Monday Net Post

[Ed's Note (not to be confused with Pete's "Ed. Note"): Yummy Prince Fed/Karen correctly pointed out in the comments that there is American television coverage for the WTA's Fortis Championships Luxembourg - I have amended the TV schedule accordingly.  Good eye and thanks for catching this error!  The tribe has spoken.

Pete adds: Yes, the Canada Stadium is in Ramat Hasharon, not Tel Aviv - my bad, not Ed's]

Last Week's Tournaments

Davis Cup (ATP - Various)

World Group Semifinals

Russia 3,Germany 2

- Rubber 1: Igor Andreev (RUS) def. Tommy Haas (GER) 6-2, 6-2, 6-2.
- Rubber 2: Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) def. Nikolay Davydenko (RUS) 6-7, 6-2, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5.
- Rubber 3: Philipp Petzschner/Alexander Waske (GER) def. Dmitry Tursunov/Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) 6-3, 3-6, 7-6, 7-6.
- Rubber 4: Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) def. Philipp Petzschner (GER) 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
- Rubber 5: Igor Andreev (RUS) def. Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) 6-3, 3-6, 6-0, 6-3.

United States 4,Sweden 1

- Rubber 1: Andy Roddick (USA) def. Joachim Johanssson (SWE) 7-6, 7-6, 6-3.
- Rubber 2: Thomas Johansson (SWE) def. James Blake (USA) 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.
- Rubber 3: Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan (USA) def. Simon Aspelin/Jonas Bjorkman (SWE) 7-6, 6-2, 6-3.
- Rubber 4: Andy Roddick (USA) def. Jonas Bjorkman (SWE) 6-2, 7-6, 6-4.
- Rubber 5 (Dead): James Blake (USA) def. Simon Aspelin (SWE) 6-1, 6-3.

World Group Playoffs

Israel 3, Chile 2

- Rubber 1: Dudi Sela (ISR) def. Nicolas Massu (CHI) 6-3, 6-4, 6-7, 6-4.
- Rubber 2: Fernando Gonzalez (CHI) def. Noam Okun (ISR) 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4.
- Rubber 3: Jonathan Erlich/Andy Ram (ISR) def. Fernando Gonzalez/Nicolas Massu (CHI) 2-6, 7-6, 6-2, 3-6, 10-8.
- Rubber 4: Dudi Sela (ISR) def. Fernando Gonzalez (CHI) 6-4, 7-6, 5-7, 7-6, 6-3.
- Rubber 5 (Dead): Paul Capdeville (CHI) def. Noam Okun (ISR) 2-1 (retired).

Serbia 4,Australia 1

- Rubber 1: Novak Djokovic (SRB) def. Peter Luczak (AUS) 6-1, 6-4, 6-2.
- Rubber 2: Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) def. Janko Tipsarevic (SRB) 6-2, 3-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-1.
- Rubber 3: Novak Djokovic/Nenad Zimonjic (SRB) def. Paul Hanley/Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.
- Rubber 4: Novak Djokovic (SRB) def. Chris Guccione (AUS) 6-3, 7-6, 7-6.
- Rubber 5 (dead): Boris Pashanski (SRB) def. Peter Luczak (AUS) 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.

Austria 4, Brazil 1

- Rubber 1: Jurgen Melzer (AUT) def. Thomaz Bellucci (BRA) 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.
- Rubber 2: Stefan Koubek (AUT) def. Ricardo Mello (BRA) 6-2, 6-3, 6-3.
- Rubber 3: Julian Knowle/Jurgen Melzer (AUT) def. Gustavo Kuerten/Andre Sa (BRA) 6-1, 6-1, 6-4.
- Rubber 4 (dead): Jurgen Melzer (AUT) def. Ricardo Mello (BRA) 3-6, 6-4, 7-5.
- Rubber 5 (dead): Andre Sa (BRA) def. Werner Eschauer (AUT) 6-4, 6-3.

Peru 4, Belarus 1

- Rubber 1: Ivan Miranda (PER) def. Max Mirnyi (BLR) 6-4, 3-6, 7-6, 6-4.
- Rubber 2: Luis Horna (PER) def. Vladimir Voltchkov (BLR) 3-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.
- Rubber 3: Max Mirnyi/Vladimir Voltchkov (BLR) def. Ivan Miranda/Matias Silva (PER) 6-3, 7-5, 6-2.
- Rubber 4: Luis Horna (PER) def. Max Mirnyi (BLR) 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6.
- Rubber 5 (dead): Matias Silva (PER) def. Andrei Karatchenia (BLR) 6-4, 6-4.

