Team selection sparks debate in Australia’s Davis Cup quarterfinal victory over USA in Malaga

Special Team selection sparks debate in Australia’s Davis Cup quarterfinal victory over USA in Malaga
Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis celebrates his Davis Cup singles win over the USA’s Ben Shelton at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall, Malaga, Spain, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo)
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Updated 22 November 2024
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Team selection sparks debate in Australia’s Davis Cup quarterfinal victory over USA in Malaga

Team selection sparks debate in Australia’s Davis Cup quarterfinal victory over USA in Malaga
  • From strategy to mind games, captains pull out all the stops in search of the perfect lineup

If there ever was a tie that perfectly depicted the complexities of team selection at the Davis Cup Final 8, Thursday’s quarterfinal between Australia and USA would be a strong candidate.

In a clash between two powerhouse nations in the history of the competition, Australia narrowly defeated USA 2-1 by clinching the deciding doubles at the Martin Carpena Arena in Malaga.

Both teams have deep benches with multiple options for singles and doubles, which sounds like a blessing for Australia captain Lleyton Hewitt and USA captain Bob Bryan. But it can also be a tricky situation that may ultimately require a little bit of luck to pan out the way you want it to be. And if it doesn’t work out, it puts the captain in the hot seat with the pressure to justify his or her selections.

In the competition’s current format, each team in Davis Cup is allowed a maximum of five players. In the knockout stage – the Final 8 – a tie consists of two singles matches and a doubles match, which is only played if the opposing teams split the two singles. Captains are required to submit their selections for the full slate of matches one hour before the start of a tie, not knowing, of course, who their opponents will be picking.

The first singles has to feature players that are ranked lower than the ones nominated for the second singles within each team.

On Thursday morning, Bob Bryan gave Ben Shelton his Davis Cup debut in the first singles, fielded his top player Taylor Fritz in the second singles, and initially selected experienced doubles pair Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek – silver medallists at the Paris 2024 Olympics – for the potential deciding doubles.

Hewitt went for Thanasi Kokkinakis in the first singles, Alex de Minaur in the second, and Matthew Ebden (Olympic doubles gold medallist) and Jordan Thompson (US Open doubles champion) for the doubles.

The first singles was an interesting choice from both captains with Shelton being the third-highest ranked singles player on his team – behind Fritz and Tommy Paul – and Kokkinakis being Australia’s fourth man behind De Minaur, Alexei Popyrin, and Thompson.

World No.77 Kokkinakis eked out a 6-1, 4-6, 7-6(16/14) victory over world No.21 Shelton to give Australia the opening point of the tie, saving four match points and needing seven of his own to close it.

Kokkinakis later said the Australians were under the assumption that Paul would have been his opponent in that match, not Shelton.

“I hadn't seen Ben the last two days. I saw Tommy earlier at breakfast, so I thought he was maybe going to play. He warmed up with Taylor earlier. It was a surprise to me,” Kokkinakis added.

Fritz, the world No. 4, levelled the tie for USA by defeating De Minaur for the second time in eight days (he also beat the Aussie at the ATP Finals last Thursday).

When Fritz spoke to reporters after the match, he was asked if there were any mind games that went into the decision to put Shelton and not Paul in the opening singles.

“I don't think we're really playing too many mind games. We thought Popyrin was going to play,” said Fritz, noting that Kokkinakis was not the obvious choice given he is ranked some 50 spots lower than Popyrin.

“But I think sometimes you can almost do the wrong thing if you get too deep into the mind games. Look, I see why they played Thanasi. He had some big wins for them in the last stage. Maybe he felt like he was playing the best in practice.

“You know, I just got here (from the ATP Finals in Turin). Everyone else was here before me. But from what I heard, everyone felt like Ben was playing really great in practice, so that's why we wanted to put Ben in.”

Fritz dismissed the idea that any mind games were involved that morning and believes it was all about match-ups. The American was one of the last to arrive to Malaga, having competed in the final in Turin on Sunday, and ideally would have been rested for Thursday’s clash against the Aussies.

“But if I don't play, then it's Tommy, and Tommy plays (in the No. 1 spot) and Ben plays second, and if Demon (De Minaur) is playing, which we found out he was, then Demon's record is very good on Tommy, so, okay, I should play this one,” he explained.

