Led by Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka, Switzerland is looking for a place in the Davis Cup final as it hosts Italy this weekend. Federer is opening against Simone Bolelli on Friday while Wawrinka is facing Fabio Fognini.
Roger Federer (SUI) vs. Simone Bolelli (ITA)
Federer and Bolelli will be going head-to-head for the third time in their careers and for the second time in Davis Cup competition when they kick off a World Group semifinal tie between Switzerland and Italy on Friday. Their most recent encounter came five years ago in the World Group playoffs, with Federer dominating on a clay court in Italy 6-3, 6-4, 6-1. The Swiss also beat Bolelli 6-2, 6-3 on the indoor hard courts of Basel in 2008.
Both veterans made headlines at the recent U.S. Open. Federer, a runner-up in Toronto and champion in Cincinnati, saved two match points in a quarterfinal win over Gael Monfils before bowing out to eventual champion Marin Cilic. Bolelli upset Vasek Pospisil in the first round then lost to Tommy Robredo in a controversial five-setter. The 76th-ranked Italian has played well on big stages of late, having qualified at both the French Open and Wimbledon while posting a 3-2 record in those main draws. Facing Federer on the road on an indoor hard court, though, is way too tough of a proposition.
Pick: Federer in 3 losing 11-14 games
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Stan Wawrinka (SUI) vs. Fabio Fognini (ITA)
Fognini will likely be staring a borderline must-win situation in the face when he takes the court against Wawrinka for Friday’s second singles rubber. The Italian has defeated Wawrinka once before, 6-2, 7-6(3) in their most recent meeting last year on the clay of Acapulco. Wawrinka, however, leads the overall head-to-head series 4-1–including 3-1 at the ATP level.
Neither man had an especially long stay in New York, where Fognini got clobbered by Adrian Mannarino in the second round and Wawrinka fell to eventual runner-up Kei Nishikori in a five-set quarterfinal. Although Wawrinka is not in his top form right now, Fognini would have to be at his very best both mentally and physically in order to win this one. The world No. 17 came up with a big Davis Cup victory over Andy Murray in the quarterfinals, but he is unlikely to handle a hostile road environment in Switzerland in similar fashion.
Pick: Wawrinka in 4
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This tie is not a foregone conclusion that the Swiss will prevail.
#Rooting for Italy
it is now!
(It was then too)
#HoppItalia
LOLnini
^^^^ Foggy is not being much help 🙁
He’s doing his nonchalant bit right now like he doesn’t care about the result. Pity he’s not playing the way he did against Murray in DC. Still there’s still time for him to change his mind 🙂
he was never going to on a fast indoor hard court, especially when he isn’t playing at home
That is painfully obvious.
https://twitter.com/DavisCup/status/510432795349745664
Isn’t that the guy who beat Rafa last year?
#DavidVsDavid
That’s the guy who beat Federer at Wimbledon last year.
nadline10 (at 3:20 pm)
Yeah!
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bd8MLdvCYAAmfJK.jpg
https://twitter.com/Chris_Umlaut/status/510067813138964481/photo/1
@Augusta08, hold all My calls.
#SoEasy
Mr. Hawkeye63 alias Christophe Umlaut!
This guy has been demolished by Rafa TWO TIMES!.
Ms. Gussie, please note that Jerzy was never demolished by Rafa.
#GoodHelpIsHardToFind
hawkeye63@September 12, 2014 at 5:15 pm
Mr. Hawkeye63 alias Christophe Umlaut! It’s wishful thinking!
Of course Ms. Gussie. I am used to it by now. It is to be expected. No need to explain yourself. Carry on.
OK, I ask again, does anyone know where Davis Cup revenue goes and how much, if any, is prize money?
You can pretty much find anything on Google except that.
#BestKeptSecret
#HowManyTimes?
#TheTruthIsNotOutThere
@hawkeye63, are you and @elina on FedEx blog one and the same poster?
Hypothetically yes, technically no.
#DoYou???
