Latest Tennis News – Davis Cup Quarter-Finals

Davis Cup Quarter-Finals

Two more marathon doubles matches were the main feature of the Davis Cup quarter-finals played at the beginning of April.  Although not as long as the longest doubles ever played between the Czech Republic and Switzerland in the first round, both matches were key to the overall outcome of the ties.

Iliya Bozoljac of Serbia was the unlikely hero in the tie which saw 2010 champions Serbia get past the USA in Boise, Idaho.  Coming into the match with a doubles world ranking of 1,150, Bozoljac matched and at times outplayed his more illustrious partner Nenad Zimonjic as they inflicted the second consecutive Davis Cup defeat on the world’s No 1 pairing of Bob and Mike Bryan.  The Serbs’ 15-13 final set win marked the first time the Bryans had lost two consecutive Davis Cup matches, and it was only their fourth Cup defeat since their first representative match in 2003.  This win, combined with Novak Djokovic’s two singles wins, was enough to see Serbia through to their first semi-final since they captured the Cup three years ago.

Bozoljac played with the Wilson Blade 98 racket strung with Luxilon Alu Power strings.  Zimonjic used the Head YouTek IG Radical MP with Babolat VS Team main strings and Luxilon Alu Power cosses, whilst the Bryans had their usual Prince EXO3 Rebel 95s, strung with a hybrid of Prince Natural Gut mains and Prince Beast XP crosses.

It was 15-13 final set in Vancouver as well, as Canada’s Daniel Nestor and Vasek Pospisil edged out Italy’s Fabio Fognini and Daniele Bracciali.  Milos Raonic won both his singles to see Canada through to the semi-finals for the first time in history.  Fognini’s regular partner, Simone Bolelli was unable to play due to injury.  Had he been fit the tight result may have been different.  Both Nestor and Pospisil used the Wilson Six.One 95 racket, Nestor’s strung with Wilson Natural Gut mains and Luxilon Alu Power crosses, and Pospisil’s with Luxilon Alu Power mains and Wilson Natural Gut crosses.  Fabio Fognini played the Babolat Pure Drive strung with Babolat RPM Blast strings, and Daniele Bracciali the Head YouTek IG Prestige Mid with Luxilon Alu Power strings.

Serbia and Canada will face each other in the semi-finals in September.

The other semi will be between Argentina and defending champions the Czech Republic.  The doubles was again the key rubber as Argentina beat France 3-2 in Buenos Aires, with David Nalbandian and Horacio Zeballos upsetting the odds to beat the established French pairing of Julien Benneteau and Michael Llodra in four sets after losing the first.  France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga won his two singles matches, but Gilles Simon, substituting for the injured Richard Gasquet, went down to Juan Monaco on the first day and Carlos Berlocq in the deciding rubber.

The Czech Republic was without injured Tomas Berdych and only had Radek Stepanek available for the doubles in their away tie against Kazakhstan.  Lukas Rosol and Jan Hajek proved more than adequate substitutes, winning both singles on the first day, before Rosol won the first of the reverse singles on the final day to secure victory.