Forty Deuce

Pic This: Oh, Sara. You Make Me Laugh.

Team Italia celebrating their Fed Cup win in Italy.

 

Sara looks like she literally just came from a poker game.

Air Quotes: Aw, Little Kitty Grew Claws.

I wanted to come here. I wanted to play for my country. Other people choose different things. Some people I guess didn't want to play as badly as I did.

But I think that the team that we had here really wanted to be here. You don't want people here that don't want to be here. Even if you lose, if you give it everything you have, then that's the best you can do.

-- Melanie Oudin, on the privilege of Fed Cup...or something.

Who Da Campions? They Da Campions.

I love the use of ellipses.  So much suspense!

As expected, Flavia clinched the Fed Cup for Italy with a 75 62 win over Melanie. 

I could wax poetic about how awesome this is, but there are so many good pics from the Italians' celebration that I feel words are pointless here:

No, you, Flavia.  You.

Harses, harses, harses, harses.

Sing it loud.  Sing it proud.

You know Liezel's about 3 seconds away from a tantrum.
 

Flavia Cup.


Ain't no shame, MJ.  Hell of a job this year.

 
For love of country.


You know this picture would exist.  Deep in your heart, you knew it.


Forza!

Go Fish, Kids.

At 2am this morning, I was reminded how much I love watching clay court tennis.

As expected, Team Italy is well on its way to hoisting the Fed Cup after two straight set wins by Flavia and Tranny.

It didn't take much from Flavia to beat Glatch 3 and 1 in a little over an hour.  I really don't know why Alexa says clay is her favorite surface.  She. Can. Not. Move.  Solid match from Flavia, who constructed points and used the slow clay to perfection.  Nothing Glatch could do, really.  She was just completely out of her league on this one.

The key match was Franny vs. Melanie.  Franny's been on a roll lately and Melanie, well, she's well-rested and a fighter.  She's proven us wrong before.

 

But not this time.  Mel came blasting out of the gate and held a 4-2 lead before rain suspended play and the wheels came off the Believe Train.  She'd get broken and would drop the tiebreaker and the second set, 62.

 

So Italy has their 2-0 lead and it's all smiles times for the Poker Team. 

Welcome To Italy, Kids.

Ah, the face of confidence.

The draw for the Fed Cup final took place today, and yeah, Italy's still in a good spot.

Round 1: Flavia Pennetta vs. Alexa Glatch

Round 2: Francesca Schiavone vs. Melanie Oudin

Round 3: Flavia Pennetta vs. Melanie Oudin
Round 4: Francesca Schiavone vs. Alexa Glatch

Round 5: Sara Errani/Roberta Vinci vs. Liezel Huber/Vania King

It's a good draw for Italy.  Flavia on clay is always tough, though Alexa Glatch claims its her favorite surface because it gives her time, but more importantly, Tranny has been on a roll as of late, winning 9 of her last 10 matches.  If she can take out the US #1 on the first day, then Italy's golden after Day 1. 

All that said, I'm looking forward to this final.  You know Italy's going to bring it.  Here's hoping MJ finds a way to inspire her kids one more time.

Pic This: "My Poker Face, My My Poker Face."

 

Bring. It.

Is Klara Zakopalova Italian? Even 1/15th?

 

Serena "confirmed" that she's planning to play Fed Cup.  I use quotes because, well, Serena says a lot of things.  I'll believe it when she actually serves a ball in Italy.

I stumbled on this quote by an Italian journalist on the Fed Cup site:

The Italian media made the most of Pennetta getting to the top 10 in August, though a few experienced tennis watchers felt the adulation was a little excessive.  “It was presented as the biggest thing for our tennis,” says the veteran Italian tennis journalist and commentator Rino Tommasi, “which is very stupid. We have been a bit lucky in Fed Cup, and our men players are so terrible at the moment that it makes the women’s achievements seem bigger than they are. I think it makes people think we can beat the USA, but if Serena plays, it could be decided for the Americans before the doubles.”

Uh, sexist much?  Whatever, Rolo Tomassi.  You're probably not even real.

I find it a little interesting that Serena is "committing" to Fed Cup given the fact that (1) her leg is taped up and (2) it's being played on clay.  That's a lot of grind on a body that's already had a tough year. 

Fed Cup Draw 2010

So, it turns out other things in tennis are still happening.  Amazing.  The Fed Cup draws for World Group and World Group II came out today, and the most obvious fabulousness is Serbia vs. Russia in Serbia.  Dina Does Belgrade.  Bring it.

You can see the rest of the draw here.

Ponder This: Dance With The One That Brought You?

Pete Bodo stole my thunder on this in his Fed Cup post but it's something I've been thinking about since Sunday.

What are people's thoughts on the Williamses playing the Fed Cup final against Italy?  Obviously we want to field the best team possible and that *really* is potentially the best team possible (even on clay).  So of course as a U.S. Fed Cup fan, you kind of have to hope they play.

Then again, wouldn't it just defy the script?  I mean, the U.S. team that Captain MJ has cobbled together has been nothing short of heartwarming and extraordinary.  These ladies could justifiably watch Miracle and Hoosiers before their matches and there would be no sense of irony.  But if the Williamses play it flips the script, and now the U.S. plays with expectation and pressure.  And how would the current Fed Cup team feel about being pushed out of the final?

There's no right or wrong answer.  I think I side with really wanting the Williamses to be there.  I doubt they will be though.  And that's not going to break my heart either.

Sigh. Sorry, Pete, But Are You Even Trying Anymore?

 
From his most recent post on Fed Cup:

This weekend, Serbia had to fight its way back into the World Group, despite having Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic on the squad. Also this weekend, talent-laden but unpredictable France re-inserted itself into the Word Group in yet another match decided by the fifth rubber (the doubles) .

*head scratching*

Uh, doesn't that assume that Serbia WAS EVER IN the World Group?  Doesn't it also seem to assume that France had already been relegated to World Group II?

Maybe I'm just uber-defensive lately but doesn't that seem like a cap on Team Serbia?  Like, "They suck so bad that they lost their World Group status and had to fight back into the elite group EVEN THOUGH they have SUPPOSEDLY elite level players (WHO SUCK) in JJ and Ana."

Dude, if you want to cap on the Serbs be my guest.  But at least do it when they've done something wrong as opposed to, oh I don't know, CARRY THEIR COUNTRY FROM ZONAL GROUP TO WORLD GROUP I for the past 2 years?  This was a great accomplishment for them (not to mention individually for Ana and JJ to beat Spain in Spain on clay when both are supposedly struggling and Ana hadn't played on clay for a year) and I can't help but get annoyed when I see someone trying to take swipes.

