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Post by janie on Feb 7, 2009 7:20:58 GMT -5
Australia win Fed Cup group
2 hours ago
PERTH, Australia (AFP) — Australia beat New Zealand 3-0 in the Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group I final Saturday as they continue their bid to rejoin the elite World Group of the women's team competition.
The only team able to call on three players in the world's top 100, the home side made a clean sweep of their four ties this week, winning all 12 matches they played.
Seven-times Fed Cup champions Australia will now contest the World Group II play-off in April. Victory there would see them elevated to World Group II in 2010, just one step away from a return to the top echelon of the competition.
Yet to beat Australia in the Fed Cup in five attempts, it was the second year in a row that New Zealand had been beaten in the Asia/Oceania Group I final, losing last year to Uzbekistan.
World number 43 Samantha Stosur clinched the tie with an straightforward 6-1, 6-4 win over Marina Erakovic, New Zealand's highest-ranked player at 57, in the second singles match and said the Australians believed they were capable of returning to the World Group.
"I think we have a great chance," she said.
"We have a good team put together, three of us in the top 100 and Rennae (Stubbs) in the doubles, and Casey (Dellacqua) and myself able to play in the doubles is a really good combination.
"The next tie is going to be tough, depending on where it is and who it is against, but I think we have a great chance."
Stubbs said she believed Stosur, Jelena Dokic and Dellacqua were all potentially top 20 players and were capable of taking Australia further in the competition.
The host nation made a perfect start when Australian Open quarter-finalist Dokic's 2009 resurgence continued with a straight-sets win over Dianne Hollands, 6-4, 6-4.
The un-ranked Hollands gave Dokic an early fright, grabbing a 3-0 lead in the first set and going a break up early in the second, but the Australian fought back.
"It is not always easy when you are supposed to win easy," Dokic said.
"She started well, she was just swinging and everything was going in.
"I didn't play well, but sometimes you have to win when you are not playing well.
"Mentally I was extremely good, I was down in both sets and the really key points and games in each sets I won them all and I have to be happy with that."
In the dead mixed doubles rubber, Dellacqua and Stubbs beat Kairangi Vano and Shona Lee 6-2, 6-2.
The relegation tie saw Taiwan beat India 3-0.
India will drop to Asia/Oceania Zone Group II next year, and be replaced in Group I by Kazakhstan.
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Post by Brinyi on Feb 7, 2009 11:55:24 GMT -5
Pennetta def. Mauresmo and Franny up 6-1 over the Cone Head.
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Post by Brinyi on Feb 7, 2009 11:56:56 GMT -5
Spain, whom prophesy has designated as winners of the tie, level with Czechs
Kvitty def. CSN 4 & 4 Llagostera def. Benesova 16 61 64
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Post by Brinyi on Feb 7, 2009 14:52:28 GMT -5
Franny takes it 8-6 in the 3rd... 2-0 Italy. Pennetta apparently called the umpire a ho and gave her the finger during the second set tie-break, and after some discussion was let off with a warning. The French were not very happy and Mauresmo felt she should have been defaulted. Several minutes later, Mauresmo blew a match point which could have made all this academic.
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Post by DBBN on Feb 7, 2009 15:59:24 GMT -5
KAZ's swiping of players has paid off! The Voz and the Shved, sucky as they are, are miles better than anyone else in A/O II. They don't even need the THUNDA! Pennetta
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Post by leelee on Feb 7, 2009 18:25:30 GMT -5
So, I went to the USA-ARG match and it lived up to my low expectations.
Jill Craybas vs. Betina Jozami. Jill Craybas was the aggressor. Enough said.
Gisela Dulko vs. Melanie Oudin. I saw Oudin last year, and she's pretty much the same. Relies on the forehand, backhand is erratic, weak serve, needs to get in better shape and be a great defender to do anything on tour.
I'm glad it's over. I don't like driving around there.