“There is more strategic stuff going on in terms of how you think you match up to who the other team is going to play.

“I think in today's situation, both teams just picked off of who they felt was playing well this week.”

Moments after Fritz finished his press conference, it was announced that USA made a last-minute change in nomination for the doubles, which is only permitted for the doubles after a tie is taken to 1-1. Instead of the obvious choice of doubles specialists Ram and Krajicek, who won silver together at the Paris Olympics, Bryan changed his lineup to pair Paul and Shelton together.

They ended up losing 6-4, 6-4 to Ebden and Thompson.

Bryan said they spent 15 minutes discussing the selection between the second singles and the doubles match before making the decision to partner Shelton with Paul.

The reason behind the last-minute switcheroo?

“Thompson, obviously US Open champion, finals of Wimbledon, a very accomplished doubles player. Matt Ebden won the Olympics. Matt Ebden has seen Rajeev and Austin play a bunch in the last couple of years, and he hasn't seen too much of Ben and Tommy,” said the USA captain.

“It was a tactical thing trying to take them by surprise. Ben was obviously on the court for three hours earlier in the day, so you find rhythm out there. Tommy, you saw what he did at the Olympics (winning bronze alongside Fritz in men’s doubles). We all respect his doubles. We took a shot at it.”

It was a particularly interesting choice given Bryan was a world No. 1 doubles specialist during his playing days and may have opted for a traditional doubles selection instead of going for two singles players.

“As a captain, you have to make tough decisions,” he said. “I had a lot of information behind the decision. We have been here for six days practicing. We know how everyone is feeling, and we know a lot about the opponents that we're playing. It's a world of analytics.

“This wasn't a black-and-white decision. It was razor-thin edge and we went with it. We knew it could have turned out like it did, because we're playing a tough team. But I don't regret anything about this.”

Bryan says he is “fortunate” to have so much talent to select from when it comes to the US Davis Cup team but “that makes my decisions a little bit tougher, because we are leaving some great guys at home. Frances Tiafoe made the semis of the Open, finals in Cincinnati. He's at home,” he stated.

“Unfortunately, there's not a lot of roster spots. There is only five. I brought the five guys that I thought would have the best chance to win this Davis Cup, and even after today's result, I wouldn't go back and change anything.”

In Hewitt’s case, his decision to pick Kokkinakis over Popyrin or Thompson in the opening singles paid off, and the Aussie captain said he had “full belief” in him going in.

Kokkinakis said he could make a case for any one of that trio to play in singles and he wouldn’t have been disheartened had he not been selected. But he also believed he could step up in this team format and deliver the victory.

“He was hitting it a treat all week leading in. He got what he deserved. He put a very tough training block in for us to get that win today, which was bloody important,” said Hewitt of Kokkinakis.

Hewitt said he was “not surprised” by USA’s change in doubles nomination and backed his own pair of Thompson and Ebden against any partnership.

Both Thompson and Ebden were competing in the ATP Finals doubles tournament last week in Turin but with different partners.

Thompson and Ebden took a few days to gel together in Malaga before delivering an important victory that has carried Australia into the Davis Cup semifinals.

Hewitt is a former world No. 1, who won the Davis Cup twice as a player, and has led Australia to the final in 2022 and 2023 as team captain.

In his playing days, the Davis Cup format was different and featured home and away ties played over three days, where teams were selected before the weekend of action began.

He openly dislikes the current format and says “it's not easy for everyone, to be honest”.

“There's a certain degree of strategy involved now, absolutely,” he added.

Spain captain David Ferrer had the daunting task earlier in the week of selecting his lineup for the hosts’ quarterfinal against the Netherlands. With Rafael Nadal announcing the Davis Cup would be the last tournament of his professional career, Ferrer selected the Spanish legend to play in the first singles over a player like Roberto Bautista Agut, who had far more match-play under his belt in comparison. Spain ended up losing 2-1 to the Dutch and were eliminated.

Ferrer stood by his decision to choose Nadal and dismissed the idea that it was a tough situation to manage.