Great Britain 4,Croatia 1

- Rubber 1: Andy Murray (GBR) def. Marin Cilic (CRO) 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.
- Rubber 2: Tim Henman (GBR) def. Roko Karanusic (CRO) 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.
- Rubber 3: Tim Henman/Jamie Murray (GBR) def. Marin Cilic/Lovro Zovko (CRO) 4-6, 6-4, 7-6, 7-5.
- Rubber 4 (dead): Andy Murray (GBR) def. Roko Karanusic (CRO) 6-4, 7-6.
- Rubber 5 (dead): Marin Cilic (CRO) def. Jamie Baker (GBR) 6-4, 6-4.

Czech Republic 3,Switzerland 2

- Rubber 1: Roger Federer (SUI) def. Radek Stepanek (CZE) 6-3, 6-2, 6-7, 7-6.
- Rubber 2: Tomas Berdych (CZE) def. Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) 7-6, 6-4, 7-5.
- Rubber 3: Tomas Berdych/Radek Stepanek (CZE) def. Yves Allegro/Roger Federer 3-6, 5-7, 7-6, 6-4, 6-4.
- Rubber 4: Roger Federer (SUI) def. Tomas Berdych (CZE) 7-6, 7-6, 6-3.
- Rubber 5: Radek Stepanek (CZE) def. Stanislas Wawrinka 7-6, 6-3, 7-6.

Romania 3, Japan 2

- Rubber 1: Takao Suzuki (JPN) def. Victor Hanescu (ROU) 7-6, 6-1, 7-6.
- Rubber 2: Andrei Pavel (ROU) def. Go Soeda (JPN) 6-3, 6-7, 7-5, 6-3.
- Rubber 3: Satoshi Iwabuchi/Takao Suzuki (JPN) def. Florin Mergea/Horia Tecau (ROU) 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.
- Rubber 4: Andrei Pavel (ROU) def. Takao Suzuki (JPN) 6-7, 6-7, 6-1, 6-4, 6-4.
- Rubber 5: Victor Hanescu (ROU) def. Go Soeda (JPN) 6-3, 5-7, 7-6, 7-6.

Korea Republic 3,Slovak Republic 2

- Rubber 1: Hyung-Taik Lee (KOR) def. Martin Klizan (SVK) 6-3, 6-0, 6-1.
- Rubber 2: Lukas Lacko (SVK) def. Woong-Sun Jun (KOR) 6-3, 6-2, 7-6.
- Rubber 3: Kyu-Tae Im/Hyung-Taik Lee (KOR) def. Lukas Lacko/Michal Martinek (SVK) 6-0, 6-3, 6-2.
- Rubber 4: Hyung-Taik Lee (KOR) def. Lukas Lacko (SVK) 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-1.
- Rubber 5 (dead): Michal Martinek (SVK) def. Jae-Sung An (KOR) 6-3, 6-2.

Banka Koper Slovenia Open (WTA - Hard - Portoroz, Slovenia)

- Singles Final: Tatiana Golovin def. Katarina Srebotnik 2-6, 6-4, 6-4.
- Singles Semifinal: Tatiana Golovin def. Vera Dushevina 7-6, 6-2.
- Singles Semifinal: Katarina Srebotnik def. Gisela Dulko 6-2, 6-3.

- Doubles Final: Lucie Hradecka/Renata Voracova def. Andreja Klepac/Elena Likhovtseva 5-7, 6-4, 10-7.
- Doubles Semifinal: Lucie Hradecka/Renata Voracova def. Emilie Loit/Meilen Tu 6-3, 4-6, 10-7.
- Doubles Semifinal: Andreja Klepac/Elena Likhovtseva def. Stephanie Foretz/Emmanuelle Gagliardi 6-4, 6-1.

• Singles & Doubles Brackets

China Open (WTA - Hard - Beijing, China)

- Singles Final: Agnes Szavay def. Jelena Jankovic 6-7, 7-5, 6-2.
- Singles Semifinal: Agnes Szavay def. Shuai Peng 6-1, 6-2.
- Singles Semifinal: Jelena Jankovic def. Lindsay Davenport 6-3, 7-5.

