US Fed Cup team to complete matches today

Rain stopped played at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club in La Jolla, California on Sunday afternoon. On Saturday they were able to get two matches in between the US and German Fed Cup teams, and the score is tied 1-1. Germany took a 1-0 lead when 18-year old Sabine Lisicki, who trains at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy, upset former world #1 Lindsay Davenport 6-1, 7-5. Lisicki, who reached the third round of the Australian Open this year, is currently ranked a career high of #129 in the world.

The US then tied the match up when American Ashley Harkleroad defeated Tatjana Malek 6-1, 6-3.

There are three matches scheduled for today. The first will pit Davenport against Malek, the second will feature Lisicki taking on Harkleroad, and finally Davenport will team with Lisa Raymond to play Julia Goerges and Anna-Lena Groenefeld in doubles.

Russia, Spain, China win Fed Cup matches

There were three World Group 1st Round Fed Cup matches that did finish over the weekend as defending champion Russia, Spain and China all won.
Russia took on an upstart Israeli team in Hasharon, Israel and won 4-1. Israel kicked off the action though, as Israeli Shahar Peer defeated Dinara Safina 0-6, 6-2, 6-2 to give Israel a 1-0 lead. That wouldn’t last long though as Australian Open champion Maria Sharapova (who was making her Fed Cup debut) defeat Tzipi Obziler 6-0, 6-4 to even the match. Sharapova then went on to beat Peer 6-1, 6-1 in the first match on Sunday to give the Russians a 2-1 lead. Anna Chakvetadze then wrapped the match up with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Obziler. The Russians will take on the winner between US and Germany in the semifinal round.

Spain took on Italy in Naples, Italy over the weekend and won 3-2. They were led by Nuria Llagostera Vives and Anabel Medina Garrigues who combined won their three singles match to seal the victory. Llagostera Vives upset Francesca Schiavone 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-2 to kick off the action. Medina Garrigues then went on to beat Flavia Pennetta 6-2, 6-3 and Schiavone 6-4, 6-1 in the first match on Sunday. Last year Spain lost to Russia 5-0 in the first round of the World Group playoffs.

Spain will take on China in the semifinals, after they defeated France 3-2. This match was extremely close as the two teams split their singles matches. Saturday belonged to the Chinese as Na Li defeated Alize Cornet in the first match and Shuai Peng followed her with a three set victory over Virginie Razzano in the second match. It was all France in the first part of Sunday as Razzano came back to defeat Li and Nathalie Dechy beat Zi Yan in the second match. It all came down to the doubles and Zi Yan teamed with Jie Zheng to defeated Dechy and Razzano 7-5, 7-6(5) to clinch the match. This was only the second appearance China has ever made in the top group of the Fed Cup, and is the first time they reached the semifinals.

Gonzalez wins by Walkover

Top-seeded Fernando Gonzalez captured his third career Movistar Open in Vina del Mar, Chile over the weekend. After defeating Pablo Cuevas 6-7(4), 7-6(6), 6-2 in the semifinals, he was declared the winner after third-seeded Juan Monaco suffered a bad ankle sprain in the second set of the doubles final. Monaco was not able to play on Sunday, and therefore Gonzalez won the match and the tournament.

It is the first time a singles final walkover has occurred on the ATP circuit since 2003 Basel when David Nalbandian withdrew due to a left wrist injury against countryman Guillermo Coria.

For Gonzalez, the title helped him jump back into the top-20, after he had fallen back to #24. He is now ranked #16 in the world.