“It wasn't difficult. In the end, I am the captain. I decide which players are going to play, and we knew that Holland, they have good players. And with this format never is easy,” said Ferrer.

There have been some bold and interesting decisions made on the Billie Jean King Cup side this fortnight in Malaga, many of which paid great dividends.

Tathiana Garbin captained her side to the title by making a key switch in singles from Elisabetta Cocciaretto, who lost her match in Italy’s quarterfinal win over Japan, to Lucia Bronzetti, who had never played a singles match in the BJK Cup before but won both her clashes, over Poland’s Magda Linette and Slovakia’s Viktoria Hruncakova, when she was called upon. Italy wouldn’t have won the Cup without her.

Japan’s Ena Shibahara, who is more experienced in doubles than singles, stepped up big time for Japan, taking the No. 1 singles spot in her side’s victory over Romania. Japan captain Ai Sugiyama had full faith in Shibahara, who went 2-0 in singles this week.

Team selection really is a delicate art and captains have to take so much into consideration before making a decision. Its highs and lows have been on full display in Malaga this week, and it will no doubt continue to spark plenty of debate moving forward.


AC Milan and Bologna reach Italian Cup quarterfinals with convincing wins

AC Milan and Bologna reach Italian Cup quarterfinals with convincing wins
Updated 58 min 20 sec ago
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AC Milan and Bologna reach Italian Cup quarterfinals with convincing wins

AC Milan and Bologna reach Italian Cup quarterfinals with convincing wins
  • Bologna will play the winners of  Atalanta’s match against Cesena. Both those round of 16 matches take place next week
  • The Rossoneri will face either Roma or Sampdoria in the last eight

MILAN: AC Milan and Bologna advanced to the Italian Cup quarterfinals with convincing victories on Tuesday.
Milan thrashed Serie B leader Sassuolo 6-1, while Bologna routed Serie A struggler Monza 4-0.
The Rossoneri will face either Roma or Sampdoria in the last eight. Bologna will play the winners of Atalanta’s match against Cesena.
Both those round of 16 matches take place next week.
Tuesday’s match at San Siro was all but over after less than 23 minutes as Sassuolo was swept away by a double from Samuel Chukwueze and other goals by Tijjani Reijnders and Rafael Leão.
It had been a much-changed starting lineup for Milan ahead of a tough Serie A trip to Atalanta on Friday and the Rossoneri made four further changes at halftime.
Milan nevertheless extended its advantage through Davide Calabria and Tammy Abraham, either side of a consolation goal for Sassuolo from Samuele Mulattieri.
Bologna scored two goals in each half, with Tommaso Pobega and Riccardo Orsolini netting in the first period and Benjamín Domínguez and Santiago Castro in the second.
However, Orsolini limped off shortly after scoring and Bologna now faces an anxious wait to discover the extent of his injury. The Italy forward is Bologna’s top goalscorer this season, with six goals.


After Verstappen victory, F1 finale in Abu Dhabi brings auto racing season to a close

After Verstappen victory, F1 finale in Abu Dhabi brings auto racing season to a close
Updated 04 December 2024
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After Verstappen victory, F1 finale in Abu Dhabi brings auto racing season to a close

After Verstappen victory, F1 finale in Abu Dhabi brings auto racing season to a close

ABU DHABI: Heading into the season finale, Verstappen has won 53 of 89 races in his championship seasons, or 59.6 percent. Verstappen can match Michael Schumacher’s record of five straight F1 season titles (2000-04) by winning again next year. Verstappen joined Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton (2017-20), Sebastian Vettel (2010-13) and Juan Manuel Fangio (1954-57) as drivers with four straight championships. Esteban Ocon, 14th in the point standings, has been released by Alpine and Jack Doohan will replace him in the season finale, making his F1 debut.

The race will take place on the Yas Marina Circuit and is 58 laps long. 

Last year, Max Verstappen won from the pole position, his seventh consecutive victory to end his third consecutive series championship season.

Verstappen, already crowned the season champion for the fourth straight year, won in Qatar for his second victory in three races and ninth of the season.


