis Cup championships have all gone down to the wire, and I wouldn't expect any less this weekend. With history on the line and so much talent on the courts, you know everyone's going to power through any obstacle they face. And whoever comes out the winner will have certainly earned their spoils.

A Sign of the Times

Davis Cup always seems a little strange to me -- so often top stars skip ties due to scheduling conflicts or training needs, leaving lower-ranked players to carry the mantle for their countries, or nations with just a few athletes in the elite ranks can't fill out the rest of their roster to guarantee reliable rubber wins. But more recently the tide has shifted to recognize both the strongest players and their homelands -- either Spain or Serbia, who've claimed the year-end #1 ranking in five of the last six seasons, has made the Davis Cup final every year since 2008. And while the Czechs beat them out the last two times, it was with a team led by top ten players like Tomas Berdych and doubles specialist Radek Stepanek.

And this year, maybe more than others in recent memory, the highest-flying players of the season have successfully shown they come from places where it's not just about one star player, but a deep cadre of top-notch talent.

The French had actually been flying a bit under the radar in 2014, picking up just two titles on the year. But they've really stepped up their game in recent months -- Jo-Wilfried Tsonga made his return to the top ten with a title in Toronto, while Gael Monfils, who picked up his first trophy in three years in February, very nearly defeated Roger Federer in New York, what would have been the biggest win of his career. And against the two-time defending Czech champions, even recently struggling Richard Gasquet, who couldn't defend semifinal points from his 2013 U.S. Open run, stepped up to the plate. The 2010 runners-up got off to an early lead and clinched the win with a doubles victory Saturday, adding some fresh blood to the finals -- but the real test is still to come.

The Swiss may have been playing in their first Davis Cup semifinal since 2003, but with a couple of individually dominant players leading the way, it's a little surprising it took so long to get there. Roger Federer picked up his twenty-second Masters crown in Cincinnati last month and fell just short of his eighteenth Major at Wimbledon earlier in the summer. And compatriot Stan Wawrinka stormed onto the scene with his first Slam in Melbourne, climbing to a career high #3 in the world after his win. While both fell short of expectations in New York, they rallied big time to create an early 2-0 lead over a strong Italian team this weekend and, though Wawrinka fell just short of securing the tie in a nearly four-hour doubles loss, Federer pulled off an east win over world #17 Fabio Fognini, granting his team entry to its first final since 1992.

From a ranking perspective the Swiss will certainly be at an advantage in November's tie, but this could be a tougher battle than we expect -- Federer, after all, lost to Tsonga in Canada and nearly, too, to Monfils in Flushing Meadows, while Wawrinka hasn't beaten a top ten player since April. But that's just the kind of drama we've come to expect on the tennis courts this year -- the world's best players being pushed to the limit from every angle imaginable. And whoever eventually goes home with this year's Davis Cup trophy will have cemented themselves -- and their entire team -- as the true force in this sport for the season.

Back From the Brink

It sure came down to the wire this weekend at Davis Cup, with three of the four quarterfinal ties undecided until the last minute. It took some clutch performances when it counted most and featured some big upsets from unlikely stars, and in the end we're left with a talented group of teams that could very well make history.

It wasn't all edge-of-your-seat drama, of course. The two-time defending champion Czechs were the first to clinch their spot in the semis against an upstart Japanese team. Even without their star Tomas Berdych, a wily team helmed by -- go figure -- Lukas Rosol and veteran Radek Stepanek put together a 2-0 lead going into the weekend, and the two paired in the doubles rubber to give the Czechs an insurmountable lead. Rising star Jiri Vesely's win Sunday wasn't necessary, but sealing the victory with a 5-0 sure put an exclamation point on the dominating performance -- when the whole team shows up in the next tie, it'll be hard to beat them.

