Davis Cup Update: Serbia vs. Czech Republic

Novak Djokovic was scheduled to play against Radek Stepanek in the opening day's singles match, but he was forced to withdraw due to medical reasons. Novak, who surely would have beaten Radek, was replaced by Viktor Troicki who was, unfortunately, beaten in four sets by Stepanek. It seemed like the Czechs were going to win the next match as well, as Janko Tipsarevic was scheduled to play against the world number 7 Tomas Berdych, but Tipsarevic pulled off the win to even the score at 1-1. Djokovic and Zimonjic are currently playing doubles against Berdych and Stepanek, with the Serbians winning the first set and the Czechs winning the second.

Federer is Back! And other news...

Amazing match yesterday evening at the Rogers Cup with Federer defeating Chela 7-6, 6-3. The Toronto crowd was very pro-Roger and they went absolutely crazy when he won. Federer looked confident and played aggressively and I really think he's going to go far in this tournament.

Other exciting matches yesterday included Nalbandian vs. Ferrer, with Nalby winning 7-5, 3-6, 6-3; Soderling vs. Gulbis, with Sod defeating Ernie 4-6, 6-4, 6-4; Berdych vs Stakhovsky, with Tomas winning 6-2, 6-4; Verdasco vs. Chardy, with Verdasco going through 6-0, 5-7, 6-2; Monfils vs. Devvarman, with Monfils winning 7-6(3), 6-3; and Wawrinka vs. Dancevic, with Wawrinka knocking out the Canadian 6-1, 6-4.

Below are some match photos from yesterday...

Roddick, Berdych: Top Seeds at Legg Mason

The Legg Mason Tennis Classic begins this weekend in Washington, D.C, with quite a few of the top players in attendance—minus, of course, Federer and Nadal, the two players everyone has been waiting to see since Wimbledon. But although Rafa and Roger won’t be playing until next week at the Rogers Cup in Toronto, the Legg Mason Tennis Classic has the potential for some great matches.

Seeded Players and Their Chances at Legg Mason:

1. Tomas Berdych (CZE)
Tomas has had an amazing season so far with a semifinal result at Roland Garros and a final appearance at Wimbledon, where he had to beat 6-time Wimbledon winner Roger Federer along the way. Berdych hits the ball incredibly hard and he should be able to overwhelm the majority of other players at this event. If he plays the way he’s played all year then he should make the finals where he’ll likely meet Andy Roddick—the only player who will really be able to challenge him for the title.

2. Andy Roddick (USA)
Even though Andy lost early last week in Atlanta, he should make it to the finals in Washington where he has a good chance of winning the title. He’ll want to prove that the loss in Atlanta was a fluke and that he’s ready to do well for the rest of the US Open Series, and there’s no one in his half of the draw that he can’t beat.

3. Fernando Verdasco (ESP)
Verdasco should win his first two rounds fairly easily and then he’ll likely meet Ernests Gulbis or Marcos Baghdatis in the quarterfinals. Baghdatis did not look good in L.A. this week and Gulbis needs to calm down on court (ie. stop smashing multiple raquets) if he wants to win his matches, so Verdasco should make it to the semifinals where he’ll more than likely fall to Berdych.

4. Marin Cilic (CRO)
Cilic really hasn’t done much lately so it would be surprising if he went too far into the draw. To get to the quarterfinals he’ll have to go through Mardy Fish, one of the hottest players of the summer, and if Mardy is healthy I just don’t see it happening.

5. John Isner (USA)
Isner has had some decent results this summer, although he couldn’t take down Mardy Fish in the recent Atlanta finals. He should make it to the quarterfinals though, where he’ll likely lose to Berdych.

The rest of the top ten includes (6)Sam Querrey (USA), (7) Stan Wawrinka (SUI), (8) Marcos Baghdatis (CYP), (9) Ernests Gulbis (LAT), and (10) Radek Stepanek (CZE). Can’t see any of these players winning the title, although Querrey could make the semis, and at this point I’d take the number 11 seed Lleyton Hewitt, or number 15 seed Mardy Fish (as long as his injured ankle has healed) over guys like Baghdatis, Gulbis, or Stepanek.

The entire draw can be seen at the website for the Legg Mason Tennis Classic.