- Doubles Final: Chia-Jung Chuang/Su-Wei Hsieh def. Xinyun Han/Yi-Fan Xu 7-6, 6-3.
- Doubles Semifinal: Xinyun Han/Yi-Fan Xu def. Catalina Castano/Abigail Spears 6-3, 6-4.
- Doubles Semifinal: Chia-Jung Chuang/Su-Wei Hsieh def. Shuai Peng/Zi Yan 6-3, 4-6, 10-5.

• Singles & Doubles Brackets

Sunfeast Open (WTA - Indoor Hard - Kolkata, India)

- Singles Final: Maria Kirilenko def. Mariya Koryttseva 6-0, 6-2.
- Singles Semifinal: Mariya Koryttseva def. Anne Keothavong 7-6, 6-3.
- Singles Semifinal: Maria Kirilenko def. Daniela Hatuchova 4-6, 6-2, 6-1.

- Doubles Final: Vania King/Alla Kudryavtseva def. Alberta Brianti/Mariya Koryttseva 6-1, 6-4.
- Doubles Semifinal: Vania King/Alla Kudryavtseva def. Ipek Senoglu/Yaroslava Shvedova 6-0, 6-4.
- Doubles Semifinal: Alberta Brianti/Mariya Koryttseva def. Monique Adamczak/Sunitha Rao 6-4, 5-7, 10-5.

• Singles & Doubles Brackets

By the Letter

T...ough luck for Mariya Koryttseva, who lost in both the singles and doubles finals in Kolkata.
E...merging tennis market in China leads to a "Tennis Culture Forum" this past Thursday, sponsored by the WTA Tour.
N...ovember weather will likely prohibit the United States from selecting a grass court for their final against Russia, but the idea was nevertheless a topic of discussion after their semifinal victory against Sweden.
N...oah, Yannick - the former French Open champion, will be helping coach Richard Gasquet, along with his current coach Eric Deblicker.
I...njured knee is still ailing Rafael Nadal, who was withdrawn from this week's Thailand Open.
S...andals bearing Andre Agassi's name were unlawfully sold by department store Target, who will now be the target of a lawsuit brought upon by Agassi.
W...imbledon patrons still wish they could see more Tim Henman - not because of another crushing late round defeat at the Grand Slam tournament - but because he's officially retired after playing his last match this past weekend.
O...utside of the World Group for their entire existence, Peru finally reaches the elite ranks of the Davis Cup after their win against Belarus in Lima.
R...oger Federer is now 3-6 on the year in doubles matches, following his most recent loss to Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek in Davis Cup.
L...ast week, Jelena Jankovic was upset by Lindsay Davenport in Bali.  This week, Jankovic got her revenge, ending the American's post-pregnancy winning streak in the semifinals of Beijing.
D...eutschland titan Tommy Haas was upset by Igor Andreev in the opening rubber of the Germany/Russia Davis Cup semifinal, and a stomach virus prevented him from playing any further matches in the tie.  In the Serbia/Australia tie, Lleyton Hewitt had similar concerns, and was forced to pull out with a viral infection.

McGrogan's Heroes

ATP - There were plenty of Davis Cup heroics this past weekend, but the most memorable performance of all was turned in by Dudi Sela in Israel's stunning upset of Chile.  Rolling out the duo of Sela and Noam Okun for their singles matches (they have a combined two ATP Tour wins this year), Israel's chances looked slim. Chile's singles players, Nicholas Massu and Fernando Gonzalez,  were Olympic Games gold medalists in doubles (Massu also won gold in the singles) and Gonzalez, No. 6 in the world, is the defending Australian Open losing finalist. That was a formidable task for the Israelis, even though they were at home in Ramat Hasharon's Canada Stadium.

The Israelis struck first; Sela won rather easily in four sets over Massu.  Okun couldn't handle Gonzalez, but getting an opening day split was a fine achievement for the home side.  On day two, a more well-known Israeli duo, Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram, squared off against the same Massu and Gonzalez.  In a five-hour marathon, Erlich and Ram won 2-6, 7-6, 6-2, 3-6, 10-8, prompting Israeli captain Eyal Ran to call the match "a win of historical proportions".

Needing only one more win to advance to the World Group, Israel's best chance appeared to be in the fifth rubber against Massu, who clearly preferred a clay court to the hard surface used in this tie.  But a deciding match wouldn't even be necessary, as Sela shocked Gonzalez in five sets, giving Israel the three wins required to clinch the tie.  Whether or not the lengthy doubles match took too much out of Gonzalez, Fernando's nightmare post-Australia 2007 continues, as Chile is relegated to the playoff section of the Davis Cup.  As for Israel, they advance to the World Group for the first time in 13 years.

