[RogerExpress]

Anderson won't play against Canada

http://www.iol.co.za/sport/tennis/in...6#.UCp-hWNSQuE

[Snowwy]

Hope we can win this tie, it looks alright now, but I bet Israel thought they had it last year.

[Gonzil]

I wonder whether Nestor will play. He's been very faithful so he probably will, but he's been struggling a bit, so I wonder if his wrist is still bothering him or he might just need a break.

If he doesn't play, it would be really nice for Shamasdin to have a turn.

[tommyg6]

Originally Posted by RogerExpress

Anderson won't play against Canada

http://www.iol.co.za/sport/tennis/in...6#.UCp-hWNSQuE

Yes! If Anderson is not playing, this tie is basically ours for the taking. Guys like Frankie, Vashy can beat any of the South African players without much difficulty. If it was Anderson, that's another story. I say we win this tie 4-1.

Milos will probably beat de Voest 6-3, 6-4, 6-1, something like that.
Vashy or Frankie can beat van der Merwe something like 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Our doubles is an afterthought.
The dead rubbers is where the South Africans will get a point from beating somebody like Peter Polansky I imagine.

[misty1]

well if anderson was still playing given the form that everyone but milos is in i'd actually be concerned

[Brad1973]

Canada selects Nestor, Raonic, Pospisil and Dancevic. I hope they don't ask anyone to play three matches. Let Raonic focus on singles. I have a feeling he's going to drop a set if conditions are windy, but he'll pull through. I would start with Pospisil on Friday and Saturday and then let Dancevic play the fifth match, unless Vasek still feels great on Sunday.

I give Canada the edge in doubles and in Raonic's matches. The other two matches are fifty fifty. I give Canada an 80% chance overall.

Why are the tickets so expensive? I saw Canada against the Dominican Republic for ten bucks. Raonic's popularity changes everything. I'm glad the four guys all said yes. It bodes well for next year. Is Peliwo going along as a sparring partner?

[Gonzil]

oohh - S Africa captain NOT happy with Kevin Anderson!

“It would definitely make the team stronger if he were here, but what’s disappointing much more is that he lied to me. He said he had a knee (problem) that he had to rehab but he’s playing in the World Team Tennis finals (this weekend). As a team, we’d like him to be open and honest and unfortunately, he wasn’t. That’s what’s most disappointing for me and the team.”

[peteyjones13]

Honestly, I feel like I'd pick Polansky over Vasek for the 2nd singles. I know it's irrelevant cuz Polansky isn't really on the team. But Vasek has had an awful year, hard to imagine him having too much confidence, Polansky has won lots more (yes, challenger and futures, but still, raises his confidence). Peter's gone farther than Vasek in GS qualifying. I just think we have a better chance to win with Polansky right now, especially coming off a futures win (yes I know it's a futures). Do you guys agree with me or would you still have Vasek as the 2nd?

[Snowwy]

Originally Posted by peteyjones13

Honestly, I feel like I'd pick Polansky over Vasek for the 2nd singles. I know it's irrelevant cuz Polansky isn't really on the team. But Vasek has had an awful year, hard to imagine him having too much confidence, Polansky has won lots more (yes, challenger and futures, but still, raises his confidence). Peter's gone farther than Vasek in GS qualifying. I just think we have a better chance to win with Polansky right now, especially coming off a futures win (yes I know it's a futures). Do you guys agree with me or would you still have Vasek as the 2nd?

Yeah, he has had a bad year, but I think that Dancevic should be above Pospisil if anyone. I would play:

Milos
Vasek
Nestor/Vasek
Dancevic
Milos

[Snowwy]

Just looking at some old DC results, this must have been a great day to be a Canadian tennis fan.

R1 D. NESTOR d. M. RIOS 7-6(1) 6-7(2) 6-3 1-6 7-5
R2 F. NIEMEYER d. F. GONZALEZ 6-7(2) 7-6(2) 4-6 6-3 6-4

[Brad1973]

Rik de Voest pulls out, and captain de Jager names himself as his replacement. He has Davis Cup wins against Mirnyi and Henman, so watch out! On a more serious note, this would seem to seal the deal for Canada, though strange things happen in Davis Cup.

...I prefer Pospisil over Polansky. His summer was OK (wins in Granby and against Seppi, close losses to Harrison, Querry, Ferrer, Monaco, Fognini). His worst result was his latest result, that terrible loss at the US Open, but it's possible to bounce back. I agree that any win can boost confidence, but Polansky is playing in a different league.

...Thanks for reminding me of the win over Chile in 2002, which reminds me of Nestor's other Davis Cup singles wins over Edberg, Nicolas Lapentti and Kuerten. Didn't they ban the surface they were using in Calgary, because it was too fast? That's probably for the best.

[big_j_tennis]

is there a livestream of some sorts for the doubles match? i've been looking around and can't find one. Help!

[Gonzil]

Very bad from Nestor today - not altogether a surprise as he has been struggling for a while.

Too bad that there seemed to be zero communication in the team - while the S African captain was busy talking to his team on changeovers, Martin, Daniel and Vasek just sat on their chairs looking straight ahead.

[Gonzil]

How times have changed - Canada used to be strongest at doubles, but this weekend we didn't lose a set in singles and couldn't win a set in doubles.

Anyway, great to have earned another year in the World Group. And for the first time in 2 years we managed to get through a tie without someone being injured or sick!

I hope it won't be too long before Filip Peliwo gets the invitation to be on the DC team.

[big_j_tennis]

Canada vs Spain in the first round next year... well, at least it's at home. Not too optimistic about that tie