Djokovic to begin bid for 25th Grand Slam crown in Brisbane

Djokovic to begin bid for 25th Grand Slam crown in Brisbane
Updated 04 December 2024
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Djokovic to begin bid for 25th Grand Slam crown in Brisbane

Djokovic to begin bid for 25th Grand Slam crown in Brisbane
  • In a bid to surpass Margaret Court in Melbourne, he has teamed up with long-time rival and the now-retired Murray
  • Other men’s players starting their year in Brisbane include Grigor Dimitrov, Holger Rune, Frances Tiafoe and Matteo Berrettini

BRISBANE: Novak Djokovic will begin his 2025 season and bid for an 11th Australian Open title at the Brisbane International, it was announced Wednesday, with the Serbian superstar now coached by Andy Murray.

The 37-year-old is targeting a record 25th Grand Slam crown after failing to add to the total during a frustrating 2024, although he did win Olympic singles gold in Paris.

The ATP-WTA event runs Dec. 29-Jan. 5, with the Australian Open to begin on Jan. 12.

“I’m excited to be kicking off my Australian swing at the Brisbane International and to compete again at Pat Rafter Arena,” said Djokovic.

“I am looking forward to experiencing the incredible support from the Australian fans and making this tournament one to remember.”

Should he win, it would be his 100th career title, just the third man in the Open era behind Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103) to achieve the feat.

Djokovic was beaten in the Australian Open semifinals this year by eventual champion Jannik Sinner with his failure to lift another major leaving him tied with Margaret Court on a record 24 Grand Slam singles crowns.

In a bid to surpass her in Melbourne, he has teamed up with long-time rival and the now-retired Murray.

The Brisbane tournament will also mark the return to competitive tennis of Australian Nick Kyrgios, who has played just one ATP Tour singles match in two years after knee, foot and wrist injuries.

Other men’s players starting their year in Brisbane include Grigor Dimitrov, Holger Rune, Frances Tiafoe and Matteo Berrettini.

Reigning Australian Open women’s champion and world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka had previously announced she too would start her season at the Queensland Tennis Center.

Three other top-10 players including Jessica Pegula, Emma Navarro and Daria Kasatkina will also play, as will former Brisbane champion Victoria Azarenka.

A host of other players have opted to start their year at the mixed-teams United Cup in Sydney and Perth, including women’s world No. 2 Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff and Jasmine Paolini.

Men’s world No. 2 Alexander Zverev and fourth-ranked Taylor Fritz have also signed up for the United Cup.


Tiger Woods in favor of Americans getting paid at the Ryder Cup as long as it goes to charity

Tiger Woods in favor of Americans getting paid at the Ryder Cup as long as it goes to charity
Updated 04 December 2024
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Tiger Woods in favor of Americans getting paid at the Ryder Cup as long as it goes to charity

Tiger Woods in favor of Americans getting paid at the Ryder Cup as long as it goes to charity
  • Woods: We didn’t want to get paid, we wanted to give more money to charity, and the media turned it around against us and said we want to get paid
  • The $5 million figure came about when Woods was asked if it should be made clear the money would go to charity, which it has for the last 25 years

NASSAU, Bahamas:Tiger Woods dropped a big financial number related to the Ryder Cup that is sure to make headlines, particularly in Europe.

“I hope they would get $5 million each and donate it all to charity, different charities,” Woods said Tuesday at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas. “I think it’s great. What’s wrong with that?”

The source of the topic was a report last month on the PGA of America considering a proposal to pay American players $400,000 at the Ryder Cup, an amount that was a mystery to the executive level at the PGA of America, which still doesn’t have a CEO.

Woods is well-versed on the topic, which dates to 1999 when Woods, David Duval and Mark O’Meara were among those questioning how much money the PGA of America was making off the Ryder Cup. That resulted in $200,000 for each player, half to a charity of their choice and the other half to a golf management program at their university.

“We didn’t want to get paid, we wanted to give more money to charity, and the media turned it around against us and said we want to get paid,” Woods said. “No. The Ryder Cup itself makes so much money, why can’t we allocate it to various charities? And what’s wrong with each player, 12 players getting $1 million and the ability to divvy out to amazing charities that they’re involved in that they can help out?”