So yeah.  Come on! [/GOB]

Not Sure "Irony" Is The Right Word, But Good On Ya.

From Liezel's randomly entertaining Fed Cup blog:

"When I played for South Africa's Fed Cup Team, we had to play the Czech Republic in 2003. It was a World Group delegation match. We had won the qualifying competition that we played over one week. It was tough. Czech Republic lost in the World Group and was playing basically to switch spots with us. South Africa didn't want to pay my airfare to the tie in South Africa (I was in the US at the time.) I didn't play. I find it very ironic now. I am playing for a first world nation in the semifinal of Fed Cup now against the same team. South Africa didn't win. I am hoping for a different result for Team USA!"

Good stuff, Liezel.  Now excuse me while I'm off to add Kaes as a friend on Facebook.  Or maybe I'll sit here and stare at his picture.  Same thing, really.

Fed Cup Foto Fun

Sigh.  I'm really sad that I was too drunk and hungover to enjoy this round of Fed Cup in any meaningful way.  I guess I'll just have to piece it all together CSI style:

  
I love how JJ gets away with this shit.  Classic.


"Pop the corks, boys.  Mama's thirsty!"


Sigh.  Oh, Chakky.


"It's the one that says 'BADASS MUTHAFUCKA', motherfucker!"

 
"Drove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dry."


Heeeeeeeeere's Kimmy!

(Also, I'm pretty sure there's a gyno joke I could make but seriously,
I'm not firing on all cylinders quite yet.)

 
Rad!


"Will you give all you can give
So that our banner may advance
Some will fall and some will live
Will you stand up and take your chance?
The blood of the martyrs
Will water the meadows of France!"


It takes a pretty dress and a million dollar smile, too.


Huh?  What's Bepa doing here?


All that's missing is a can of Fosters.


Liezel rocks her O face.


Heh.  Heh heh.  The world is changing, indeed.
 

Acne, cold sores, and manhands.  I don't think you're ready for this jelly, World Group.

French Wall

"You're gonna have to get through me first."

The Cone collapsed, Momo stood tall, and Slovakia gave it their all.  And in the end, France avoided relegation by taking the tie 3-2.

Poor Cone.  Is there any other player right now that has lost so many close matches?  She lost the first rubber to Dani 67 63 64, and the third rubber to Domi 62 57 64.  She's now 0-6 in Fed Cup.

Which meant it all rested on the strong shoulders of Momes.  She took her singles rubbers over Dani (75 64) and Domi (46 62 63), then teamed up with Natalie Dechy to beat Dani/Domi 46 61 64.

So congrats to the Pastries.  They're the only team in the playoffs not to get relegated.

NKOTB

Congrats to Serbia, Germany, and Ukraine.  They all won their World Group Play-off ties and gained promotion into World Group I in 2010.

Team Serbia beat Spain to gain promotion and force Spain out of World Group I for the first time in their Fed Cup history.  JJ and Ana did their parts, taking the first three singles rubbers, with JJ securing the tie today with a hard fought three set win over AMG.  JJ had to battle a cold over the weekend so good for her.  I'm still really shocked that CSN didn't play.  Odd.

 
As for Ana, she made the adjustments yesterday after dropping the first set 6-2, to cruise to a 26 62 61 victory. 

So far so good for the Serbian girls.  JJ's grinding out wins on clay and at least Ana got a match under belt and realized quickly that she can't be hard court aggro on clay.

Here's video of the celebration.  I love that Ana was sitting with Sneki.

Give it up for Team Bondarenko.  They blasted a Dulko-less Argentina 5-0 to gain promotion.  To think how close Argentina was to making it past the U.S. and into the World Group I semis.  Now they've been relegated to Group II.

And Alles Gut in Deutschland.  They came into Sunday with a 2-0 lead, but China stormed back today to take both reverse singles rubbers, taking the tie to a decisive doubles match.  There, Sabine and ALG came back after dropping the first set to Zheng/Peng to take the match 46 75 62.

Nice to see some new blood in World Group.

Upset Sunday

How weird is it that I kinda feel bad for Russia?

Congrats to Team Italy for securing a spot in the finals by defeating the defending champions 4-1. 

Boss Lady Schiavone and Flava Flav took care of business yesterday, beating Sveta (16 62 62) and Chakky (64 60), respectively. 

Russia responded today though, as Kuz destroyed Flavs (60 63), which set up a crucial rubber between The Boss and Chevy Nova.  The match went the distance and for a while there, Tarpy was once again looking like a genius.  But despite Pavs having two set points in the first, Boss Lady was able to weather the storm and secure the tie for Italy, 76 46 62.

So it'll be Italy vs. the wily Americans, who pulled out the shocker of the weekend.  It wasn't just that they beat the Czech Republic. It was the *way* they did it, on the back of 19 year old Alexa Glatch, and a spectacular comeback by Liezel and Bethanie from match point down in the doubles rubber.  A true team effort which starts at the top with Captain MJ's leadership. 

I was scratching my head on Friday when MJ tapped Glatch over Oudin for the tie.  Clearly I've been drinking the Zina Kool-Aid and I should know better than to quetion El Capitan.  Glatch, ranked #114, took out both Iveta (#29) and Kvitova (#48) in straight sets, dropping only 6 games in the process.  Impressive stuff considering it was her first Fed Cup and it was an away tie with a boisterous Czech crowd. 


With Bethanie dropping the two singles rubbers, it was time for bit of redemption.  With the tie going to the decisive doubles rubber the Czechs quickly found themselves with a 6-2 5-2, match point.  But then the wheels came off after Peschke sailed a second serve return long, and Bethanie and Liezel found their form, coming back to take the second set in a tiebreaker and reeling off a 6-1 final set for the win.

And yes, Liezel showed off her awesome dorkitude throughout the match.  Fun stuff.

So Italy vs. U.S. in Italy on what I presume will be clay.  Yeah, good luck with that, MJ.

I Don't Know, Russia. I'm Not Feeling It.

Italy's got their game faces on. 

And never underestimate what Tranny can do during Fed Cup.  Or Flavs for that matter. 

As for the Russians, they come in a bit battered and shell-shocked:

Into the second singles berth steps the 22nd- ranked Anna Chakvetadze who has registered only four wins to her name this year, four less than Nadia Petrova who can count herself unlucky to be watching from the bench.

Winners of 15 of their last 16 ties, Russia will look to Svetlana Kuznetsova to provide a backbone for success. Kuznetsova is now coachless after her split last month from Olga Morozova but is enjoying a Fed Cup run of eight straight singles wins. She admits though that preparations this week have not been perfect: “We have not managed to practise indoors, only outdoors, and not as much as we should have because of the conditions but we are looking forward to the weekend.”

