!88967345 Hi all. It's time for doubles to take centre stage again - one of the only opportunities we have during the year to see some highly-ranked players in doubles action, and in a best-of-five format too. On that note Marat Safin, Nicolas Kiefer, Juan Martin Del Potro, Radek Stepanek and Ivo Karlovic are all expected to be taking the court today, along with Spain's regular doubles team, Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez.
It's hard to know who deserves most honours for yesterday; Israel's Dudi Sela and Harel Levy certainly did their country proud. I've been watching the tie between the USA and Croatia, and Ivo Karlovic also deserves a special mention, having come back from two sets down to seal the first five-set win of his career against James Blake.
Unfortunately there isn't a picture available of Karlovic's slightly offbeat post-match celebration (it reminded me of someone cranking up an old-fashioned car), but meanwhile Philipp Kohlschreiber gets today's award for the fiercest-looking winning gesture, after his defeat of Tommy Robredo in straight sets. Wide-mouthed imitations of roaring lions seem to be all the rage amongst winning tennis players, and Davis Cup is usually guaranteed to produce its fair share of such testosterone-fuelled moments.
As always, enjoy today's tennis.
-- Rosangel Valenti