Robin Rocks On

Ever wonder what happened to Bambi's mother? She was coated and glass and made into the Bastad trophy.

Robin Soderling got thehonor of lifting the deer carcass by defeating Juan Monaco in the final of the Swedish Open, 6-3, 7-6(4). He is the first Swede to win a title in Sweden since Thomas Johansson won Stockholm in 2000.

With the win Soderling moved to a career high ranking of #11, and has a great chance of making it into the top ten once #10 Fernando Gonzalez's indefensible Olympic points fall off.

And it's a ranking he more than deserves. Though recently thought of as a fast, indoor court specialist, Soderling secured his first clay court title in Bastad on the heels of making the French Open final some weeks ago. Soderling has gone 15-0 since Madrid against players not named "Roger." If he can keep that up, he'll have a pretty nice year on his hands.

Davis Cup QF: Stepanek Steps In, Czechs Win 3-2

As I had predicted before the tie even started (and again after Day 1, and then again after Day 2), Radek Stepanek proved to be the hero for the Czech Republic in the decisive fifth rubber, defeating Juan Monaco in straight sets, 7-6(5), 6-3, 6-2.

After Juan Martin del Potro ran roughshod over Tomas Berdych to level the quarterfinal at two-a-piece, Stepanek was picked to play the final singles match of the tie in place of presumed singles player Ivo Minar, who had played (poorly) in singles on Friday. His knee held up, much to the chagrin of bitter Argentine coach Tito Vazquez.

“We knew that Stepanek was going to be in good shape,” Vazquez said after the loss. “It proved he was not injured at all. You cannot run a lot [with a knee injury]."

Along with Juan Carlos Ferrero (more on him later), Stepanek was one of two players Sunday who won his singles match after not playing Friday. Singles debuts Sunday went 2-0. Players coming back to live rubbers on Sunday after having lost on Friday were 0-2 (Monaco and Blake). It shows how important some creativity in coaching can be to Davis Cup success.

Take note, PMac.

Davis Cup QF: Czechs, Argentines Knotted at 1

ARGENTINA @ CZECH REPUBLIC (TIED 1-1)
CEZ Arena, Ostrava, Czech Republic (Indoor Hard)

Tomas Berdych (CZE) def. Juan Monaco (ARG) 6-4, 2-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2
Juan Martin del Potro (ARG) def. Ivo Minar (CZE)

Things went largely as expected on Day 1 in Ostrava. Tomas Berdych, never one to make things easy on himself, won in five sets over the always dangerous Juan Monaco. The indoor conditions kept Berdych's serve lethal while Monaco's defensive game eventually was worn out, probably due to a lack of recent matches.

Juan Martin del Potro had a considerably easier time against Ivo Minar in leveling the tie for the Argentines. In his first match since a disappointing second round loss at Wimbledon to Lleyton Hewitt, JMdP never looked out of complete control.

del Potro is the highest ranked player participating in this weekend's Davis Cup action, and he lived up to that distinction today, looking far stronger than any of the fifteen other players who took court for their country on Friday. He's got a truckload of points to defend in the coming month, as he defends the four consecutive titles he won in July and August of 2008. Based on today, he certainly looks to be in decent shape to make a run at keeping at least a couple of those trophies in his posession.

Based on their form on the first day, it seems clear that Argentina would sweep the reverse singles should the participants remain the same. del Potro was much stronger than Berdych, and Monaco much sharper than Minar. The wild card in this tie, as I mentioned in the preview, is Radek Stepanek and his knee. If he is well enough to muster a win in the doubles on Saturday and play in Minar's spot on Sunday, the Czechs may have a chance to make it to the semifinals. If not, fuggedaboutit.