WTA - Syracuse's colossal upset over Louisville in college football may have been the biggest shock in the sports world this weekend, but thousands of miles from Kentucky in Beijing was another jaw-dropping result.  Jelena Jankovic, the third-ranked player in the world on the WTA Tour, held a one set lead over Hungary's Agnes Szavay as well as a commanding 5-1 lead in the second set.  The Serbian held match point at 30-40, but a second serve ace gave Szavay a flicker of hope.

This last gasp turned out to be all Agnes needed to turn things around, as she went on to hold her serve, and then win the next five games to escape from the second set with an improbable victory (7-5).  Demoralized and shocked, Jankovic continued her downward spiral in the third set, which she lost 6-2. Szavay won 12 of the last 14 games, and it could have been 13 of 14 if she hadn't dropped her serve while serving for the match.  Szavay didn't have to face the pressure of serving once again with the match on the line, as she broke Jankovic to close out the match.

After two hours and 55 minutes, Szavay fell to her knees in happiness but minutes later raised her trophy high to win her second career title (she won Palermo back in July).  She will now enter the top 20 after starting the year around number 200 in the world.  For Jankovic, it's back to the drawing board.  After losing to Davenport last week, and after this latest meltdown in China, maybe a week off isn't such a bad idea for the Nikolay Davydenko of the WTA Tour?

Next Week's Tournaments

Kingfisher Airlines Tennis Open (ATP - Hard - Mumbai, India)

• Website
• Singles Bracket
• Doubles Bracket

TV: No U.S. television coverage.

Thailand Open (ATP - Indoor Hard - Bangkok, Thailand)

• Website
• Singles Bracket
• Doubles Bracket

TV: No U.S. television coverage.

Fortis Championships Luxembourg (WTA - Indoor Hard - Luxembourg, Luxembourg)

• Website
• Singles & Doubles Brackets

TV (Eastern Standard Time):

-Saturday: 8:00 am - 12:00 pm (TTC - Semifinals; Live)
1:00 pm - 5:00 pm (TTC - Semifinals; Delay)
8:00 pm - 2:00 am (TTC - Semifinals; Delay)
-Sunday: 6:30 am - 8:30 am (TTC - Semifinals; Delay)
8:30 am - 10:30 am (TTC - Final; Live)
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm (TTC - Final; Delay)
8:00 pm - 10:00 pm (TTC - Final; Delay)

Guangzhou International Women's Open (WTA - Hard - Guangzhou, China)

• Website
• Singles & Doubles Brackets

TV: No U.S. television coverage.

Hansol Korean Open (WTA - Rebound Ace - Seoul, South Korea)

• Website
• Singles & Doubles Brackets

TV: No U.S. television coverage.

Beyond the Bracket

There are many different surfaces used in tennis, but one of the most deceiving surfaces in tennis may be the indoor carpet. Do players actually compete on the same stuff that your computer chair is standing on right now?  Is it constructed like turf at an indoor soccer field, or is it a more like a tight layer pulled extremely taut over a hard (cement) foundation? Is it really even a carpet to begin with?  The questions are abundant, and it probably matters. At this time of year, indoor tennis is the dominant theme of the ATP and WTA Tours.

Looking for help, I went to my local library and consulted the Dewey Decimal System rolodex.  Oh sorry, I meant I searched on the internet.  Timothy Stelzer from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign fielded a question on tennis courts on his Physics department website, saying that carpet courts are "not like your living room carpet, this carpet is tough and thin, usually placed over cement, and is a little like ’astro turf’ in a football stadium.  Jeff Cooper, a tennis pro and freelance editor for About.com, notes that "carpet courts vary in playing characteristics due to differences in thickness, texture, and materials used in the base and yarn."  And the all-knowing Wikipedia reminds us that "The ATP tennis tour also considers rubber surfaces as carpet."

So is it truly a carpet or isn't it?  Honestly, I'm still not sure on this one.  I recall a "Beyond the Bracket" about real tennis where I needed some help from the Tribe, and I need you assistance once again today.  Who has definitively played on indoor carpet, and what is it like?  I'd like comparisons to other courts if possible, in terms of bounce and speed.  I've played tennis indoors before, but it was on a hard court.  Or maybe that was a carpet...?  Please help me out.

- Ed McGrogan