There’s a wonderful new poster on Roger-X named senorita BTW.
#DontYou???
Sadly, I’ve come to the sad news that elina on Tennis-X has been banned.
(senorita is still fighting the good fight however!)
False alarm! I’ve heard from elina and posting has resumed!!!
#YouSerious?
I knew I shouldn’t have bothered watching the Swiss/Italy DC tie. Fog is making Stan look so good.
https://twitter.com/svenja_mastro/status/510433962121256960
Sorry for Roger.
The commies for the Stan/Foggy match were positively drooling over the wonders of Coleslaw.
ed251137 (at 3:39 pm)
They get paid for talking.
They got Fed in before Stan finished his match to avoid Fed rubbishing Stan in case he lost.
blowout city
The Dutch-Croatian play off is way more interesting. The young Borna Coric is going toe to toe with Tommy Haase.
Change of nomination for Switzerland, WaWa now partnering Chiudinelli in the dubs……..
smart
but also inconsequential
So Federer declined to play doubles so he could wipe the floor with Fognini tomorrow so he can then claim the lion’s share of the credit for the Swiss win. Smart tactics as Ricky says.
Hawkeye
Avert your gaze ?. Chartrier is filled to capacity. Maybe they issued free lunch baskets with wine to take to their seats.
^^You mean Court Rafael Nadal? 😉
No, they used rent-a-crowd.
I hate to tell you – this is no rent-a-crowd. At least 80% are establishment or BoBo.
ed,
It was meant to be a joke.
Really? I get it now: you were having a dig at the trio, no?
In fact I think the brass band were most likely imported for the occasion. I’ve seen some of them before making a helluva noise at Paris St. Germain handball matches. If you’re anywhere near them you need ear plugs or risk going deaf.
ed251137@September 14, 2014 at 5:03 pm
Isn’t funny that some people ‘having a dig at somebody’ become hysterical sometimes?
As Roger is so fond of saying, the decider WILL be on his racquet :-p
Coleslaw looked on the verge of crying throughout the last set and left the court barely acknowledging the crowd. BTW the Swiss compere announced him as Stanilas Wawrinka 🙂
You mean Wawa actually thought he would seal it for the Swiss? He really is delusional.
The Aussie Emperor has no clothes.
http://twitter.com/DavisCup/status/510809020492689409
He was probably thinking what Roger would have to say about his performance 😉
He should know by now Roger is not the type to pass up an opportunity for glory. Contrary to popular belief, there is an “I” in the word “team”.
there is in fact an i in “Thiem.”
Wawrinka probably hoped that Chiudinelli is a better player better than Fed.
Wawrinka-Fed pair lost in the DC quarterfinal to Kazakhstan’s duo Nedovyesov (ATP-76) & Golubev (ATP-64).
Ricky. Why is My post moderated?
which one?
It probably had a ton of links on if.
Just a text comment with one twitter link. Same as always.
Plenty of empty seats for Fed vs Foggy in spite of it being a live fourth rubber.
Not if you have the Federazzi blinkers on.
😉 😉
technically still a live rubber 🙂 although Fognini has kept the 2nd set close
Stan needs his head examined. For years he kept the flames burning for the Swiss in the DC when his Lordship wouldn’t play and just because Fed won today Stan is lifting him up as a hero.
The Swiss are behaving as if they’ve won the DC. I hope the French sort them out in the final.
what surface will France pick?
I’m guessing it’ll be Bercy. late November is risky weather-wise to have it on clay in somewhere like Monte Carlo. Besides they can be sure of a raucous crowd in Paris 🙂
they will pick clay
there is such a thing as indoor clay. France has done it often.
I know indoor clay exists but dont know of any in France.
they make it
France vs. Spain first round this year was on indoor clay in France
Right. I was wintering in Spain and didn’t get to watch any of the 1st round matches.
Spain are about to be relegated 🙁
RBA is hanging on by his fingernails. Brazilians going berserk with excitement.
It seemed an odd line up .