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Post by janie on Feb 8, 2009 8:08:25 GMT -5
"Jill Craybas vs. Betina Jozami. Jill Craybas was the aggressor. Enough said." There go my hopes for Big Betina. "I saw Oudin last year, and she's pretty much the same. Relies on the forehand, backhand is erratic, weak serve, needs to get in better shape"Sheesh! I thought Oudin was the one young USian who isn't out of shape. Well, Coco looks pretty fit. But it looks pretty depressing for the future of tennis here if the young pros can't be bothered to get and stay fit. True, it's not just the US kids who're out of shape, but at least other countries have a more even mix of fit and fat players.
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Post by janie on Feb 8, 2009 8:09:37 GMT -5
Franny takes it 8-6 in the 3rd... 2-0 Italy. Pennetta apparently called the umpire a ho and gave her the finger during the second set tie-break, and after some discussion was let off with a warning. The French were not very happy and Mauresmo felt she should have been defaulted. Several minutes later, Mauresmo blew a match point which could have made all this academic. :lmao: At least Fed Cup is still good for some laughs.
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Post by Brinyi on Feb 8, 2009 8:45:47 GMT -5
Beside Australia, Canada, Poland and Estonia are also through to the WG II playoff round.
Poland had the toughest time of the above. A-Rad was a dominant singles player, but Piter was a weak link as the #2. They were bailed out twice by the doubles of K.JANS / A.ROSOLSKA (vs GBR and ROM).
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Post by Brinyi on Feb 8, 2009 8:49:25 GMT -5
Wild Woman Flavia is laying a beatdown on Cornet.
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Post by leelee on Feb 8, 2009 14:46:43 GMT -5
Oudin isn't fat, but she's also not fit and gets gassed too easily. When you're like 5'3, you need perfect fitness or she's going to be a lifelong challenger scrub.
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Post by leelee on Feb 8, 2009 18:39:17 GMT -5
Jozami is really terrible. She just let a lob hit her foot. She's really slow and is a pusher. How did this player get ranked as high as she is.
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Post by janie on Feb 9, 2009 17:21:24 GMT -5
She is alleged to have a biggish serve, I thought. And she plays the Latin America challenger circuit a lot. And maybe she's having the worst weekend of her career? But how does player who's not actually dead let a lob land on her foot?? Needless to say I won't be rooting for Big Betina any more.
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Post by Iorix on Feb 9, 2009 17:25:43 GMT -5
Wild Woman Flavia is laying a beatdown on Cornet. I saw the live rubbers of this tie on TV (missed Pennetta's finger because I FFWD between points). On hard, Cornet is barely top 40.
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Post by Iorix on Feb 9, 2009 17:29:56 GMT -5
CSN back to normal I suppose.
Good wins for Kvitova. I wonder if she plays a less barbaric game now - her results are becoming more consistent.
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Post by leelee on Feb 9, 2009 20:11:41 GMT -5
She is alleged to have a biggish serve, I thought. And she plays the Latin America challenger circuit a lot. And maybe she's having the worst weekend of her career? But how does player who's not actually dead let a lob land on her foot?? Needless to say I won't be rooting for Big Betina any more. Jozami absolutely does not have a big serve. And not like how I say Bovina has a weak serve. She rarely hits it over 100 mph and usually pushes it in. Seriously, a lob hit her foot. She was retrieving to the baseline in doubles, and bonk. Gisela was giving her death stares all match. The one thing she does do well is keep the ball in the court, at least. And defends well for her size. Might explain how she wins clay 25k's and such. Although, it appears she's very overranked due to Bogota, and winning some lame Mexican 50k.
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Post by janie on Feb 9, 2009 20:27:41 GMT -5
Ha! I'd love to see a Gise death stare. Why can't she do it to Serena? Sure, it's easy to get out your death stare when you're playing a Craybas or a little Ditty. Bring it when it counts, Gise!