The $5 million figure came about when Woods was asked if it should be made clear the money would go to charity, which it has for the last 25 years.

The issue is money coming in and where it goes, and it’s different for each team. The European tour is the lead partner in Ryder Cup Europe, and money from the matches in Europe is crucial in funding the tour. The PGA of America — not the PGA Tour — runs the matches in the US. The PGA of America gives the tour 20 percent of the television deal.

Rory McIlroy was among European players who, when asked about the report, said they would pay to play in the Ryder Cup.

“If the Europeans want to pay to be in the Ryder Cup, that’s their decision to do that, that’s their team,” Woods said. “I know when it’s on European soil that it subsidizes most of their tour, so it is a big event for the European tour and if they want to pay to play in it, so be it.”

Masters stretch run

Nicolai Hojgaard at No. 58 in the world ranking, Mackenzie Hughes (No. 57) and Thomas Detry (No. 61) are among those playing in South Africa at the Nedbank Golf Challenge.

At stake is finishing the year in the top 50 to qualify for the Masters, and time is running out. The Nedbank Challenge is followed by the Alfred Dunhill Championship in South Africa, and golf concludes with the Mauritius Open.

On the bubble are Min Woo Lee (No. 49), Lucas Glover (No. 51) and Stephan Jaeger (No.53), neither of whom are playing this week or are entered next week.

Corey Conners also is playing in South Africa, although at No. 42 he should be safe for the top 50. For those who don’t make it, there is another top 50 cutoff from the world ranking a full week before the Masters.

The field for Augusta National, currently at 75 players expected to play, could add as many as eight players through the world ranking by the end of the year. Still to be determined is whether the Masters offers special invitations. Joaquin Niemann, Thorbjorn Olesen and Ryo Hizatsune received them for the last Masters.

Crypto payoff for LIV against PGA Tour match

The made-for-TV match between PGA Tour and LIV Golf League starts has a title sponsor and a new form of payment.

Crypto.com is the title sponsor of the Dec. 17 match at Shadow Creek just north of Las Vegas that pits Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy against Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka.

The Crypto.com Showdown will be televised across TNT, TBS, truTV and Max, with a commentary crew that includes David Feherty and Charles Barkley. It will be the first broadcast appearance by Feherty outside of LIV since he signed on with the Saudi-funded league.

The 18-hole match will be split among six holes of foursomes, six holes of fourballs and six holes of singles.

As for the payoff? Front Office Sports reports it will be at least $10 million paid for the first time in Cryptocurrency.

Quick study

Nick Dunlap started the year as a sophomore at Alabama. Eleven months later, he is a two-time winner on the PGA Tour and in the Bahamas for the Hero World Challenge hosted by Tiger Woods.

There have been rough patches along the way, especially getting used to the travel, the cuts and courses he had never seen. But he proved to be a quick study, and he gave credit to Will Zalatoris for a practice round at The Players Championship.

“It wasn’t anything he said — it wasn’t really anything — it was just watching the way he prepared for that golf tournament and strategically where he chipped from, where he putted from, where he hit iron shots to,” Dunlap said. “It was eye opening to me because I never really paid that much attention in practice rounds.”

The rest of the year, Dunlap said he spent pre-tournament week trying to learn the course.

“It may only save you a half a shot or a shot and that could mean the difference at the end of the year,” he said.

On the rebound

Anthony Kim posted rounds of 71-72-73-71 and tied for 37th in the International Series Qatar on the Asian Tour. It was the first time Kim made the cut in any tournament since the 2012 Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill.

Kim walked away from golf two months after Bay Hill that year and didn’t return until he joined Saudi-backed LIV Golf as a wild card this year. LIV is 54 holes with no cut. In the only other 72-hole tournament Kim played this year, he missed the cut in Macau.

Kim made $14,510 in Qatar. He also moved up 2,281 spots in the world ranking to No. 2,314. The 39-year-old American is playing in Saudi International this week on the Asian Tour.

Divots

Hero MotoCorp. in India has extended its title sponsorship of the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas through 2030, along with extending its relationship with Tiger Woods as an ambassador. Woods is the tournament host in the Bahamas. ... Jon Rahm makes his debut in the Dubai Desert Classic next January. Rahm typically spent January in California for The American Express and Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines before going to LIV Golf. ... Claire Welsh of Canada, who previously worked senior roles in player relations for The R&A, is the new tournament director for the CPKC Women’s Open in Canada.