The French had a little tougher task after their Day One. Against an underdog German team -- they're top four players were missing this weekend -- Julien Benneteau dropped his opener to world #96 Tobias Kamke and headliner Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was pushed in a long fifth set, ultimately losing to Peter Gojowczyk, who hadn't won a match since his stellar run in January. It was their doubles team that finally turned the tide in their favor -- Benneteau and Michael Llodra finally got the French on the board Saturday and Tsonga rallied Sunday to even the score with a win over Kamke. And in the final match for the weekend, Gael Monfils took the court against Gojowcyzk, built himself an early lead and never looked back. The French face off against the Czechs next -- their head-to-head record stands dead even at 7-7 -- so they'll need to up their game. But they've certainly shown they can never be counted out, and in a setting like Davis Cup, there's no reason they can't keep their streak going.

The Italians had slightly more breathing room going into the weekend, but not much. While recently strong Fabio Fognini scored the tie's first point against Britain's James Ward, formerly formidable Andreas Seppi wasn't able to keep the momentum going against two-time Grand Slam titleist Andy Murray. The Brits took the lead on Saturday too, with Murray teaming with doubles specialist Colin Flemings to grab a 2-1 lead in the tie. With Murray taking the court again against Fognini in the first reverse singles match, it seemed likely the Italians would be sent packing -- the pair had split their previous two meetings, but the last came almost five years ago, and while Andy had slipped slightly to #8 in the world, he was still the clear favorite. But Murray wasn't at his best on Sunday and Fognini scored the upset in straight sets. And Seppi regrouped for his final rubber, closing out Ward and sending Italy to the semis for the first time in over fifteen years.

Also reaching new ground this weekend -- somewhat surprising considering the individual success of their top star over the past decade -- were the Swiss, who reached their first semi since 2003, but not in the way you'd expect. Stanislas Wawrinka, the breakout star of this season, may have supplanted long-time top-five fixtures like Andy Murray and David Ferrer as the Next Big Thing with his 11-0 start to the year, but he hadn't reached even a quarterfinal since and he opened his campaign against the Kazakhs with a four-set loss to world #64 Andrey Golubev. Stalwart Roger Federer sent the Swiss into the weekend even, but they got behind again when Golubev teamed with even lesser-known Aleksandr Nedovyesov to take the doubles rubber. Like with the Italians, it all came down to Wawrinka in the first reverse singles match Sunday, and this time the favorite made it count. After losing the first set in a tiebreak to Mikhail Kukushkin, Stan pulled himself together and closed out the match. Roger did his part too, downing Golubev in straight sets and keeping the Swiss hopes for their first ever Davis Cup still alive. They get homecourt advantage against Italy too, and if they continue to play to their ability, they could just ride their streak all the way to the end.

The excitement and drama around Davis Cup is only going to intensify from here, but this weekend's winners sure proved they can deliver when times are toughest. There's still a lot of ball left to be played, of course, but it sure looks like we could be in for something completely different this year. And I can think of no better way to stir things up.

Davis Cup Quarterfinals: Separating the Men...

I don't think I'm the only one who was surprised by some of the results during first round Davis Cup action this year. Even beyond the amazing U.S. triumph over Swiss giants Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka, we saw a surprisingly close call in the Austria/Russia tie, and the upstart Japan team took Croatia down to the wire. And with the fields narrowed for this weekend's quarterfinal matches, we'll now really see who's stronger than their record and whose previous wins were just a fluke.

Spain vs. Austria

The Austrians will have their work cut out for them. Against defending champion Spain, they'll be up against a slew of strong stars. They might be missing their biggest star in Rafael Nadal, but David Ferrer is consistently one of the biggest fighters on court, and Nicolas Almagro, relatively quiet recently, has nonetheless continued to show his prowess on the clay. Rounded out by Marcel Granollers and doubles powerhouse Marc Lopez, they should be the clear favorites.

Austria will be banking on the strength of Jurgen Melzer, playing well again after a title in Memphis. The 2010 French Open semifinalist has had his own success on the dirt in the past, and might just be able to recapture that momentum. It'll be tough, though, with no other real singles stars on the team -- the Austrians may have to hope that doubles rubber goes their way.

