DUESSELDORF, Germany, 19 May 2004 — Defending champions Chile face hosts Germany tomorrow for a place in the World Team Cup final after both countries stayed unbeaten yesterday. Fernando Gonzalez beat Spain’s Alex Corretja to seal the Red Group tie for Chile after Albert Costa had limped out of the opening rubber and conceded victory to Nicolas Massu.
Massu and Adrian Garcia then completed a 3-0 win for Chile with victory in the doubles.
Rainer Schuettler and Nicolas Kiefer secured victory for Germany over the Czech Republic by winning their singles rubbers, although they lost in the later doubles.
The results leave Germany and Chile together at the top of the tournament’s red group with a head-to-head decider for a place in Saturday’s final awaiting them tomorrow.
“We want to make the final but the game against Germany will be very tough,” said Chile’s Gonzalez, who has never lost in 10 games at the World Team Cup.
“They have very good players who are playing well and the crowd will be for them but we are playing well and it will be a very interesting match,” he added.
Gonzalez beat Corretja 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 after Costa retired at 4-1 down to Massu in the first set of their tie. Garcia and Massu beat Corretja and Feliciano Lopez 6-3, 6-3 in the doubles.
Schuettler claimed a 6-4, 6-3 win over Jiri Novak and Kiefer was equally convincing in beating Radek Stepanek 7-6, 6-3. Novak and Stepanek restored some pride in the doubles with a 6-2, 7-5 victory.
Germany’s win means the Czech Republic, beaten finalists in 2003, cannot reach the final and Kiefer believes the manner of the victory shows how seriously the host nation takes the event. The tournament’s Blue Group resumes play today with joint leaders Australia and Argentina playing the Netherlands and United States respectively.
Rusedski Loses on
ATP Comeback
In St. Poelten, Austria, Greg Rusedski lost to Austrian Juergen Melzer 6-2, 7-6 in the first round of the Raiffeisen Grand Prix yesterday in his first tour appearance since his successful doping case.
Rusedski looked sluggish after leaving the tour following the Australian Open to defend a doping charge. He was cleared in March when he proved he unwittingly took contaminated energy drinks provided by ATP Tour trainers at a tournament in 2003. But his ranking has fallen to 105. “It took me a very long time to get going,” Rusedski said. “Unfortunately, the first set was over too fast, so when my game finally came on, it was too late.”
Rusedski made only 36 percent of his first serves in the opening set against Melzer, who is enjoying his best season on tour and made the Hamburg Masters quarterfinals last week.
Melzer, who will play Russian Igor Andreev next, led four Austrians into the second round of their hometown event, the most in the tournament’s history.
The others are Stefan Koubek and wild cards Julian Knowle and Daniel Koellerer.
Knowle upset fourth-seeded Irakli Labadze of Georgia 7-5, 4-6, 6-2 yesterday.
In second-round action, third-seeded Nikolay Davydenko of Russia, last year’s runner-up, beat Croat Mario Ancic 6-4, 7-5, and No. 8 Filippo Volandri of Italy topped Dutchman Raemon Sluiter 6-4, 6-2. Also, Belgian Xavier Malisse ousted Hugo Armando of the United States 6-2, 6-2.