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Post by Brinyi on Mar 4, 2009 13:47:16 GMT -5
Playoffs, 25-26 April WORLD GROUP PLAY-OFFS SPAIN v SERBIA: - Lerida - clay (outdoors) FRANCE v SLOVAK REPUBLIC: - Palais des Sports Beaublanc. Limoges, France - clay (indoors) GERMANY v CHINA, P.R.: - details due 10th March ARGENTINA v UKRAINE:- details due 10 March WORLD GROUP II PLAY-OFFS BELGIUM v CANADA: - Grenslandhallen - Ethias Arena, Hasselt - tbc (indoors) ESTONIA v ISRAEL: - Tondi Tennis Club, Tallinn - hard (indoors) POLAND v JAPAN: - Tenisowy Klub Sportowy Arka, Gdynia - clay (outdoors) AUSTRALIA v SWITZERLAND: - details due 10 March
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Post by Brinyi on Apr 24, 2009 14:22:06 GMT -5
Morigami will play for Japan versus the Radwanskas -- her first match since last year's RG.
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Post by Iorix on Apr 25, 2009 5:47:20 GMT -5
Figures. Solved the modem problems by asking my ISP to temporarily lower the connection speed because I really needed a reliable connection this weekend (some tax stuff to send).
But now that I actually have the chance to watch the Fed Cup livestreams, I'm stuck with a 1 MbPS connection. Feed is watchable, but nonetheless poor.
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Post by Iorix on Apr 25, 2009 5:52:31 GMT -5
I don't get this "Chak is now a brainless ballbasher!!11!!" stuff. She actually seems scared shitless of missing right now. And still making loads of errors, of course. If she is going to miss, she could at least go for her shots.
But she is looking gorgeous, even though her features have become a bit more androgynous over the last year or so.
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Post by janie on Apr 25, 2009 6:26:24 GMT -5
Chak is the best player the much-vaunted Russians could come up with? Goooooo Italy!
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Post by Iorix on Apr 25, 2009 6:28:32 GMT -5
2-2 at the MJMS vs Jankovic match and nobody yet held serve.
MJMS is horrible. She's elegant and well built, but plays just like every other Spaniard: moonball FH (in her case lefty), pitiful 2nd serve (Jankovic is crushing every single one).
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Post by Iorix on Apr 25, 2009 6:32:58 GMT -5
Switched to CZE vs USA and there's a funny looking fellow singing an anthem.
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Post by Iorix on Apr 25, 2009 6:41:18 GMT -5
Kvitty fell on her ass while warming up. The US players all look nervous, even scared for some reason.
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Post by Iorix on Apr 25, 2009 6:45:29 GMT -5
Jesus, Maria, José - the court plays so fast! Now I'm really going to watch this.
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Post by Iorix on Apr 25, 2009 8:59:25 GMT -5
Kvitova is Saw a few points of BAG vs AMG. BAG was the one doing the moonballing.
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Post by DBBN on Apr 25, 2009 9:20:48 GMT -5
Watching on TTC, still think Kvitova is going to be up near the top at the end of the year. Benesova on the other hand is just embarrassingly bad today.
ITA leads RUS 2-0. That's what happens when your team is led by Chak and Sweater.
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Post by Edna Krabappel on Apr 25, 2009 9:32:55 GMT -5
Benesova once said the hates Fed Cup, I'm surprised she's even playing.
Sweata was embarrassingly bad. I didn't see the first set, but she couldn't make the easiest of shots in sets 2 and 3. She didn't even bother to shake hands with Schiavone.
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Post by Iorix on Apr 25, 2009 9:38:58 GMT -5
Can't get the Benesova/Glatch feed to work. I can't even begin to imagine how poorly Benesova must be playing to be losing to Glatch.
BAG on the other hand already has her claycourt "strategy" for this season set: moonball from the BH side until she gets something she can whack with her FH. Considering her tactical skills, the game plans devised for her have to be very simple, almost crass, but still.
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