Wow I had the chance to day of watching a bit of the Nando match today & i am very disappointed in his performance. Granted Llodra & that surface they chose was great for his type of game. I expected Nando & Ferrer to defend better than that.

I love my Spaniards but it just seems to me that Verdopez both have their priorities are somewhat warped. This def has to do with the hot girls at the beach the other day.


Davis Cup Quarterfinals
July 9-11, 2010
Zenith - Grande Halle d'Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France

Singles & Doubles
1: David Ferrer (ESP) lost to  Gael Monfils (FRA) 76(3) 62 46 57 64
2: Fernando Verdasco (ESP) lost tov. Michael Llodra (FRA) 67(5) 64 63 76(2).
3: Feliciano López/Fernando Verdasco (ESP) v. Julien Benneteau/Michael Llodra (FRA)
4: TBA
5: TBA

http://www.daviscup.com/


France stuns Spain on day one France took a surprising 2-0 lead over defending champions Spain on the first day of the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas World Group quarterfinal in Clermont-Ferrand.

Gael Monfils outlasted David Ferrer 76(3) 62 46 57 64 in the opening singles, then the oldest and lowest ranked player – at 30 and No. 35 respectively – on the French team, Michael Llodra, won his first live singles rubber, defeating world No. 10 Fernando Verdasco of Spain 67(5) 64 63 76(2).

The sold-out, mostly French crowd at the Zenith Grand Hall d’Auvergne cheered their team loudly and enthusiastically throughout the nearly nine hours of play with not a vuvuzela in sight.

“The crowd is good,” said Llodra. “I only won one Davis Cup singles match and that was away but today, with all the support they gave me, and a lot of support at the end, it helped me a lot.”

“As you can imagine, I am very, very happy and very satisfied and pleased with the way those two guys played,” said French captain Guy Forget. “It was tremendous tennis.

“Spain were the favourites and I told my team that, on a faster court like this one, if they were really aggressive and going for their shots, we had a chance. Our best chance was actually to go forward and not to wait for the Spanish to miss because they hardly miss. Gael and Michael today just pleased me so much today with the way they played.”

Llodra records shock victory over world No. 10

Llodra played some inspired tennis while Verdasco struggled with his serve throughout the match. The Spaniard was able to force a tiebreak in the first set, winning 7-5, but was always playing catch-up after that. Verdasco showed his frustration with close calls that were going against him, both visibly and vocally.

Llodra played calmly throughout the match, which he said was “almost the best tennis I have ever played.” He cruised in the second and third sets and took an early lead in the fourth but Verdasco, playing like the champion he is, fought back to force another tiebreak. Llodra rose to the occasion, taking the breaker 7-2, and the match for France.

For the French, winning both matches on the first day is statistically and historically a huge advantage. In the 105 matches they have taken a 2-0 lead since they first played Davis Cup in 1904, they have a 103-2 win-loss record. For Spain, it’s quite a different story as they have never come back from 0-2 down to win since they first entered the competition in 1921. But this did not completely discourage Verdasco.

“I think that the doubles is the match that, because of our game, we have a little bit more chances to win the match,” said Verdasco. “Always the doubles matches are really close and we both serve good and they both serve good so we both will have chances to win. We’ll see and obviously we’ll try our best. It’s so hard because of the court but we still believe we can come back.”

Monfils digs deep to win five-setter

Earlier it was a slow start for Monfils. The French player was nervous at the beginning and it showed when he dropped serve in the second game and then Ferrer held to open up a 3-0 lead. However, an extended rally when Ferrer faced a break point in the fifth game saw Monfils bring the set back on serve.

Ferrer had another opportunity in the tenth game when he was just two points from the set. He had 30-30 on Monfils serve, but the French man, with his long sinewy arms flailing around, avoided trouble, forcing a tiebreak that was pretty much all Monfils as he closed it out on his second set point with a service winner.

In the second set, Monfils raced to a 3-0 lead. The respective captains, Guy Forget for France and Albert Costa for Spain, were so animated standing in front of their players during the change of ends – Forget dictating instructions while Costa was demonstrating the forehand follow through to Ferrer.

Frustration crept into Ferrer’s game and he began bouncing his racket as Monfils came up with wonderful deep returns, playing crosscourt to keep Ferrer at bay with his forehand, a shot that was doing plenty of damage. Then with Ferrer serving to stay in the set at 2-5, Monfils came up with the most sensational backhand passing shot down the line to give him set point. He took a two-sets-to-love lead on the next point when Ferrer sent a backhand wide.

“I played really strong and solid and I pressed myself and I stayed very focused and I believed in myself,” Monfils said about the opening two sets.

However, Ferrer stayed firm and broke in the third game. Monfils had a chance to level the set when Ferrer served for it at 5-4. The Frenchman had him at 0-40, three break points, but full credit to the Spaniard who played some great points to save them and then held to win the set.

The fourth set stayed with serve for the first nine games. That put Monfils up 5-4 but he just could not close it out and he was broken. Ferrer went on to serve it out. It seemed as though Monfils was snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, but his start in the fifth set was tremendous. He went up 3-0, then 4-1 and served for the match at 5-4, but Ferrer saved the situation.

Monfils added: “It was hard. I was winning two-sets-to-love and then he came back. I served for the match in the fifth and didn’t make it but I believed in myself and my skill. Guy was telling me to be like a boxer to keep fighting and I did.”

With Ferrer serving to level the set, luck went with Monfils as his first return clipped the net and dropped over. He went on to give France the first point.

“It was a tough match but it was a good match,” Ferrer said. “I changed tactics when I lost two sets. I was playing slower and with more rallies. Gael served good. He served better than me. That was the key.”