Chakky only has 4 wins this year?  Ugh.

Saturday
Flavia Pennetta (ITA) v Anna Chakvetadze (RUS)
Francesca Schiavone (ITA) v Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS)

Sunday
Flavia Pennetta (ITA) v Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS)
Francesca Schiavone (ITA) v Anna Chakvetadze (RUS)
Sara Errani /Roberta Vinci (ITA) v Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova/Nadia Petrova (RUS)

Draw day interviews with Chakky, Sveta, Flavs, Tranny, and Nads and Chevy.

If It Gets To This, Serbia's Screwed. But We Win!

I know I shouldn't root for Serbia to drop two singles rubbers, but dammit I want to see the catastrophe that would be JJ and Ana in dubs.


Uh...what?

The draw was held this morning.  JJ's up first on Saturday:

Saturday
Maria Jose Martinez (ESP) v Jelena Jankovic (SRB)
Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP) v Ana Ivanovic (SRB)

Sunday
Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP) v Jelena Jankovic (SRB)
Maria Jose Martinez (ESP) v Ana Ivanovic (SRB)
Lourdes Dominguez-Lino/Nuria Llagostera Vives (ESP) v Ana Ivanovic/Jelena Jankovic (SRB)

Draw day interviews with JJ and Ana. 

BREATHE, ANA.

I Eat Your Racquet. I EAT IT UP.

If someone were to tell you, "Look, I gave Ana and JJ huge chocolate racquets and told them to strike a pose," isn't this how you'd think it would turn out?


I'm starting to think that AK-47 is trying to get Ana to adopt her. 
Attached at the hips (or...hip and knee) those two.

Pic This: Team Serbia Hanging In Spain

They all look great.  And Ana's really taken to that kid, no?

Don't Toy With Me, Serbia. Get It Done.

Fed Cup World Group nominations are out.

You have to love the Tarpi's ability to pick whoever he wants for Fed Cup and still field a good team.  No Dina or Lena this time, and, surprisingly, no Vezzie (though I'm sure she'll be there anyway).  The addition of Chakky is a bit of a surprise.  Spain didn't nominate CSN, which, is a huge shocker.  And yeah, good luck, Team USA.

WORLD GROUP SEMIFINALS

ITALY v RUSSIA
Venue: Nova Yardinia, Castellaneta Marina, ITA (clay – outdoors)

Italy
Flavia Pennetta
Francesca Schiavone
Sara Errani
Roberta Vinci
Captain: Corrado Barazzutti

Russia
Vera Zvonareva
Svetlana Kuznetsova
Nadia Petrova
Anna Chakvetadze
Captain: Shamil Tarpischev

CZECH REPUBLIC v USA
Venue: Starobrno Rondo Arena, Brno, CZE (Carpet – indoors)

Czech Republic
Iveta Benesova
Petra Kvitova
Lucie Safarova
Kveta Peschke
Captain: Petr Pala

USA
Bethanie Mattek-Sands
Liezel Huber
Melanie Oudin
Alexa Glatch
Captain: Mary-Joe Fernandez

WORLD GROUP PLAY-OFFS

SPAIN v SERBIA
Venue: Club de Tennis Lleida, Lleida, ESP (clay - outoors)

Spain
Anabel Medina Garrigues
Maria-Jose Martinez Sanchez
Lourdes Dominguez-Lino
Nuria Llagostera Vives
Captain: Miguel Margets

Serbia
Jelena Jankovic
Ana Ivanovic
Ana Jovanovic
Alexandra Krunic
Captain: Dejan Vranes

FRANCE v SLOVAK REPUBLIC
Venue: Palais des Sports Beaublanc, Limoges, FRA (clay – indoors)

France
Alize Cornet
Amelie Mauresmo
Nathalie Dechy
Mathilde Johansson
Captain: Nicolas Escude

Slovak Republic
Dominika Cibulkova
Daniela Hantuchova
Magdalena Rybarikova
Lenka Wienerova
Captain: Matej Liptak

GERMANY v CHINA, P.R.
Venue: Frankfurter TC 1914 Palmengarten, Frankfurt, GER (clay - outdoors)

Germany
Sabine Lisicki
Anna-Lena Groenefeld
Kristina Barrois
Tatjana Malek
Captain: Barbara Rittner

China, P.R.
Jie Zheng
Na Li
Jing-Jing Lu
Tian-Tian Sun
Captain: Qi Zhang

ARGENTINA v UKRAINE
Venue: Club Nautico Mar del Plata, Mar del Plata, ARG (clay – outdoors)

Argentina
Betina Jozami
Jorgelina Cravero
Aranza Salut
Paula Ormaechea
Captain: Ricardo Rivera

Ukraine
Alona Bondarenko
Kateryna Bondarenko
Mariya Koryttseva
Olga Savchuk
Captain: Volodymyr Bogdanov

WORLD GROUP II PLAY-OFFS

BELGIUM v CANADA
Venue: Grenslandhallen - Ethias Arena, Hasselt, BEL (clay – indoors)

Belgium
Yanina Wickmayer
Kirsten Flipkens
Tamaryn Hendler
An-Sophie Mestach
Captain: Sabine Appelmans

Canada
Aleksandra Wozniak
Stephanie Dubois
Sharon Fichman
Valerie Tetreault
Captain: Rene Collins

ESTONIA v ISRAEL
Venue: Tondi Tennis Club, Tallinn, EST (hard – indoors)

Estonia
Kaia Kanepi
Maret Ani
Margit Ruutel
Anett Schutting
Captain: Rene Busch

Israel
Shahar Peer
Tzipora Obziler
Julia Glushko
Keren Shlomo
Captain: Lior Mor

POLAND v JAPAN
Venue: Tenisowy Klub Sportowy Arka, Gdynia, POL (clay - outdoors)

Poland
Agnieszka Radwanska
Urzsula Radwanska
Alicja Rosolska
Klaudia Jans
Captain: Tomasz Wiktorowski

Japan
Ai Sugiyama
Ayumi Morita
Rika Fujiwara
Akiko Morigami
Captain: Takeshi Murakami

AUSTRALIA v SWITZERLAND
Venue: Mildura Lawn Tennis Club, Mildura, AUS (grass - outdoors)

Australia
Samantha Stosur
Jelena Dokic
Jessica Moore
Rennae Stubbs
Captain: David Taylor

Switzerland
Stefanie Voegele
Nicole Riner
Mateja Kraljevic
Amra Sadikovic
Captain: Christiane Jolissaint

Are The Swiss Allergic To Patriotism?

