Aussies triumph in doubles for 2-1 lead
Source: Agencies |
July 10, 2011, Sunday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
FORMER world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt combined with Chris Guccione to win the doubles yesterday to give Australia a 2-1 lead in the Davis Cup Asia-Oceania match against China in Beijing.
Hewitt and Guccione defeated the Chinese pair Gong Maoxin and Li Zhe 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, leaving Australia needing to win just one of the reverse singles matches today to secure the win.
Australia captain Patrick Rafter told a news conference after the match that Hewitt may play in today's game, depending on his physical condition.
Hewitt, the 2001 US Open and 2002 Wimbledon champion, was left out of the singles to avoid putting strain on a long-standing foot injury, said Rafter.
Hewitt has been the mainstay of Australia's Davis Cup team for more than a decade but a series of injuries and early tournament exits mean he has slipped to 173 in the latest world rankings, below compatriots Bernard Tomic and Marino Matosevic.
China's Wu Di, who beat Matosevic on Friday, is set to play Wimbledon quarterfinalist Tomic today, when Zhang Ze plays Matosevic.
The winner of this match advances to September's World Group playoffs.
Elsewhere, France secured a spot in the Davis Cup semifinals when Michael Llodra and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga swept yesterday's doubles in straight sets to give their team an unassailable 3-0 lead over Germany in Stuttgart.
Llodra and Tsonga beat Christopher Kas and Philipp Petzschner 7-6 (4), 6-4, 6-4. The French pair dropped serve only once, in the first set but they rallied to win the tiebreaker.
France will play either Spain or the United States. The Spaniards lead 2-0 against the Americans.
France lost to Serbia in last year's final, while Germany was looking to reach its first semifinal since 2007. France improved to 7-2 against Germany and has not lost to its neighbor since 1938.
Argentina cruised into the semifinals on Friday with 3-0 defeat of Kazakhstan in Buenos Aires, setting up a clash with Serbia, which moved into a 2-0 first-day lead away to Sweden.
Hewitt and Guccione defeated the Chinese pair Gong Maoxin and Li Zhe 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, leaving Australia needing to win just one of the reverse singles matches today to secure the win.
Australia captain Patrick Rafter told a news conference after the match that Hewitt may play in today's game, depending on his physical condition.
Hewitt, the 2001 US Open and 2002 Wimbledon champion, was left out of the singles to avoid putting strain on a long-standing foot injury, said Rafter.
Hewitt has been the mainstay of Australia's Davis Cup team for more than a decade but a series of injuries and early tournament exits mean he has slipped to 173 in the latest world rankings, below compatriots Bernard Tomic and Marino Matosevic.
China's Wu Di, who beat Matosevic on Friday, is set to play Wimbledon quarterfinalist Tomic today, when Zhang Ze plays Matosevic.
The winner of this match advances to September's World Group playoffs.
Elsewhere, France secured a spot in the Davis Cup semifinals when Michael Llodra and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga swept yesterday's doubles in straight sets to give their team an unassailable 3-0 lead over Germany in Stuttgart.
Llodra and Tsonga beat Christopher Kas and Philipp Petzschner 7-6 (4), 6-4, 6-4. The French pair dropped serve only once, in the first set but they rallied to win the tiebreaker.
France will play either Spain or the United States. The Spaniards lead 2-0 against the Americans.
France lost to Serbia in last year's final, while Germany was looking to reach its first semifinal since 2007. France improved to 7-2 against Germany and has not lost to its neighbor since 1938.
Argentina cruised into the semifinals on Friday with 3-0 defeat of Kazakhstan in Buenos Aires, setting up a clash with Serbia, which moved into a 2-0 first-day lead away to Sweden.
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