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3/7/09 11:29 PM | Ricky Dimon
Andy Roddick and the United States have a 2-1 lead over Switzerland in the opening round of the 2009 Davis Cup heading into Sunday singles after Bob and Mike Bryan took the doubles rubber in four sets.
"We call him the closer," the Bryan Brothers said of Andy Roddick, and that's exactly what Roddick will have the chance to do after Bob and Mike Bryan defeated Stanislas Wawrinka and Yves Allegro in Saturday's doubles rubber. The Bryan Brothers prevailed 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(2) in two hours and 26 minutes, giving the United States a 2-1 advantage over Switzerland in a first-round Davis Cup clash.
Now Roddick can clinch the tie and send the host United States into a quarterfinal showdown with Croatia. Like James Blake, who lost to Wawrinka in the opening rubber on Friday and is 0-3 lifetime against the Swiss, Roddick has never beaten Wawrinka. However, they have only met once. After ousting Blake in the quarterfinals of last season's Masters Series Rome, Wawrinka led Roddick 3-0 in the first set when the American retired with an injury.
This time around, Roddick has much more going for him: home-court advantage, indoor hard courts, and impressive form. A former No. 1 player in the world, Roddick is back up to sixth in the rankings and is playing stellar tennis in 2009 under new coach Larry Stefanki. He finished runner-up to Andy Murray in Doha and reached the semifinals of the Australian Open, taking out Novak Djokovic in the quarters before falling to Federer. America's top player has also appeared in the final weekend of his past two ATP tournaments. Roddick lost to Radek Stepanek in the San Jose semifinals, but got revenge on Stepanek in the Memphis title match. On Friday he defeated Marco Chiudinelli in straight sets to pull the United States even at 1-1.
Wawrinka, Switzerland's No. 1 player with Roger Federer sidelined by a back injury, should provide Roddick with a much more difficult test. Chiudinelli is 341st in the world--mainly due to injuries--and Wawrinka is former Top 10 player now ranked 16th. The Swiss reached the fourth round of both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open last summer, but he finished his 2008 campaign by winning just one of his last six matches. Wawrinka has played just two tournaments this year, losing in the Chennai first round and bowing out in the third round of the Australian Open to Tomas Berdych. He regained his form on Friday, however, coming back from a set down to defeat Blake 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(3).
Even on a neutral surface and in a neutral setting Roddick would be a considerable favorite over Wawrinka. But with a pro-U.S. crowd and a fast hard court under him, he has every reason to close out this tie. Roddick in four is the pick.
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I wish Bob/Mike wouldn't have said that - I know it's DC but it's disrespectful. Why did James lead-off this time? Andy almost always leads off - James seems to have a difficult time closing under pressure so let's hope Andy gets it done tomorrow. Go USA!!
tenisbebe , 3/8/09 12:57 AM
I dont think even the swiss captain would believe chiudinelli would beat blake though. This tie would have been great if roger played
orion , 3/8/09 1:42 AM
nobody decides who leads off. It's luck of the draw. Last time Blake led off he beat No. 6 in the world Robredo.
RickyDimon , 3/8/09 2:41 AM
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Allegro got broken once in both of the first 2 sets (three double faults in one game in the first set), but the Swiss team played well in the third and fourth. Bryans, though, were the better team it showed in the 'breaker.
One of the Bryans guaranteed a Roddick victory after the match during the on-court interview. I asked him to back it up in the press room and he backtracked a little bit but not much.
The Swiss captain in his presser said "Nice statement. Well I say it's going to be 2-2 after Stan tomorrow. That's my statement."
RickyDimon , 3/7/09 11:53 PM