Ricky Dimon (at 7:19 pm)
France vs. Australia
http://www.daviscup.com/en/draws-results/tie/details.aspx?tieId=100021079
From the Twitter World:
https://twitter.com/RD_Tennistalk/status/511220076058804225
Nice one Ricky 🙂
The France team had obviously been out on the town celebrating on Saturday night.. Too funny watching them staggering in bleary-eyed the next morning to watch the dead rubbers. One of them fell straight back to sleep soon after he sat down.
I’ll be rooting for France naturally 😉 As France will host the finals I guess it’ll be played at Bercy. Gotta to be a big advantage. Might even go to watch!!
They even played ‘We are the champions’ – what you might call counting your chickens too soon.
It;s like the BBQ is ready but the deer is still in the forest.
Spain will have to motor if they’re not to be relegated 🙁
Moya is not having much luck since taking over as captain. First time in16 years Spain have dropped out of the World Group.
Even without Rafa and Ferrer it’s not as though there wasn’t a raft of experienced DC players to choose from. Using RBA twice, particularly after his showing against Germany, did seem odd to me (and that was even before he went on to lose to Belluci..
#50/50Hindsight
ed251137 (at 6:13 am)
Spain’s loss should be a relief to Rafa fans! I have read tons of comments from fans who haven’t wanted him to play in DC. Now it’s guaranteed that he doesn’t need to play at the world level.
why won’t he play in zonals?
No way one can sugar coat this, this is a bad loss for Spain. No way RBA should be losing to Belluci. Rafa cannot carry the team forever, time they learned to play without him.
Much more than “just Rafa” missing from that Spain squad.
#TheTruthIsOutThere
Ricky Dimon@September 15, 2014 at 1:05 pm
—why won’t he play in zonals?—
I meant at the World Group level.
But, Rafa has to play at least in 3 DC ties “somewhere” to qualify for the Olympics.
there’s no difference, other than competition level
and even that could be slight, if at all. there are teams far better than Kazakhstan in the lower levels of Davis Cup.
As I said earlier, there will be more pressure and expectations on Rafa to play DC in 2015, not less..
https://tenngrand.com/2014/09/11/france-switzerland-host-davis-cup-world-group-semifinals/comment-page-1/#comment-119575
#YoureWelcome
rafaisthebest@September 15, 2014 at 1:15 pm
I have got headaches while reading tons of comments suggesting Rafa to skip DC or expressing dissatisfaction after he has played.
hawkeye63@September 15, 2014 at 1:51 pm
RAFA HAS TO PLAY DC IF HE WANTS TO QUALIFY FOR THE OLYMPICS!
W H A T ? ? ?
I CAN’T HEAR YOU!
(not sure why you address that to Me though. Everyone knows that.)
Hey Ms. Gussie, this is one of them there rhetorical trick questions but I’m curious as to who was your favourite tennis player before Nadal.
#LifeB4Rafa
hawkeye63@September 15, 2014 at 2:38 pm
—who was your favourite tennis player before Nadal—
Nobody. I didn’t care about anyone.
Ah, as I thought then.
Ricky Dimon@September 15, 2014 at 1:45 pm
—there are teams far better than Kazakhstan in the lower levels of Davis Cup—
I am just curious WHY you mentioned Kazakhstan ?!
Because Wawrinka-Feder pair lost in the DC quarterfinal to Kazakhstan’s duo (ATP-76 & ATP-64) and Andrey Golubev (ATP-64) stunned Stan Wawrinka ?
because Kazakhstan is the worst team in the World Group
Ricky Dimon (at 3:06 pm)
Group I 2014
http://www.daviscup.com/en/draws-results/group-i/europe-africa.aspx
augusta08 says:
September 15, 2014 at 1:38 pm
He only HAS to play (I think it’s now 4 times in the 2 years prior to the Olympics) if he is ASKED to in order to qualify for the team. Ergo, if he is not asked to play he could still be in the Olympic squad. I think Moya might be trying to build a 2nd tier of players so that the burden does’t always fall on the higher ranked players. Just a thought.