Argentina vs. Croatia

The Croats will also have tough time if they're going to advance further. Pitted against a veteran Argentine team that boasts resurgent talents of Juan Martin Del Potro, finally back in the top ten again, Juan Monaco, a surprise semifinalist in Miami, and veteran David Nalbandian, arguably a bigger surprise in the Indian Wells quarters. They've made at least the semis in five of the last seven years and seemed primed to do it again.

Their opponents, meanwhile, will be lead by Marin Cilic and big-serving Ivo Karlovic, neither of whom are playing at the top of their game. Either is capable of pulling off an upset, of course, but they'll have to bring their A-game if they're going to unseat last year's runners-up. But playing on the Argentine's homefield, it seems unlikely we'll see any huge surprises here.

Czech Republic vs. Serbia

Both the Czechs and the 2010 champion Serbs were able to handily take their opening ties, each just losing a rubber during the weekend. But things might not be so one-sided this time around. Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek are both playing well for their team, while their opponents' brightest start, world #1 Novak Djokovic, will be sitting out this round. Sure Janko Tipsarevic, at a career high ranking of #8, is coming off a run to the Miami quarters, where he very nearly notched an upset over Andy Murray. And Nenad Zimonjic is always a force in the doubles rubber. But if both these countries play to their ability, it could be the closest match-up we see.

France vs. U.S.

Quite possibly the most attention will be put on the Americans as they try to return to the semis for the first time since 2008 -- though that might just be because I'm in America. Still, having deposed a heavily favored Swiss team does put a bit of a target on their backs. They'll be missing stalwarts like Andy Roddick and Mardy Fish, and will instead rely on Indian Wells finalist and rising star Ryan Harrison. Backed up by the #1 doubles team Mike and Bob Bryan, they're not without firepower, but this will be a true test of the next generation of U.S. stars.

France, on the other hand, will bring four top-fifty singles players to the mix, a couple of whom are also well-accomplished in the doubles realm. But Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, though always a threat, has been little better than mediocre this year, and Gilles Simon suffered a close loss to Isner in the California dessert. They have experience on their side, though, and a little more time at the top than their opponents. But if the Americans can score the win, it might be the coup we've been waiting for.

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Of course, like with any major tennis event, there's no way to really know what will happen. But this weekend's quarterfinals sure hold potential for more than a few surprises -- and a couple blowouts. The results could really make clear the differences between those that advance and those that stay behind. And as the survivors continue to vie for Davis Cup glory, it looks like the competition will only get tougher from here.

Davis Cup Preview: What to Watch

There's a lot at stake for the countries and players contesting the first round of Davis Cup this weekend -- national pride, vengeance for recent losses, validation of new coaches, to name a few. Some are bringing out the big guns while others will battle challenges from all sorts of elements.

And while the final rubber scores will of course ultimately determine the winners, there are a couple under-the-radar stories that could matter just as much, no matter what the outcome.

Serbia vs. India

Defending champions Serbia are riding pretty high these days, what with Novak Djokovic’s second Major title and Janko Tipsarevic’s run to the Delray Beach finals. They’re rounded out by tricky Viktor Troicki and a doubles extraordinaire Nenad Zimonjic. With such a stacked team I doubt they’ll have trouble advancing.

And while their prospects for this tie might be dim, I’ll be watching the Indian team closely – newly reunited Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi made their way to the Australian Open finals in their first Slam together since 2002. And Rohan Bopanna, who’s established himself well in the paired discipline, has had some success on the singles side when playing for his country. It might be too much to ask for a win, but if they put up a fight, I’ll be happy.

Sweden vs. Russia

The Russians are the seeded team in this tie, but without their top player Mikhail Youzhny they could be headed for an early exit. Sweden may be resting its hopes on only one player, but if they’re going to put all their eggs in one basket, Robin Soderling is not a bad one to have.

The more interesting story here might be the return of Joachim Johansson, a one-time top-ten player who hasn’t played a lot of Tour matches the last few years. But the Swede, a semifinalist at the U.S. Open in 2004, is still young and powerful -- if he puts in a good showing we might see a lot more of him this season.

