Davis Cup QF: Defending Champs Through in Five Thanks to Old Man Ferrero

Spain moved one step closer to defending it Davis Cup title thanks to one of its older hombres. Juan Carlos Ferrero, fresh off his quarterfinal run at Wimbledon, defeated Andreas Beck 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to send Spain to a home semifinal vs. Israel in September. With this win in Marbella, Andalusia, Spain improved to an astonishing 16-0 in its last sixteen home Davis Cup ties. None too shabby.

Ferrero took over the singles slot for Tommy Robredo, another older Spaniard who was justifiably replaced after a lackluster showing on Friday.

Tough to see a guy like Philipp Kohlschreiber play so well--winning two singles matches for Germany--and still see his country come away with an "L". In a thrilling battle between Friday's winners, Kohlschreiber outlasted Fernando Verdasco 8-6 in the fifth. Would be interesting to see if Kohlschreiber would have made a difference in the doubles, which for my money is ultimately where this tie was won for Spain.

Should Nicholas Kiefer have played in place of Beck? Even though I presumed that was going to happen. I didn't get to see Kiefer play doubles on Saturday, though, so maybe he didn't look too sharp. Beck, though generally impressive on Friday, had to have been emotionally spent after blowing a 2-1 lead against Changing things up worked well for Spain and the Czech Republic, so maybe it could've for Germany as well.

Germany has to be pretty happy with the effort though. Pushing the defending champs to five matches on hostile turf (both in Spain and on clay) should mean they can go back to Deutschland with their heads held pretty high.

And for Spain to win this tie without the services of either Rafael Nadal or David Ferrer is even more impressive. Tough to see anyone stopping them from repeating.

They Left The Lights On For Him

I have my problems with Andy Murray, to be sure, but he does seem to embrace these big stages much more than Tim Henman ever did. During his 2-6, 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 win over Stanislas Wawrinka, Murray emoted all The atmosphere indoors under the artificial lights was something Wimbledon had never before seen in its 132 years, for better or for worse. I like that the big matches won't have to be suspended due to darkness anymore, but I can't say I was enamored with the Astrodome-esque feel of the indoor grass court.

Though in terms of firing up the hometown fans in the papers the next morning, Murray's post match press conference leaves something to be desired...

Q. What are your emotions right now?

ANDY MURRAY: Uhm, well, obviously great to come through. Haven't thought about the match a whole lot. We made sure, you know, I warmed down properly, saw the physio and got as much food in me as possible.
And then, you know, organizing what I'm going to do tomorrow to, you know, make sure I recover as best as I can before the next round.

Without the Nadal-Federer rematch to look forward to, the Murray run is one of the best storylines Wimbledon has going for it to be sure. Having the native son be the one to blaze uncharted territory into the night was the best organizers could have hoped for. The crowd loves him and he loves the Wimbledon crowds, and the new roof amplifies the noise fivefold.

Juan Carlos Ferrero is the softest draw of the eight quarterfinalists, so Murray and the hometown crowd should have more to celebrate come Wednesday. Murray may need the help more than he thinks, as he is only 1-3 in his previous four grand slam quarterfinals. If he does get through, Friday against Andy Roddick or Lleyton Hewitt should be a real good time.

Out to Pasture Players Chew Up Grass

Not often a player loses the first two sets and then only drops five games the remainder of the match. That's exactly what Lleyton Hewitt did, however, in coming back to defeat #23 Radek Stepanek 4-6, 2-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2. It's Hewitt's first grand slam quarterfinal since the 2006 US Open, where he lost to Andy Roddick, also his opponent in the quarterfinal on Tuesday. Roddick defeated Hewitt two weeks ago at Queen's Club in straight sets, so it's a tough draw to be certain. Even if his run ends in the quarters, it's been a dream tournament for the 2002 Wimbledon Champion. Only Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic have dropped fewer sets thus far.

Even more surprising than Hewitt's run in my mind is the success of wild card Juan Carlos Ferrero. I was initially confused by the AELTC's decision to give the then #103-ranked Ferrero a wild card; he had made only one quarterfinal in his last twenty grand slam events, and he's not British. But the 2003 French Open champion's subsequent semifinal run at Queen's Club and his quarterfinal run here have proven their faith deserved. Just like Hewitt, Ferrero too faces his Queen's Club conqueror in the quarterfinals. Ferrero plays hometown hopeful Andy Murray for the second time in two weeks on Wednesday, and just like Hewitt, Ferrero will be given little shot to make the semis.

Even if both the oldies lose to the Andys, it's been a good week for the 29-and-over set. They may be ancient relics by tennis standards, but with the tennis they've produced they've electrified the grass, which is decidedly preferable to being buried under it.