Peppermint Patty and Timea Bazcinsky won't be participating in Switzerland's Fed Cup tie against Australia, which will take place in Australia on grass.  Not that I can *really* blame them for not wanting to fly all the way to Australia to play on grass right smack dab in the middle of the clay season, especially seeing as how Patty just got bageled by an unknown American on clay.  She needs all the time she can get on the dirt.

Augh. I Need To Take A Shower.

A Fed Cup interview with Flava Flavs.

What gives this video its classy casting couch quality?

    A)  The interviewer's creepy laugh from behind the camera;
    B)   Flavia's clearly uncomfortable but pretending to be charming;
    C)  The mention of "tricks";
    D)  The fact that Flavia looks like she just freshened up in the shower;
    E)  ALL OF THE ABOVE

Where Do I Sign Up For A Subscription?

Did you know there's a Fed Cup magazine? 

I'm surprised/disappointed the E-zine doesn't come with little subscription postcards that fall out when you click the pages. 

I love the completely random full page picture of Baby E in the middle.  Uh, ok.

"Would You Like One Lump, Or Two?"

Cool write up of Martina's Fed Cup experience when she went back to play against Czechoslovakia.

It’s hard to comprehend today how a country could shun one of its own, particularly someone as incredibly successful as Navratilova, but that’s what the old Czechoslovakia chose to do.

“The newspapers would carry reports on Wimbledon and then when I got to the final they would stop – that’s how people knew I won because they wouldn’t talk about it,” Navratilova told fedcup.com. “And if, say, Chris [Evert] beat me in the final, they would say she won Wimbledon but wouldn’t say against who.

“In that Fed Cup tie they had us playing our first match on an outside court [against China] when we should have been on centre. The people were going nuts because they couldn’t see us and were standing three or four deep. Zina Garrison won the first match and I won the second. The next day the Czech sports paper carried a long interview with Chris and mentioned Zina’s victory and at the bottom it read, “and the player from the United States won the other match”.

Before the competition was over, even the umpires were ordered not to introduce Navratilova by name, but say, “On my left the woman player from the United States”.

Navratilova continued: “They had secret police following me around everywhere. I stayed at my parents’ house about 30 minutes outside Prague and the police would stand at the bottom of the block about 100 yards away, watching my every move - and I’m like offering them tea, it was bizarre really.”

In the final, after Evert-Lloyd had won a close encounter against Helena Sukova, the crowd started off by supporting their new heroine Hana Mandlikova against Navratilova. But once Navratilova had taken the first set – 7-5 – there was never much doubt about who would win or who the Czech crowd really wanted to win. The support for “the American” grew to fever-pitch by the finish, and when Navratilova hit the winning shot she turned to look up to the VIP area where Lubmir Strougal, the Czechoslovak prime minister, and his associates were seated - although not for much longer.

“I thought to myself, ‘See what you did’. I didn’t want to leave but you forced me into it, forced me into exile. It was a bitter-sweet moment, but I didn’t feel guilty. The competition had transcended sport. It ended, I guess, the way it should have ended, but I kept thinking, ‘What a waste. It could have been such a happy occasion - for everybody’.”

Martina's a badass motherfucker, y'all.  I bet she even has the wallet to prove it.

Total aside -- Can we go back to having a one week 32 team Federation Cup competition?  That'd be so fucking awesome.

Zina Pulls The Trigger

Well it looks like attempts to keep this out of the headlines have failed.  Zina Garrison has officially filed a lawsuit against the USTA for discrimination.

In the lawsuit filed Thursday in Manhattan federal court, Garrison says she was treated unfairly because she was paid a lower salary than Davis Cup coach Patrick McEnroe, wasn't given a multiyear deal equivalent to McEnroe's and subjected to higher performance standards than he was.

Garrison's suit also claims her replacement, Mary Joe Fernandez, was given a given a higher salary than she was despite little coaching experience at the national level.

The USTA announced in December 2007 that 2008 would be Garrison's final season at the helm and Fernandez would take over in 2009.

Garrison, the first black captain of the U.S. Fed Cup team, replaced Billie Jean King in 2004 and was not brought back after going 5-5 over five seasons, losing in the semifinals four times and the quarterfinals once.

"The USTA takes all allegations of discrimination seriously and takes pride in its numerous diversity initiatives and achievements," USTA spokesman Chris Widmaier said. "The USTA elected not to renew Ms. Garrison's Fed Cup captaincy based on her performance, and strongly denies any allegation of discrimination asserted by Ms. Garrison.

"During Ms. Garrison's five-year tenure as captain, the United States Fed Cup team did not advance to the Fed Cup final, it's longest drought in the competition's 45-year history."

Ouch.  But true.

Not knowing any of the specifics or details I still think Zina's treading into dangerous water here.  Your baselines for comparison are going to be Patrick McEnroe and MJ?  Does it surprise anyone that in a competitive market where top level tennis coaches are rare, that Patrick McEnroe and MJ would have more leverage to negotiate higher salaries than Zina?  I mean, both of them are TV commentators and surely their services are in demand.  You have to pay them more to lure them away from other opportunities.

I'm still very surprised that this has been elevated to an actual litigation.  The USTA clearly not only thinks it did nothing wrong but also that Zina's evidence and arguments aren't going to embarass them in the court of public opinion, which is typically a huge bullying stick for plaintiffs in employment discrimination cases.

The only thing I could dig up was this:

Garrison says Fed Cup Chairwoman Sara Fornaciari once complained to her that Venus Williams hadn't called her back about playing in a tournament, saying: "Venus was like you and just like Serena; none of you people call back."

But Fornaciari isn't affiliated with the USTA.  So......

I can pull the complaint on Monday.  Should be an interesting read.  From what I can tell she's no longer claiming her termination was racially motivated/tinged, but how she was treated while she was there.

I Heart Sports.

Really cool write up by Peter Bodo on Melanie Oudin's awesome, yet overlooked, win on Sunday:

The funny thing about "pressure" is that it's something felt equally by all players. The degree of pressure that a David Nalbandian faces upon meeting a Fernando Verdasco, or Nikolay Davydenko encounters when he squares off against James Blake, is no different in intensity or substance than what Oudin must have felt before playing Jozami. You don't feel less or more pressure depending on your status, unless it's notably higher or lower than that of your opponent, or some extraneous factor comes into play. And let's face it, one of the reasons top players are ranked where they are is because of their superior ability to handle pressure - not because there is any more or less of it. Pressure is all about the conditions, and the degree of pressure is created by a potentially volatile mixture of temperament, the match-up, and whatever vibe is in play - in this case, the whole cluster of issues that arise from an international, team competition.

