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4/9/08 3:39 PM | Ricky Dimon
Two high-powered tennis countries will square off in the quarterfinals of the 2008 Davis Cup this weekend when the Czech Republic visits Russia. The Russians hope to go one step further than last year’s runner-up performance, but the Czechs look to end those dreams.
Tomas Berdych, Radek Stepanek, and the 2008 Czech Republic Davis Cup team will travel to Russia for a marquee quarterfinal clash from Friday through Sunday, April 11-13. This will be the ninth meeting between the two nations and the series is all tied up at 4-4. The Russians won the last encounter when they went into a hostile Czech environment and came away with the victory back in 2003.
This weekend’s showdown should not only be closely contested, but it should also produce some high-quality tennis. Both teams will be putting forth in-form players coming off strong performances at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami. For Russia, Nikolay Davydenko just won the biggest title of his career on Sunday. Mikhail Youzhny pulled through a match in which he drew blood by slamming himself in the head with a racket to reach the fourth round, while Igor Andreev enjoyed a surprising run to the quarterfinals. Dmitry Tursunov ran off three straight three-set victories before falling to Tomas Berdych.
Berdych, of course, leads the Czech team into its tilt with Russia. He put on a consistently dominant display of tennis in Miami en route to the semifinals, where he ran out of gas against Rafael Nadal after a tight first set. Radek Stepanek has had a solid 2008 season so far, and that continued in Miami, where he cruised into the fourth round before going down at the hands of James Blake in front of a partisan American crowd. Pavel Vizner, playing doubles for the Czechs, has been on fire this year. With partner Martin Damm player profile" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #000;">Martin Damm, who is not suiting up for the team this week, Vizner reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, won the Marseille title, made it to the final in Dubai, and most recently fell in the Miami semifinals to eventual champions Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles 11-9 in a third-set super-tiebreaker. Vizner does not have Damm at his disposal this weekend, but Lukas Dlouhy is a more than adequate doubles replacement.
These teams are so evenly matched that one has to think this tie will come down to home-court advantage. The Russians have it and the Small Sports Arena “Luzhniki” in Moscow will harbor a raucous atmosphere throughout the three days. They have also chosen clay as their surface of choice, and that should favor them over Berdych and Stepanek, who like to play more aggressive tennis on faster courts. Davydenko and Youzhny are both willing to spend all day on court in grueling battles, the exact style of play to which the red stuff caters.
In doubles the Czech Republic still should have a slight advantage, but even in that rubber the home crowd could even things out. Being able to play on its home soil and having on-fire Davydenko leading the way should be enough for Russia to prevail, but don’t be surprised if it turns out to be a 3-2 thriller.
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