LONDON, 21 September 2003 — Both Davis Cup semifinals head into a third day finely poised after yesterday’s doubles left Australia 2-1 up against Switzerland and Spain ahead by the same score against Argentina. Lucas Arnold and Agustin Calleri’s 6-3, 1-6, 6-4 6-2 win over Albert Costa and Alex Corretja kept Argentina’s hopes alive after they lost both of Friday’s singles.
In Malaga, the Argentinian pair were first to break when Corretja failed to hold his serve in the seventh game. Costa also struggled on his serve, with Arnold winning the third set point on offer with a wonderful cross court forehand to take the first set 6-4.
Calleri produced some brilliant points at key moments to tip the scale Argentina’s way against an off-color Spanish pairing.
In Melbourne, Todd Woodbridge and Wayne Arthurs won a marathon momentum-shifting doubles over Roger Federer and player-captain Marc Rosset to give Australia what could be a crucial 2-1 lead in their tie against Switzerland.
The 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 victory in more than three hours gave the hosts some breathing room before today’s reverse singles, when world No. 3 Federer must recover to face Lleyton Hewitt in a battle of the last two Wimbledon champions.
Australian Mark Philippoussis and Michel Kratochvil are set to meet in the fifth and final rubber. Woodbridge, who won the Wimbledon and US Open doubles titles this season with Swede Jonas Bjorkman, played the hero as Australia finally overcame the huge Rosset serve and fluid Federer game.
The veteran Australian stuck by Arthurs as the pair broke Federer for 4-3 in the final set as the Swiss struck two double-faults. Arthurs served out the victory three games later.
Bryan Twins Give US
2-1 Lead in Slovakia
Twins Bob and Mike Bryan strolled past Dominik Hrbaty and Karol Beck in Davis Cup doubles to give the United States a 2-1 lead over Slovakia as the Americans look to stave off World Group relegation.
The 25-year-old California twins, co-ranked as world No. 1s in doubles, never looked in serious trouble as they dominated the Slovak pair to win 6-1 6-4 7-6 in one hour and 52 minutes.
The US have been knocked out of the World Group only once since it was created in 1981, but were thrown a scare after Hrbaty shocked world No. 2 Andy Roddick in the opening singles on Friday.
But a strong showing by Mardy Fish over Karol Kucera, and the win by the Bryans, have put the US back in the driver’s seat.
Dutch Sink India to Retain
Place In World Group
Netherlands retained their place in the World Group after Martin Verkerk and John van Lottum gave them an unassailable 3-0 lead over India with a battling four-set win in the doubles.
French Open finalist Verkerk and van Lottum carved out a 4-6, 7-5, 7-5, 6-4 over Rohan Bopanna and Mahesh Bhupathi in the playoff tie in Zwolle to seal the Netherlands a place in the elite 16-team World Group in 2004.
Britain Win Doubles
to Keep Hopes Alive
In Casblanca, Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski kept alive British hopes of qualifying for the 2004 Davis Cup World Group after winning the doubles encounter to cut Morocco’s lead to 2-1. The British duo strolled to a 7-6, 6-2, 6-4 win over Mounir El Aarej and Hicham Arazi to take the playoff tie into a third day.
Moroccan coach Karim Alami paid the price for his decision to field an experimental doubles team, with El Aarej replacing Younes El Aynaoui, who is expected to meet Henman in the first reverse singles today.
Germany Flirt With
Davis Cup Relegation
In Sundern, Germany’s relegation from the World Group after 20 years among the Davis Cup elite became a distinct possibility after Belarus won the doubles to lead 2-1. Belarus pair Max Mirnyi and Vladimir Voltschkov beat Germany’s Rainer Schuettler and Nicolas Kiefer 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, 7-5 to put the away side in the driving seat after the singles were shared.
Schuettler and Kiefer, who had rarely played together and lacked cohesion as a pair, hardly troubled their experienced opponents who have now won 13 of their 17 Davis Cup doubles together.
Schuettler, who beat Vladimir Voltchkov 6-3, 3-6, 6-7 (3 7), 6-4, 6-4 on Friday, meets Max Mirnyi, who saved two match points before beating Tomas Behrend, playing his first Davis Cup contest, 5-7, 2-6, 7-6 (8 6), 6-2, 6-4, in yesterday’s first singles contest.
Dementieva Fends Off
Sugiyama to Reach Final
In Shanghai, top seed Elena Dementieva fought off a gutsy performance yesterday by Japan’s Ai Sugiyama, beating the third rank 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 to reach the finals of the WTA Shanghai Polo Open.
The 22 year-old Russian is now one match away from capturing the $585,000 tournament, as well as a second straight title in less than a week after downing Chanda Rubin in Bali, Indonesia. Dementieva will face Rubin in the final. Rubin, the 27-year-old No. 2 seed, reached the finals by finally beating tournament surprise package Akiko Morigami of Japan 6-0, 7-5, 6-3.
In doubles matches, Sugiyama and Thailand’s Tamarine Tanasugarn advanced to the final, after easily defeating Spain’s Conchita Martinez and Angelique Widjaja of Indonesia 6-2, 6-3. They will face Emilie Loit of France and Australia’s Nicole Pratt who outlasted Rubin and Switzerland’s Emmanuelle Gagliardi 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.