In any case surely it would be better for Rafa to do his duty in 2015 if he is healthy rather than be stretched to the limit in the run up to the Games.
ed251137@September 15, 2014 at 3:32 pm
—He only HAS to play (I think it’s now 4 times in the 2 years prior to the Olympics)…—
I recently answered you this:
¤¤ MAY 02, 2012. Olympic qualifying more demanding in 2016.
The ITF has decided to change its qualification rules for the 2016 Olympics. After the 2012 Games, a player must make himself or herself available to play Davis Cup or Fed Cup FOUR times in an Olympic cycle. Currently, players only have to make themselves available for TWO ties in the two prior years to the Olympics. ¤¤
http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2012/05/olympic-qualifying-more-demanding-in-2016/35780/#.UoopldKmiYF
Maybe the Swiss don’t know English enough to understand the phrase ‘we are the champions.’
All the finalists are residents in Switzerland. Is it a tax haven or what?
Jo-Wilfried TSONGA
Residence: Gingins, Switzerland
Richard GASQUET
Residence: Neuchatel, Switzerland
Gael MONFILS
Residence: Trelex, Switzerland
Julien BENNETEAU
Residence: Geneva, Switzerland
yep
#MonteCarlo
hawkeye, France will wipe the smile off your face in the final. 🙂
But you’ll be there to pick Me up.
#WindBeneathMyWings
#BFFsForever
https://twitter.com/Tennis_Canada/status/511517527693066241
Bwaaaaahaaahahaha, #CanadaIsTennis will beat any of these teams!
#AnotherGameForMilosh
#ThisPostIsUnderModeration
ooh, looks like Ricky fix for sure, no?
https://twitter.com/Sportsnet/status/511512349912858625
#BelieveInTheSleeve
Spain will be #1 seed in Group I (Europe/Africa) in the 2015 Davis Cup and will have a BYE in the 1st Round
https://twitter.com/RFET_tenis/status/511531808769712128
That’s worse then. That means to have a chance to get back to World group, Spain will have to win its tie the first week after Wimbledon.
On second thought, perahps Rafa will be well rested before then, for sure, no?
#Jokings
hawkeye63@September 15, 2014 at 4:15 pm
—That’s worse then.—
Worse compared to what ?
In 2014, the R2 was played in the beginning of April.
Worse than playing the week before IW (i.e., 1st rnd DC).
#KeepUp
they would have had to play both
so no, it’s not BAD that they have a bye
hawkeye63,
In 2014, there were no DC events between Wimbledon and the US Open.
Why do you worry about getting back to the World Group?!
Why do you care about 2014 DC? That’s over already for Spain. Pleae read more carefully.
I don’t worry about Davis Cup and couldn’t care less if they make it back. You missed My point.
You said better for Rafa that Spain is not in World Group and I pointed out that’s not the case necessarily.
#DoYou???
“they would have had to play both so no, it’s not BAD that they have a bye”
Does that bye then guarantee that Spain gets a spot in the World Group qualification round next fall? If yes, then not bad, if not then pressure for Rafa to play after Wimby AND after USO.
hawkeye63@September 15, 2014 at 5:09 pm
Jesus! You didn’t read my question!!!
Answered them all. You just don’t read.
#DoYou???
I add to my comment
augusta08 says:
September 15, 2014 at 3:45 pm
Europe/Africa Zone Group I
1. Spain
2. Ukraine
3. Netherlands
4. Israel
Remaining nations: Austria, Denmark, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Winner of Latvia v Sweden.
https://twitter.com/Chris_Umlaut/status/511547331569676288
#Sarek
#SpocksDad
C’mon Ricky??? really???
#WTF
#YourCommentIsAwaitingModeration
#HowManyTimes???
#Many
2nd time lucky?
https://twitter.com/Chris_Umlaut/status/511547331569676288
#Sarek
#SpocksPaterFamilias
#HowManyTimes???