Davis Cup: Recap of Day 1, Predictions for Future Ties

The Davis Cup quarterfinal matches have been far from closely contested. No teams are tied for the lead going into Day 2.

Argentina Clinched a Victory, Defeating Kazakhstan 3-0

Argentina already booked their spot in the semifinals with a 3-0 shutout of Kazakhstan. Fan favorite Juan Martin del Potro cruised through his match, topping up-and-comer Mikhail Kukushkin 6-2, 6-1, 6-2.

Juan Monaco also made quick time of his opponent, Andrey Golubev, defeating him 6-3, 6-0, 6-4. A much closer affair was expected in this match as the World No. 43 and 44 dueled against each other. Nonetheless, both Juans showed that they will be tough to beat in the semis.

The doubles team consisting of Juan Ignacio Chela and Eduardo Schwank proved too tough for the duo of Evgeny Korolev and Yuri Schukin, knocking them out in straight sets (6-3, 6-2, 7-5).

Argentina will face the winner of Serbia and Sweden, and it is looking like Serbia will come out on top.

Serbia leads Sweden 2-0

World No. 5 Robin Soderling pulled out of the tie, citing the need to skip an event to prevent any injuries from occurring. Michael Ryderstedt, his 297th-ranked-replacement, lost 3-6, 1-6, 7-6 (6), 5-7 to 16th-ranked Viktor Troicki.

The Serb seemed to be losing his edge during the latter stages of the match, perhaps thinking he had already won the match after the second set's conclusion.

Janko Tipsarevic, the replacement for world No. 1 Novak Djokovic (who withdrew from the second singles rubber with a knee injury) won his match against world No. 355 Ervin Eleskovic 6-2, 1-0, when his opponent retired, also with a knee injury.

On Saturday, Nenad Zimonjic and Janko Tipsarevic will play Simon Aspelin and Robert Lindstedt in doubles. There is still a possibility that Djokovic could play in Ryderstedt's place on Sunday.

Regardless of who plays on Sunday, I do not think that Sweden has a chance to rally back for a semifinals spot to play Argentina.

Switzerland leads Portugal 2-0

Roger Federer started off shaky and error-prone (typical of his recent playing) in his singles match against the 93rd-ranked Rui Machado, though he ultimately prevailed 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in the second-round match of the Group I section.

Federer's friend since childhood, and Olympic gold medalist doubles partner, Stanislas Wawrinka, beat Frederico Gil 7-5, 6-3, 6-4.

On Saturday, Federer and Wawrinka will play doubles against Leonardo Tavares and Gil.

The winning country will join the world group consisting of 16 nations in September's playoff.

Switzerland should clinch the win—not because Federer is too good (although he is), but because prior to the 2011 Australian Open, Frederico Gil had never won a match in the Grand Slams, which are also three-out-of-five-set formats.

France Shows Its Flair, Going Up 2-0 Against Germany

The opening singles rubber was won by Richard Gasquet, coming back from two sets to love down against the new Top-20 player, Florian Mayer. The world No. 20 had served for the match in the third set, but could not close it out.

The German's 6-4, 6-4, 5-7, 3-6, 3-6 loss was due to cramping problems. On Davis Cup's website, he said, “I felt it at 4-4 for the first time...I've never had cramps in my life, and I'd drunk enough, both before and after the match, so it must have been the tension. I could barely move in the fourth and fifth sets. It's a very bitter defeat because I was the better player for three sets but couldn't finish it.”

World No. 7 Gael Monfils proceeded to beat Philipp Kohlschreiber 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5), 6-4 in the second singles rubber of the day. Monfils told Davis Cup's website, “I think I was a bit more aggressive...and that was the key. He was serving well, and also returning well, so I had to make it a physical match, a little more aggressive in the big points, and not missing.”

Michael Llodra and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will land France a spot in the semis if they defeat Christopher Kas and Philipp Petzschner in doubles on Saturday.

The runners-up from last year's Davis Cup should secure their place in the semifinals, but it is not necessarily going to be a 3-0 victory over Germany.


Spain Takes a 2-0 Lead Over USA

USA's home advantage did not pay off in the first day, but it could help them regain their confidence and prevail in five.

Feliciano Lopez continued his recent run of success, upsetting Mardy Fish, the eighth-ranked and No. 1 American player, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-7 (2), 8-6. Fish said, "I'm not sure exactly the number of people there, but it felt like 50,000 people in there...That was the loudest crowd I've ever been a part of on a tennis court."

Meanwhile, fellow American Andy Roddick continued on his recently-begun run of failure, losing to David Ferrer in straight sets 6-7 (9), 5-7, 3-6. The scrappy Spaniard returned exceptionally well and moved Andy all over the court.

The Bryan brothers (Bob and Mike) will face off against Feliciano Lopez's late replacement, Marcel Granollers, and Fernando Verdasco in doubles to try to keep the Americans' chances alive. It is highly possible that the No. 1 doubles team can win on Saturday.

Mardy and Andy will then switch opponents, and Fish will take on Ferrer in the fourth rubber. This is the key match to watch; I believe the winner of this match will lead his country to a semifinal showdown against France or Germany.

Roddick leads Lopez 7-1 in their meetings, although he was dispatched by the Spaniard two weeks ago at Wimbledon.

Roddick is still keeping his head and hopes up for the fifth and decisive rubber, though. He said, "We're not out of this. This is far from over."