And on that playing field, it's pretty easy to forget that when it comes to any competitive athlete, there's a point where it doesn't matter who is - or isn't - watching. It isn't about the hype, and it isn't about the press. It isn't about the endorsements, and it's not about size of the trophy. It's about you, the team, (vaguely) the nation you represent and, in a small way, about the record books. You go into the books as someone who pulled your team and nation through a tough but winnable tie, and it's. . . sweet. Oh, so sweet! And at some level that we fans and pundits easily ignore because we're so focused on Roger and Wimbledon, Serena and the Masters Series, Rafa and the Davis Cup final, this matters in a way we can understand, but rarely sit back and appreciate.

But this, in a nutshell, is also why people like Melanie Oudin (and Betina Jozami, for surely there will come a time when the shoe is on the other foot) continue to play this game, despite triple-digit rankings, and it's the moments like these when the differences between them and Serena and Ana and Maria are, well, irrelevant. The truth of the matter is that a Wimbledon final is played a few thousand times each year on the tour, on clay, indoors or out, by individuals destined never to decorate the cover of Tennis magazine. Every once in a while, conditions congeal to create a special moment of importance - a break from but also a payoff for all those hours of frustration, tedium, matches whose significance, win or lose, is pretty hard for anyone - including the person experiencing it - to fathom.

But there's also this: Players exist to be found by moments like the one that located Oudin on Sunday, and such moments will enable them to look back on their careers one day and allow them to feel satisfied, to say something like: Yeah, it was tough, I always felt the blow of a setback like a slap in the face, and I know the sting of defeat. But it was worth every hour and ounce of effort I put into it.

Dear Spain: Just Put A Bunch Of Dudes In The Lower Box. Win Guaranteed.

The Fed Cup draw took place today and Serbia has been drawn away to face a certain Serb's quasi favorite country, Spain.  Interestingly, Spain and Serbia face each other in the first round of Davis cup in a few weeks.  Focus on tennis, Ana.  Focus on the tennis.  This is actually a good draw for JJ and Ana, as they won't have to fly to China or Argentina in the middle of the clay court season.  Do you think Ana will invite JJ over to crash at her pad in Mallorca?

Yeah, probably not.  She'd probably be mortified at the thought of walking in on JJ and Mladan making out on her bed.

The other draws:  France hosts Slovakia, Germany hosts China and Argentina hosts Ukraine. In World Group II, Belgium vs. Canada; Estonia vs. Israel; Poland vs. Japan; and Australia vs. Switzerland.

The matches will take place on April 25-26.

UPDATED: Pic This: Meh. Still Not Over It.

Though I really want to reach through the screen and pop that jawline zit.

UPDATE: Ana waxes poetic about Fed Cup.  She really did have a great time.


I presume that's Aleksandra Kunic on the right.
(thanks, abc!)

Pic This: Fuck You, Ball

 

Pic This: "She Had Them Applebottom Jeans, The Boots With The Ferrrr."

"Shorty got low, low, low, low, low, low, low, low."

Was There Only One Pink Hat?

First of all, Awww....

Second, this picture makes me feel like I'm on acid. 

Third, Ana has, in addition to Man Hands, Man Feet.  Look at those boats!

Ahem.

Congrats to Team Serbia, who knocked out the expected win today with both AI and JJ going 4-0 in the tie.  They love on to the World Group I playoff, where they'll play one of the teams that lost their World Group I tie (China, Argentina, France, or Spain).  Since we all know the Chinese are like kryptonite to our Lady Serbs, let's not hope for them.  Or France.  Or Spain.  So basically, Argentina.

Look at Dani.  There's so much going on there.  I dare you not to laugh.  It's not doable.  Don't even try.

Team Slovakia is into the World Group playoff after Domi clinched the tie with her win in the first rubber of the day.  Dani sat out the second match and was replaced by Wienerova.

That's not important, really.  I just wanted to say Wienerova.

Team Bondarenko, err...I mean Team Ukraine, beat Israel 3-2, by taking the doubles match.  How appropriate.

No word on whether Alona still has to marry that old dude.

Last but not least, Germany took the doubles match to beat Switzerland, 3-2.  ALG led the way after Sabine dropped the first match of the day to Peppermint Patty.  ALG went on to beat the racoon-eyed Timea in straight sets, and then tamed up wth Tatjana Malek to beat Patty and Voegele 4 and 3. 

The draw for the World Group playoffs will be held on Tuesday.

Surprise, Indeed.

Sure, maybe the U.S was expected to win this tie, but with the team they fielded I was doubtful.  But hello, Melanie Oudin.  The Georgia teen was waxed by Gisela yesterday and looked like she was going to get waxed by Jozami today, dropping the first set 62.  But the kid's competitive and she buckled down, even overcoming a rain delay when she was up 4-0 in the second, to come back and beat Jozami, 61 62 in the next two sets to keep the U.S. alive going into the doubles...

...which the U.S won easily behind #1 doublist (?) Liezel Huber.  So congrats to the U.S., who move on to the World Group semis to play a surprise semifinalist...

The Czech Republic.  What?  Yes, the Czech Republic, who pulled off quite the upset beating last year's finalist, Spain.  Petra Kvitova was the real hero of the tie, winning her two singles matches.  You guys know that I'm always scared of Kvitova and it's nice/scary to see her playing well.  Lucie also played a big role, coming in today to beat CSN.  I'm always happy when Lucie wins.

 
The other upset of the day?  How about Italy not just beating France, but blasting them 5-0 for the win?  Flavs should get obscene more often.  After coming back to beat Momo yesterday, she came out to easily dispatch of a world weary Cone, 2 and 2.  They'll face Russia.

Pic This: Dorkiest Thing Ever.

Just wokeup and saw this.  Scared the dogs off the bed with how hard I was laughing.

Fed Cup Day 1 Roundup.

 
Belgrade Arena


It was not a fun day to be on the Zheng Jie-less Chinese team.


Congrats to Canada for beating Paraguay to make the World Group II playoff.


Still the best pic from Fed Cup.  Ana's Man Hands always crack me up.


Not a good day to be French.


Head and shoulders...you know the rest.
 

JJ's box (heh).  Is it just me or does Mladjan ALWAYS look confused by what's going on.

Other Fed Cup news:

• US and Argies split the first day, with Craybas taking her rubber and Dulko taking hers over Melanie Oudin.  If the U.S can take one of the singles matches tomorrow you have to think they're in the driver's seat with Liezel Huber leading the dubs.  I don't think Craybas can take Dulko, but Oudin has a good shot against the other Argie player, who didn't look great today.
• Vika unraveled against Kaia Kanepi and Estonia took the tie 2-0 to make the World Group II playoff.
• Poland also made the World Group II playoff on the strength of A-Rad's tight win over AKO, 76(2) 76(4)
• Australia advanced to the World Group II playoff after beating New Zealand 3-0.