Czech Republic vs. Kazakhstan

The Czech’s suffered a close loss to Serbia in last year’s semifinals, so you know they’ll be out to prove something, and against a middle-of-the road Kazakh team they shouldn’t have too much trouble. But that doesn’t mean their star Tomas Berdych will be off the hook -- he's finally started putting together wins again, but he has a ton of points coming off in the next few months. If he doesn’t start performing up to his ranking soon, his top ten ranking may be pretty short-lived.

Argentina vs. Romania

The 2008 runners-up might be missing their theoretic top player in Juan Martin Del Potro, but they should still be heavily favored over the Romanians, whose best hope may be in relatively unknown doubles specialist Horia Tecau.

But a couple of Argentine veterans will be using this as a platform to prove they’re still around. David Nalbandian put up one of the most exciting first rounds at the Australian Open, but retired from the following match -- he'll need to prove he’s not too old to be a factor in the long matches. And thirty-one year old Juan Ignacio Chela made the semis in Costa Do Sauipe and the finals in Buenos Aires -- I'd love to see him show those were not just flukes and that he is capable of putting up even bigger fights.

Chile vs. U.S.

With new coach Jim Courier comes big expectations for the seeded U.S. team, but the players, recovering from sickness and injury might not be in the shape he’d hoped. Andy Roddick played well in Memphis, but withdrew from Delray with the flu while the often unstoppable Bryan brothers haven’t played since winning in Melbourne. Couple that with John Isner's failing to defend most of the points he racked up in the first two months of last year and things may not be as easy as it seems. They may have gotten a bit of a respite as their Chilean opponents boast no one ranked in the top 150, so this will be a good opportunity to test themselves in a relatively safe environment.

Belgium vs. Spain

The Spaniards suffered a surprisingly early exit at last year's Davis Cup, being blanked by France in the quarterfinals after winning the whole enchilada the prior two years. That could explain why they’re bringing their biggest weapons to face a fairly innocuous Belgian team.

There shouldn’t be too much drama in this match, but I’ll still be watching a few players closely. Rafael Nadal hasn’t seen any action since the Australian Open when he suffered a hamstring injury and Fernando Verdasco, who finally seemed to be turning his career back in the right direction, hasn’t won a match since that disappointing loss in the San Jose finals. If he’s not over that defeat, it could take a while before he regains any confidence.

Croatia vs. Germany

Croatia has built itself into a strong team too, but certain players have struggled of late. One of my personal favorites Marin Cilic had a tough start to the year and only recently began winning back-to-back matches again, while big serving Ivo Karlovic continues to out-ace opponents without ever breaking their serve.

It might be strange to say the Croats' best hope may lie with one of its least known players. World #57 Ivan Dodig is having a standout year, being the only player to take a set from Novak Djokovic in Australia and then following it up with his first career title in Zagreb. If he puts in a few wins on the homecourt, it could mean a changing of the guard for the country.

Austria vs. France

Last year's second place French team is missing some of its biggest stars with both Gael Monfils and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga out of the mix, so it could be time for some new stars to shine. I’m not talking about Gilles Simon, who is admittedly clawing his way back up the ranks after being the leading athlete in the country just a few years back. Instead, I’ll be watching Michael Llodra who, at thirty years of age has just now established himself as a legitimate singles and doubles threat. If he puts up the kind of showing he did in 2010, it could be a long weekend for the Austrians.

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Clearly individual performances aren't the biggest concern during Davis Cup play, but certain team members certainly have a chance to shine during their ties. It might mean a turnaround in their careers or the establishment of a new streak of success. Either way, the opportunities could be enormous -- and they'll all have their entire countries rooting them on.

Down to the Wire

I love it when the final rubber of a Davis Cup tie actually means something -- it wasn't since Russia defeated Argentina in 2006 that the last match was played to completion. And this year, after four hard-fought rubbers, we were finally given the chance to see two countries fight their hearts out for their honor.

