Article

  • Davis Cup Quarterfinal Preview: Argentina vs. Sweden

    4/10/08 5:05 AM | Cheryl Murray
    - These two powerhouse Davis Cup teams meet for the third year in a row, as Sweden heads to the clay courts of Argentina.

    Sweden heads to the red clay in Buenos Aires, where they will take on Argentina in this weekend's Davis Cup quarterfinals. Argentina's squad consists of David Nalbandian, Guillermo Canas, Juan Monaco and Jose Acasuso. A fearsome squad to be sure, especially on their home turf. David Nalbandian actually prefers to play on hard courts, but he is right at home on clay.

    Sweden is going to have their work cut out for them in this tie. It is not that the team is untalented, but the surface is going to hamper their chances considerably. Robin Söderling is a force to be reckoned with on hard courts. He has a big serve and a pounding forehand, but clay neutralizes both of those strengths. He is simply not as capable of grinding it out on the baseline as his Argentine counterparts. Jonas Björkman, Thomas Johansson and Robert Lindstedt round out the Swedish team.

    Argentina and Sweden are no strangers to each other on the Davis Cup stage. This quarterfinal match up will be their third in as many years. In 2006, they met in the first round, which Argentina swept 5-0. The tie was played on clay in Buenos Aires. Then last year, they met in Sweden in the quarterfinals. Sweden astutely chose the fastest surface available. They played on carpet, and as expected, Sweden won 4-1.

    As evidenced by their history, surface is everything when these two teams clash. The very fact that the tie will be contested on clay pretty much seals Sweden's fate. It is hard to imagine that any combination of match-ups will benefit the Swedes. Robin Söderling is the best that Sweden has, but he is still weaker on clay than any of the Argentines. Argentina should win this tie with ease.

Tell a friend »

Comments


Write comment

You have to be logged in to comment. If you do not have an account, click here to register. It only takes a minute and you'll be redirected back to this page.
Username:

Password: