The Hindu : Sport / Tennis : Full-strength Spain meets Netherlands

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Apr 09, 2004

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Sport - Tennis

Full-strength Spain meets Netherlands

PALMA DE MALLORCA (SPAIN), APRIL 8. Spain's real Davis Cup team shows up for World Group quarterfinal tie against the Netherlands on Friday in a converted bull ring on this Mediterranean island, and that may have prompted Dutch coach Tjerk Bogstra to take a tactical risk.

Juan Carlos Ferrero and Carlos Moya, both ranked in the top 10, are back after sitting out the February tie against Czech Republic because of injuries. Spain rallied to win 3-2 when 17-year-old sub Rafael Nadal won the decisive fifth match.

Bogstra surprised the Spaniards on Thursday by leaving veteran Sjeng Schalken, the team's top-ranked singles player, out of the tie. On Friday, Moya opens against Martin Verkerk, followed by Ferrero against Raemon Sluiter.

Moya, Spain's No. 2 and looking to play well in front of home-town fans and possibly Spain's king and queen, said, ``I knew this could happen. Possibly they wanted to avoid Verkerk going against Ferrero'' in an opening singles match. ``It's very risky because one of their best players may not play at all.''

Ferrero beat Verkerk in last year's French Open final. The pair now are scheduled to meet again Sunday in reverse singles.

In the doubles on Saturday, Nadal and Tommy Robredo take on Verkerk and John van Lottum.

Swiss hopes on Federer

Swiss hopes of advancing in the Davis Cup lie almost entirely on the shoulders of World No. 1 Roger Federer when the team meets France.

In Friday's opening two singles matches Federer will face France's Nicolas Escude, while the second Swiss singles player, Ivo Heuberger, will play Arnaud Clement.

Federer will be back on court Saturday, partnering Yves Allegro in the doubles against Escude and Michael Llodra. The singles pairings are reversed on Sunday.

The French selection had been a virtual certainty following the withdrawal of the country's top player, Sebastien Grosjean, who is suffering from a viral infection.

Belarus vs. Argentina

Agustin Calleri will have a chance to extend his nine-match Davis Cup winning streak on Friday when Argentina takes on Belarus at Minsk.

In the opening singles, Calleri, who has a 9-1 record in the Davis Cup, will play Vladimir Voltchkov of Belarus. Guillermo Canas will then take on Belarus No. 1 Max Mirnyi.

Calleri substituted for Argentina's best player Guillermo Coria, the world No.4, who suffered back spasms in the final of last weekend's Nasdaq-100 Open and retired in the fourth set against Andy Roddick.

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