Play began Friday and, admittedly, I thought Serbia would run away with it. Armed with a U.S. Open finalist in Novak Djokovic and a World Tour Final champion in Nenad Zimonjic, as well as homefield advantage, it looked like the team should have had the cards stacked in its favor. And when France made the first dent in the scoreboard -- Gael Monfils beat Janko Tipsarevic hardly breaking a sweat -- I wasn't worried their lead would last. Not surprisingly, Nole evened the score with a routine win over Gilles Simon later that day and Zimonjic teamed with Viktor Troicki to build a two-set lead on the pairing of Michael Llodra and Arnaud Clement.

But that's when things got interesting. All four players took a break after the second set, and France got off to a quick lead to start the third by winning Troicki's first service game. The Serbs had a few shots to pull even in the eighth game, but some masterful play by Llodra, ranked a respectable #29 in doubles, got them out of trouble and kept them in the lead -- two games later they had forced another set.

Both teams raised their play then -- there were six aces in the fourth set and another five service winners as players held their games rather easily on both sides of the net. It wasn't until several games later that the French rattled off three games in a row to tie up the match. They then broke the ever-solid Zimonjic to start the fifth and never looked back -- after four and a half hours of play, the French had secured a surprising 2-1 lead.



Djokovic was again able to draw things even on Sunday when he kept his record against Monfils unblemished. The world #3 broke the Frenchman's serve seven times to win in straight sets, making the final match so much more important. Originally expected to pit Simon against Tipsarevic, both teams subbed in the alternates and Troicki was forced to face Llodra a second day in a row.

And this time, the Serb was not intimidated. After losing serve several times on Saturday, he was able to keep his own games in check. He out-aced the Frenchman and won more than half of his return points. He made more errors than his opponent, but that was more a symptom of his aggressive play -- he also shot nearly twice as many winners -- and after about two hours and much less drama than the previous day, he had sealed in the Serbs' very first Davis Cup.



In doing so, Serbia became the thirteenth nation to claim the championship, and they certainly put themselves on the map as a force to beat in the sport. If we didn't already know the force and potential contained within the teeny country, we certainly do now.

And that could give others reason to stop and take notice next year.

It's Not Over Yet

Sure, most of the action on the men's Tour is over for the year, but we've still got the Davis Cup finals this weekend, and this year things could get pretty interesting.

First-time finalist Serbia takes on France, making its first appearance at the championship tie since 2002, and both teams boast players who've made quite a statement in recent months.

France has actually won the Cup nine times, third on the all-time champions' list, but six of those wins came before World War II. They put in a nice showing earlier in the decade, led by the likes of Nicolas Escude and Sebastien Grosjean, but these days they have a fighting chance to reclaim the title. They began their 2010 run by blanking two-time defending champion Spain in the quarters and doing the same to 2008 second-place finishers Argentina a few months later.

Though one of their top players is sitting out this weekend, Gael Monfils, a winner in Montpellier and a runner-up in Paris, is riding high on the momentum of six wins over top-twenty players -- including Andy Murray and Roger Federer -- in about a month. And Michael Llodra, who had his own miracle run in Bercy, has fought his way to #23 in the world, his highest career ranking. Adding Metz champ Gilles Simon and Arnaud Clement to the list, and you might see some big wins this weekend.

But Serbia is making its first appearance in the finals, and given their roster of players, you might wonder what's taken them so long. Helmed by world #3 and London semifinalist Novak Djokovic, they have a Grade-A team. Viktor Troicki, who nearly stopped Nole's New York run in the first round, and Janko Tipsarevic, who vanquished Andy Roddick in the U.S. Open's second round round out the singles field. And World Tour Finals doubles champ Nenad Zimonjic promises to bring the power that's kept him in that discipline's top five for two and a half years.

Play kicks of Friday with Tipsarevic taking on Monfils, the man who pushed him out at Flushing Meadows. Still, they've split wins in their four previous meetings, so it could be Janko's turn to get ahead. Djokovic follows with a rubber against former top-ten Simon, a man he's beaten in five of their six match-ups. I don't expect him to cede that advantage on his homecourt.