Stat of the week

Japanese amateur Rintaro Nakano had a 25-shot differential between his first and final round at the Australian Open. He started with a 65. He closed with a 90.

Final word

“The players have benefited from it whether you’re on LIV or you’re not on LIV. Love him or hate him, as a golfer, he’s certainly helped our lifestyle.” — Marc Leishman on fellow Aussie Greg Norman, the CEO of Saudi-funded LIV Golf.


US women’s national team beat Netherlands 2-1 in goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher’s final match

US women’s national team beat Netherlands 2-1 in goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher’s final match
Updated 04 December 2024
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US women’s national team beat Netherlands 2-1 in goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher’s final match

US women’s national team beat Netherlands 2-1 in goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher’s final match
  • Naeher: I definitely wasn’t thinking about it during the game, just wanted to win the game and do what I could to come away with the ‘W’ for us to close out the year
  • Naeher is the only US keeper with shutouts in both a World Cup and an Olympic final

THE HAGUE, Netherlands: Alyssa Naeher ended her national team career with one last win.

The stalwart goalkeeper made two critical saves in her final match for the US, and the Americans beat the Netherlands 2-1 on Tuesday.

“I definitely wasn’t thinking about it during the game, just wanted to win the game and do what I could to come away with the ‘W’ for us to close out the year,” Naeher said.

Lynn Williams scored the go-ahead goal in the 71st minute for the US, who won their fifth Olympic gold medal in France this summer and wrapped up the year on a 20-game unbeaten streak. The Americans were coming off a scoreless draw with England on Saturday at Wembley Stadium.

Naeher announced two weeks ago that the European exhibitions would be her final matches. The 36-year-old goalkeeper played in 115 games for the US, with 111 starts, 89 wins and 69 shutouts.

Naeher is the only US keeper with shutouts in both a World Cup and an Olympic final. She was in goal when the US defeated the Netherlands 2-0 in the 2019 Women’s World Cup final.

“I feel like in my heart I would love to keep going. In my head, in my body and mind, I feel like it’s the right time. And I think it’s the right time with this team as well as it builds toward the future and toward 2027,” Naeher said. “This environment, this team, is an incredible team to be a part of, but it’s also really hard and really challenging in a lot of ways as well.

“I feel like I’ve given everything I have to give for this team and that’s why I feel at peace with that.”

The Netherlands took the lead on center back Veerle Buurman’s header off a corner kick in the 15th minute. Naeher prevented a second goal when she punched away Dominique Janssen’s shot in the 38th.

The US drew even at the end of the first half on an own goal that deflected off Buurman and past Dutch goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar.

Naeher slid to stop Danielle van de Donk’s shot in the 69th minute before Williams, a second-half substitute, scored her fourth goal of the year and 21st of her career.

“I wouldn’t say that this was our prettiest game of soccer ever. And sometimes that’s how games go. You can talk about tactics, you can talk about formations, you talk about everything, but the biggest thing was matching their intensity. Getting to the second ball, getting to the first ball. That was the shift that needed to happen,” Williams said about the team’s second-half mindset.

Naeher finished with six saves.

She is not quite finished with soccer yet: She will continue playing next season for the Chicago Red Stars of the National Women’s Soccer League.

“She’s been consistent again and again. Even when she’s been questioned at times in her career, she’s always found the answer,” US coach Emma Hayes said. “Not only has she been a great player in this program, but let me tell you, she’s so loved by everyone, players and staff alike. She is the best teammate you could ask for and that just speaks volumes to the person that she is.”

Lily Yohannes came in as a substitute in the second half. Yohannes, who has dual citizenship, opted to play for the US over the Netherlands last month. She plays professionally for the Dutch club Ajax.

The US finished the year without the trio of Mallory Swanson, Trinity Rodman and Sophia Smith, who were left off the roster for the final two matches to rest and heal nagging injuries.

The US are unbeaten in 15 matches under Hayes, who took over in May.