 

What ISN'T An Obsene Gesture When France Plays Italy?

Drama in the France/Italy match:

Former world number one Amelie Mauresmo was furious with Flavia Pennetta after her Italian rival appeared to insult the umpire along the way to a Fed Cup opening-day success on Saturday.

Pennetta won a knife-edge encounter 2-6, 7-6 (9/7), 6-4 in Orleans, northern France, to give the visitors a 1-0 lead in their Fed Cup World Group One tie.

But Mauresmo said she felt Pennetta should have been kicked out after appearing to insult the chair after a shot she thought was good was ruled out in the crucial second set tiebreak.

"At that moment, I didn't really see and cotton on," said Mauresmo, who indicated that when she did look up Pennetta appeared to have mouthed an insult at the chair, flicking her middle finger for good measure.

"She gave the finger - she should have been removed right away," insisted former Wimbledon and Australian Open champion Mauresmo.

The point gave the Frenchwoman a match point but in the hullabaloo she served up a double fault and then slumped to defeat.

Pennetta, who did receive a warning for her conduct, said she was sorry afterwards.

"I am not pleased with myself but that's the first time such a thing has happened to me - it was a gruelling match from the start and I lost control as I really thought the ball was in," said the Italian.

French skipper Nicolas Escude was angry that the Italian was not handed a stiffer penalty.

"It's amazing. When (former French footballer Zinedine) Zidane loses it he gets sent off. Great, everything's possible. Magnificent, you can do as you like," Escude said in allusion to Pennetta.

Phew!

Serbia 2, Japan 0

It was a little touch and go there and Ana's still serving like crap, but she somehow came away with a 64 64 win over Ai to kick off Team Serbia's 2009 campaign to get into World Group I.  JJ had a much easier go, beating Morumi 61 60.  So Serbia is 2-0 and they'll kick off the reverse singles with JJ/Ai (rematch of AO) and then, if necessary, Ana/Morumi.  At this point it wouldn't surprise me if Ana took the match just for the court time.  Let's also hope that the girls stick it out for doubles in front of the home crowd.

Italy 2, France 0

The drama tie so far has to be Italy/France.  Even though Italy has a 2-0 lead, it didn't come easily.  Flavia came back from a set down to beat Momo 26 76(7) 64.  Great win for Flavs.  Maybe this will kick start her season.  But sad face for Momo.  She really should have taken this in straights.

You know there's drama whenever The Cone is involved.  It's like horseshoes and hand grenades.  She lost to Tranny, 61 26 86 in match that lasted over two hours.

Slovak Republic 2, Belgium 0

 
SuperGirl returned and took her match in straights over Wickmayer, 76(2) 63.  And Domi took out The Flipper, 76(4) 61.  Looks like they're well on their way in advancing to play the winner of Germany/Switzerland. Dur.  Nevermind.

Russia 2, China 0

Duh.

Germany 1, Switzerland 1

The two split Day 1 but Day 2 should be the interesting one.  Lisicki will play Patty and ALG will play Timea.  You have to think ALG has the game to beat Timea easily, which means the Swiss hopes are all on Patty to beat Sabine.  That should be a fun match, actually.

As a side note, can someone tell Sabine that she's not a figure skater, nor is she a teenage aspiring fashion designer brat kid sister in Manhattan either.  Lay.  Off.  The Eye Makeup.

Czech Republic 1, Spain 1

Petra Kvitova had a nice win over CSN, holding off a late comeback charge, 64 64.  But perrenial midriff flaunter Iveta couldn't keep her lead, eventually losing to Llagostera Vives 16 61 64.  Still, you have to think Spain has this one given their doubles prowess.

Ukraine 1, Israel 1

Shahar Peer is one of those players that always scares me in Fed Cup.  Like she kicks it into a whole different gear when you slap that flag on her back.  Must be the military training.  Anyway, she kept Israel in the hunt by beating K Bond 63 67(6) 63.  The winner of this tie will play Serbia (if Serbia wins).

Pic This: More Fed Cup Love

I think wins as the best Fed Cup tie photo.  It's just cool.


And the Aussies win hands-down for Best Dressed, Formal category.

Girl on Girl Action, Guaranteed.

Here's the Fed Cup World Group I and II schedule for the weekend.

 

The "Oh Dear God, Have Mercy" Tie:
Russia vs. China (Russia)

Saturday 1100 hrs GMT
Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) v Zi Yan (CHN)
Elena Dementieva (RUS) v Shuai Zhang (CHN)

Sunday 1000 hrs GMT
Elena Dementieva (RUS) v Shuai Zhang (CHN)
Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) v Zi Yan (CHN)
Anna Chakvetadze/Alisa Kleybanova (RUS) v Tian Tian Sun/Zi Yan (CHN)

  

The Battle Over Cultural Relevancy By Two Completely
Irrelevant (and very monochrome) Nations:
France vs. Italy (France)

Saturday 1300 hrs GMT
Amelie Mauresmo (FRA) v Flavia Pennetta (ITA)
Alize Cornet (FRA) v Francesca Schiavone (ITA)

Sunday 1230 hrs GMT
Alize Cornet (FRA) v Flavia Pennetta (ITA)
Amelie Mauresmo (FRA) v Alize Cornet (FRA) v Francesca Schiavone (ITA)
Severine Bremond/Nathalie Dechy (FRA) v Sara Errani /Roberta Vinci (ITA)

The "I Could Have Sworn They Had Better Players Than This" Tie:
Czech Republic vs. Spain (Czech)

Saturday 1200 GMT
Petra Kvitova (CZE) v Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP)
Iveta Benesova (CZE) v Nuria Llagostera Vives (ESP)

Sunday 1100 GMT
Iveta Benesova (CZE) v Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP)
Petra Kvitova (CZE) v Nuria Llagostera Vives (ESP)
Iveta Benesova/Kveta Peschke (CZE) v Maria Jose Martinez/Lourdes Dominguez-Lino (ESP)

The "Really?  It's Come To This?  Really?" Tie:
USA vs. Argentina (USA)

Saturday 1900 GMT
Jill Craybas (USA) v Bettina Jozami (ARG)
Melanie Oudin (USA) v Gisela Dulko (ARG)

Sunday 1900 GMT
Jill Craybas (USA) v Gisela Dulko (ARG)
Melanie Oudin (USA) v Bettina Jozami (ARG)
Julie Ditty/Liezel Huber (USA) v Aranza Salut/Soledad Esperon (ARG)

The "No Pressure, Dani, No Pressure At All" Tie:
Slovakia vs. Belgium (Slovakia)