In my view, it seems like Serbia is the favorite to win their first Davis Cup this weekend, but if we've learned anything this year, it's that nothing is for certain. But I have a feeling this championship won't be quite as one-sided as they've been in the past few years.

And the result might just usher in a new era of regional domination in men's tennis.

A French Revolution

It was a battle of the French this week in Bali, where the first ever Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Championships took place. The new tournament showcased the talent of new and established stars of the sport, inviting the ten highest-ranked women who'd won an international tournament this year -- and who didn't qualify for the season-ending championships in Doha -- plus two wild cards to compete for as much as a million dollars in prize money.

The headliners for the inaugural tournament didn't disappoint. Marion Bartoli and Sam Stosur claimed the top seeds while Sabine Lisicki, a finalist in Luxembourg and winner in Charleston, and veteran Kimiko Date Krumm accepted the final two spots. And right from the get-go there was quite a bit of drama to speak of. Two-time titlist Yanina Wickmayer voluntarily withdrew after word spread of her twelve-month suspension from the Tour (for not showing up for drug tests -- and in the week after Andre Agassi's confessions, it seems the authorities are just trying to make a point). Both Lisicki and Stosur were upset in their groups, and Bartoli was the only top seed to advance to the semis and ultimately to the finals.

There she met Aravane Rezai, the twenty-two year old who captured her first championship trophy when she beat Lucie Hradecka in Stasbourg last May. The rest of the year has been filled with ups and downs for her, though, as she lost a couple of tournaments in the early rounds and only barely qualified for Linz and Luxembourg to end the year. She'd lost her last two meetings with Bartoli, most recently in Tokyo this past September.

On Sunday afternoon in Bali, though, she fought her way back from being down set point at 3-5 to take the first 7-5. When Bartoli had to retire with a quadricep injury, Aravane held up the biggest trophy of her career thus far.



It's not quite enough to shoot Rezai into the top-most rankings, but it does make a case for French tennis on the women's Tour. The men already have Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, they have Gilles Simon and Gael Monfils. The women are struggling a bit with Amelie Mauresmo speaking of retirement and Virginie Razzano losing most of her matches against the top players.

But maybe with a little less than three months left before the first Grand Slam of next year, it might be time to start looking at another country to be a force on the courts.

By the way, the country you think is most likely to dominate in 2010, according to my admittedly unscientific poll, is Russia. Only one person voted for Belgium, something that shocked me. But even though the polls are closed, I still want to know what you think! Leave your comments below!

Round and Round We Go

Somewhere in Germany a tournament very similar to Davis Cup is being contested this week. Eight teams organized by country are vying in the ARAG ATP World Team Champions, and while ranking points may not be on the line, national pride surely is.

The tournament is organized similar to the year-end finals, with a Red Group and a Blue Group, in which four countries play in a Round Robin format. Last year's champion Sweden faced France, Germany and the U.S. while runner-up Russia battled Italy, Serbia and Argentina in the other half.

Over the course of the last few days there have been, of course, several big upsets, and some surprising outcomes. France, led by world #7 Gilles Simon and #9 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is so far down 0-2, while Sweden, on the strength of Robin Soderling and Andreas Vinciguerra, is up by the same margin. Argentina -- with #5 Juan Martin Del Potro on its team -- fell to Serbia but leads Italy -- which beat Russia who, in turn, is losing to Serbia.

Yikes.

Sweden might not be the first name that comes to mind when you think of tennis powerhouses -- Soderling is ranked twenty-fifth in the world, but after that the next Swede doesn't show up until Thomas Johansson at #194. But apparently, Dusseldorf is the stage in which the country likes to shine -- last year Soderling swept his singles and doubles matches, and could repeat the feat in 2009. And so far, they're primed to head into the finals again.



We'll see if luck -- and skill -- stays with them through the week. And until then, it will certainly be an exciting fight for the trophy!