Saturday 1200 hrs GMT
Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) v Kirsten Flipkens (BEL)
Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) v Yanina Wickmayer (BEL)

Sunday 1200 hrs GMT
Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) v Yanina Wickmayer (BEL)
Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) v Kirsten Flipkens (BEL)
Dominika Cibulkova/Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) v Tamaryn Hendler/Sofie Oyen (BEL)

The "Huh.  You'd Think This Would Be More Interesting Than It Is" Tie:
Germany vs. Switzerland (Switzerland)

Saturday 1300 hrs GMT
Patty Schnyder (SUI) v Anna-Lena Groenefeld (GER)
Timea Bacsinszky (SUI) v Sabine Lisicki (GER)

Sunday 1100 hrs GMT
Patty Schnyder (SUI) v Sabine Lisicki (GER)
Timea Bacsinszky (SUI) v Anna-Lena Groenefeld (GER)
Patty Schnyder/Timea Bacsinszky (SUI) v Kristina Barrois/Tatjana Malek (GER)

The "Please, Ana, Don't Fuck Up In Front Of Your Home Crowd" Tie:
Serbia vs. Japan (Serbia)

Saturday 1300 hrs GMT
Ana Ivanovic (SRB) v Ai Sugiyama (JPN)
Jelena Jankovic (SRB) v Ayumi Morita (JPN)

Sunday 1300 hrs GMT
Jelena Jankovic (SRB) v Ai Sugiyama (JPN)
Ana Ivanovic (SRB) v Ayumi Morita (JPN)
Ana Ivanovic / Jelena Jankovic (SRB) v Ai Sugiyama / Ayumi Morita (JPN)

The "Play For Your Freedom" Tie:
Ukraine vs. Israel (Ukraine)

Saturday 1130 hrs GMT
Alona Bondarenko (UKR) v Tzipi Obziler (ISR)
Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR) v Shahar Peer (ISR)

Sunday 1030 hrs GMT
Alona Bondarenko (UKR) v Shahar Peer (ISR)
Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR) v Tzipi Obziler (ISR)
Mariya Koryttseva/Olga Savchuk (UKR) v Julia Glushko/Shahar Peer (ISR)

Pic This: Fed Cup Tie or Mail Order Bride Auction?

The Israeli Fed Cup team.


Team Ukraine.


A Bond being forced to dance ever so awkwardly with, I assume, the Ukraine coach.  Hiliarious.

Pic This: Serbia/Japan Fed Cup Player

For serious, JJ.  No more Mona.

Pic This: Team Serbia Looking Awfully Smug...

I mean, I get it.  You're JJ and Ana.  You should wipe the floor easily with Japan.  But the way Ana's playing, I wouldn't take anything for granted.  All that said, FLOVE seeing them smiley together.  I don't know why but it always makes me inexplicably happy.

Pic This: Team Serbia Yucks It Up, Then Gets Down To Business

 

 





 

Fed Cup Teams Announced

I love me some Fed Cup.  Play takes place February 7-8.

World Group First Round

RUSSIA vs. CHINA, P.R. (Olympic Stadium, Moscow, RUS (hard court – indoors))

Russia
Elena Dementieva
Svetlana Kuznetsova
Anna Chakvetadze
Alisa Kleybanova
Captain: Shamil Tarpischev

China, P.R.
Jie Zheng
Zi Yan
Shuai Zhang
Tian-Tian Sun
Captain: Qi Zhang

FRANCE vs. ITALY (Palais Des Sports, Orleans, FRA (hard court – indoors))

France
Alize Cornet
Amelie Mauresmo
Nathalie Dechy
Severine Bremond
Captain: Nicolas Escude

Italy
Francesca Schiavone
Flavia Pennetta
Sara Errani
Roberta Vinci
Captain: Corrado Barazzutti

USA vs. ARGENTINA (Surprise Racketball & Tennis Complex, Surprise, AZ, USA (hard court – outdoors))

USA
Bethanie Mattek
Jill Craybas
Melanie Oudin
Liezel Huber
Captain: Mary-Joe Fernandez

Argentina
Gisela Dulko
Betina Jozami
Soledad Esperon
Aranza Salut
Captain: Ricardo Rivera

CZECH REPUBLIC vs. SPAIN (Brno Exhibition Centre, Brno, CZE (carpet court – indoors))

Czech Republic
Iveta Benesova
Petra Kvitova
Lucie Safarova
Kveta Peschke
Captain: Petr Pala

Spain
Carla Suarez Navarro
Nuria Llagostera Vives
Maria-Jose Martinez Sanchez
Lourdes Dominguez-Lino
Captain: Miguel Margets Lobato

WORLD GROUP II FIRST ROUND

SLOVAK REPUBLIC v BELGIUM (Sibamac Arena, Bratislava, SVK (hard – indoors))

Slovak Republic
Dominika Cibulkova
Daniela Hantuchova
Magdalena Rybarikova
Lenka Wienerova
Captain: Matej Liptak

Belgium
Yanina Wickmayer
Kirsten Flipkens
Tamaryn Hendler
Sofie Oyen
Captain: Sabine Appelmans

SWITZERLAND v GERMANY (Saalsporthalle, Zurich, SUI (hard – indoors))

Switzerland
Patty Schnyder
Timea Bacsinszky
Stefanie Voegele
Nicole Riner
Captain: Severin Luthi

Germany
Sabine Lisicki
Anna-Lena Groenefeld
Kristina Barrois
Tatjana Malek
Captain: Barbara Rittner

SERBIA v JAPAN (Venue: Belgrade Arena, Belgrade, SRB (hard – indoors)

Serbia
Jelena Jankovic
Ana Ivanovic
Ana Jovanovic
Bojana Jovanovski
Captain: Dejan Vranes

Japan
Ai Sugiyama
Ayumi Morita
Aiko Nakamura
Rika Fujiwara
Captain: Minoru Ueda

UKRAINE v ISRAEL (Palace of Sports “Lokomotiv”, Kharkiv, UKR (hard – indoors))

Ukraine
Alona Bondarenko
Kateryna Bondarenko
Mariya Koryttseva
Olga Savchuk
Captain: Volodymyr Bogdanov

Israel
Shahar Peer
Tzipora Obziler
Julia Glushko
Chen Astrogo
Captain: Lior Mor

Man, the fact that Serbia will finally get into World Group is nice.  Because their lineup is so ridiculous when compared to the other World Group II teams and half the World Group I teams.

JJ Still Questionable for Fed Cup

Interesting:

Serbian Tennis Federation president Slobodan Zivojinovic has said it is realistic to expect Jelena Jankovic will decide to play for the Serbia Fed Cup team in a World Group II 1st round tie against Japan. However, Zivojinovic it is beyond the federation and it is solely down to Jankovic to decide whether to appear in the Belgrade Arena on 7 and 8 February.

- “It would be an honour for us if Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic played together for the national team. It’s all exclusively up to them, though. They may be exhausted or have problems with injuries. Unfortunately, both of them have been knocked out of the Australian Open in the early stages and that will most probably influence their plans about the choice of next tournament to appear at. Jelena has said herself she would discuss everything with her associates and come to a decision. When she returns to Belgrade, we will call a press conference and explain everything. At the moment I think she more likely to play than not,” says Zivojinovic.

Jelena Jankovic has yet to sign a three-year contract with the Serbian Tennis Federation, while Ivanovic has, conversely, already done so. Jankovic is expected to sign the deal before the new Fed Cup season starts, while last season she received €150,000 for the contract. Given both Serbian stars managed to climb to the WTA position No. 1, Ivanovic and Jankovic will receive a bonus from the Federation of another €150,000 each.

- “We offered exactly the same terms last season. We at the Federation have done all we can and it’s our maximum. We are currently engrossed in the organization of the Fed Cup event, which is a huge job. All is going smoothly for now, while the president of the ITF, Francesco Ricci Bitti, has announced he will be present at the tournament,” says Slobodan Zivojinovic.

If Jelena Jankovic returns to Belgrade from Melbourne by the end of the week, that will be a clear sign the Serbia Fed Cup team will boast its best line-up for the tie against Japan. The current WTA No. 1 has said she will be coming to Belgrade only if playing for Serbia is one of her plans for the season.

- “Whether I play for Serbia or not will be decided by my team after the talks with the Federation reps,” Jankovic told the Melbourne media.

Zivojinovic returned from the USA on Monday, while further negotiations can be expected to take place by the end of the week.

I hope this really isn't about money.  I'm trying to give JJ the benefit of the doubt here. 

Belgrade Won't Put A Ring On It

God I love that video.  So ridiculous. 

It's official.  The Serbian Sisters are bigger than Beyonce. 

Well, at least in Serbia.

Beyonce was planning to do a concert in Belgrade in April but it's now been canceled because they might need Belgrade Arena for the second round of Fed Cup.

Now I totally have the image of Ana and JJ flanking Beyonce in that video.  And JJ pushing Beyonce out of the way to take center stage. 

"She'll Wake Up And Find There Is No Arizona"

What?  Yes, I listen to country music.

The pun-tastic city of Surprise, Arizona will host the February Fed Cup tie between the U.S. and Argentina.  MJ Fernandez is the new Fed Cup captain.  Since it's pretty doubtful that the Williamses would play, I presume MJ will field a team of Mattek, King, Rolle, Raymond, and Huber.  Seems to me that should be enough to take out Dulko & Co., but it sure would be nice to have an ace in the hole for singles. 

Davai Russia!

It was a touch more exciting than the Russians would have liked with Sveta being pushed to three sets by a gallant Garrigues, but in the end it was all Russia all the time as they hoisted their second straight Fed Cup.  Much props to Sveta and Bepa for carrying the depleted Russian team, who played without Maria, Dinara, Elena, and A-Chak.  A tip of the cap to their Fed Cup commitment.

"Hasta La Vista, Baby."

Team Russia rolled today, jumping to a 2-0 lead behind decisive victories by Bepa and Sveta.  The Lady Spaniards tried their best but at the end of the day they were simply overpowered by the Russians.  A win in any of the three matches tomorrow will secure the title for the defending champs, which seems about right seeing as how they are the most powerful nation in women's tennis right now.

2009 Fed Cup Draw Announced

The 2009 Fed Cup Draw has been released by the ITF.  It's really weird to see Argentina in the World Group.  I can't wait until 2010 when Serbia (hopefully) gets slotted in the World Group.  That would make Fed Cup damn fun.  Do I see a Serbia/Russia final in 2010?  Here's hoping.

2008 World Group

Russia (1)(c) v. China P.R.

Italy (3) v.  France (c)

Argentina v. USA (4)(c)*

Czech Republic (c) v. Spain (2)

Key
(c) = choice of ground
(*) = choice of ground decided by lot

Incidentally, if Lindsay and the Williamses don't play Fed Cup next year, is there any way that the US stays in the World Group?  I'm sorry, but if you're relying on Ahsha Rolle, Vania King, and Bethanie Mattek to win the singles ties (we should be good on doubtles with Huber/Black) you're not relying on much.  To me, Argentina, the U.S., and China are the bubble for next year.

2008 World Group II

Belgium (1) v. Slovak Repubic (c)

Germany (4) v. Switzerland (c)*

Serbia (c)* v. Japan (3)

Ukraine (c)* v. Israel (2)

Obviously Serbia looks like the class of the World Group, with Slovakia looking strong as well (Dani. H., Cibulkova, Benesova).  It's also a VERY generous draw for the Serbs, as they'll be able to fly immediately home to Serbia after the AO instead of having to fly to Japan. 

The first round ties will be played February 7-8, immediately after the AO.

Flashback: A Reminder of How Good Masha Was

In preparation for the Fed Cup final between Russia and Spain, which starts on Saturday, Tennis Channel is replaying 2008 Fed Cup matches this week.  I am very excited about this because the Russia/Israel tie from February was the most weird, hilarious, and fun tie to watch. 

They are scheduled to show the Sharapova vs Obziler tie at 1:30pm EST today (Tuesday).  This is the infamous "grunting match" where the Israeli crowd tried to get in Pova's head by grunting whenever she hit the ball.  Oh, Israel.  That's so cute.  Did you really think that was going to throw the Pova off?  She destroyed Tzipi 60 64. 

Masha (who looked awesome in her red and white Nike gear) would then turn around the next day and take Shahar Peer, who famously egged on the Israeli crowd, behind the shed and beat her 61 61.  After the match Masha put her finger to her lips and shushed the crowd and then told Peer at the net that she should've learned her lesson from the day before.  Tennis Channel will be showing this match at 1:30pm EST on Wednesday.

God I miss her.  So much.

Finally, on Thursday at 1:30 EST, Tennis Channel will delight us in a replay of the Chakky/Obziler match, also known as the "When Chak Attacks!" match.  The crowd rained down on A-Chak and she gave as good as she got, screaming maniacally at the crowd after each winner she hit.  It was insane.

All these matches are worth watching so tune in, folks.  They're also showing the China/Spain Fed Cup ties at 4:00pm EST throughout the week.

The Fed Cup Final starts on Saturday and TTC will be airing it live starting at 8am EST on Saturday and 6am EST on Sunday.