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The ARAG WORLD TEAM CUP will take place on May 18-24, 2008 at the Duesseldorf Rochusclub. At the 31st edition, a tie will be played over two days so that every team will now play on every day from Sunday through Friday.
2007 Argentina
Spain's David Ferrer and Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic, two of the world's best tennis professionals, have announced their participation in the ARAG WORLD TEAM CUP to be carried out on May 18-24 at the Duesseldorf Rochusclub. Ferrer (25) is currently ranked fifth on the ATP World ranking, 22-year-old Berdych holds tenth place. Ferrer celebrated his so far most important success at the end of the 2007 season in Shanghai when he reached the ATP Masters Cup final of the world's top eight tennis players. He was then defeated by no other than Roger Federer. Additionally, Ferrer won three ATP Tour tournaments and concluded the year with an impressive career-best of 61 matches won. At the 2008 Australian Open, Ferrer reached the quarter-finals but then had to bow to the eventual winner Novak Djokovic. Tomas Berdych won the 2007 event in Halle (Germany) and reached the ARAG WORLD TEAM CUP final last year. However, they lost the final 1-2 to Argentina. Both Berdych and Ferrer will play at the ARAG WORLD TEAM Cup in Duesseldorf for the fourth consecutive time since 2005. Last year, Ferrer won all four matches (three singles and one doubles match). While the Czech Republic will probably name Radek Stepanek (ranked 29) as the second singles player, all is still up in the air with the Spanish team.
The field for the 31st edition of the ARAG ATP WORLD TEAM CUP is now complete after tournament organisers granted the wild card to last year's finalists, the Czech Republic, to be represented by Tomas Berdych and Ivo Minar. With World No. 10 Berdych's addition to the field, the 2008 Championship will now feature four of the world's Top 10 players, including No. 5 David Ferrer of Spain and No. 6 Andy Roddick and No. 8 James Blake of the United States. The 22-year-old Berdych will be making his fourth straight appearance in Duesseldorf. He has a 12-8 event match record (7-3 in singles), and last year led his country into the final where they came up just short against Argentina.
2.
Spain: David Ferrer, Feliciano Lopez, Marcel
Granollers 1.
United States: James Blake, Wayne Odesnik,
Bobby Reynolds
In 2008, the ARAG ATP World Team Championship will be contested under a new playing format between May 18-24. The 31st edition of the international men's team competition will feature ties over two days. Every team will now play on every day! The new tournament format was presented by ARAG ATP World Team Championship Tournament Director Dietloff von Arnim at a press conference held last Wednesday. The eight teams will still be seeded into the "Red" and "Blue" Groups. Spectators at the Rochusclub in Düsseldorf as well as television around the world can watch Germany's top players competing daily during the round robin stage. The seven other nations will also be in action every day. In 30 previous editions of the ARAG ATP World Team Championship, the nations in the two groups have played on alternate days. Only at the draw ceremony, two days prior to the event, was it was clarified which country would play on which day. Under the new format, all eight teams will play daily on the two Center Courts at the Rochusclub. Tournament Director Dietloff von Arnim considers this new system to be of great advantage particularly for the tennis fans. Von Arnim said: "We get many calls in December and January already asking for tickets, mainly of course for the matches of the German team. So far we had to put the fans off. This problem has been solved by the new system." The seeds of change were formed last year. Von Arnim indicated that "positive discussions" took place with the participating tennis professionals during the 2007 event. as well as with the host broadcaster WDR. The ATP, co-organizers with the Rochusclub, the change of system was initiated. The last marked change of the most traditional major sports event in Düsseldorf took place in 1984, when the semi-finals after the round robins were dropped and the two group winners qualified directly for the final.
Germany leads Spain
1-0 USA tied Czech Republic
1-1
James Blake refused to be discouraged after going down 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-5) on Sunday to Czech Tomas Berdych in a poor start for the US at the ARAG World Team Cup. The defeat was the fourth for the number eight on European clay this month since starting his French Open run-up campaign in Rome, where he won two matches.
Tomas Berdych in action against James Blake SEE PHOTO
James Blake did not get off to a good start at the ARAG World Team Cup, losing to the Czech Republic's Tomas Berdych in the first round-robin match of the event. The 7-6 (7/5) 7-6 (7/5) loss was Blake's fourth on clay this month, following his two victories in Rome at the beginning of May. The 28-year-old Blake is now 1-5 at this tournament, which changed its format this season. Instead of the traditional round-robin ties of two singles and a doubles being played on the same day, the matches are now spread over two days. That ensures that all the participating nations have a player on court every day of the event.
Wayne Odesnik gave the United States a point at the World Team Cup on Sunday by beating Ivo Minar of the Czech Republic 6-2, 6-1. The Americans trailed 1-0 after Tomas Berdych beat James Blake 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5), but the 104th-ranked Odesnik brought the Americans even at 1-1 in the Red Group. At the World Team Cup, eight teams are split into two groups. In a new format for 2008, each series consists of two singles matches and a doubles match played over two days, ensuring each team competes every day during the round-robin period. The winner of each group will meet in Saturday's final. Also in the Red Group, Sweden took a 1-0 lead over Argentina. In the Blue Group, Russia leads Italy 2-0 and Germany leads Spain 1-0.
American Wayne Odesnik put the U.S. team on a level-playing field with the Czech Republic heading into the Monday's decisive doubles match at the ARAG ATP World Team Championship, defeating Ivo Minar 6-2, 6-1 on Sunday afternoon at the Rochusclub. Odesnik, currently ranked a career-high No. 104 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings, reached his first career ATP semifinal last month at the US Men's Clay Court Championships in Houston. Earlier in the day, World No. 11 Tomas Berdych prevailed in two tie-break sets over World No. 8 James Blake to give the Czech Republic the 1-0 lead. Both players dropped serve once in each set, and Berdych won three more points than the American to clinch the 7-6(5), 7-6(5) win. Berdych, who returned to ATP action last week after sidelined with an ankle injury, said:
"I am very happy, but first of all that I am playing matches like this after three-four weeks of not playing matches. It gives me good confidence before Roland Garros."
Last year, Berdych led his country to the final at the ARAG ATP World Team Championship, compiling a 3-1 record in singles action and 2-2 in doubles.
Tomas is playing the doubles as well!
Americans James Blake and Wayne Odesnik came back from a slow start in the decisive doubles match, Monday at the ARAG ATP World Team Championship in Duesseldorf, to clinch the tie for the United States against the Czech Republic, 2-1. Czechs Tomas Berdych, the World No. 12 in singles, and Pavel Vizer, the World No. 5 in doubles, rolled out to a 6-0 first set as they held their opponents to just eight points - two of which came on serve. The Americans, playing in their first match as a duo, launched their comeback in the second set with three breaks of serve to the Czech's two. They then put the match away with a winning return, 0-6, 7-5, 10-8.
Tomas Berdych and Pavel Vizner in action during double SEE PHOTO
Thomas Johansson saved four match points against Czech Michal Tabara to prevail 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(5) and give Sweden an unassailable 2-0 lead in the round robin tie against last year's finalists at the ARAG ATP World Team Championship. Former World No. 7 Johansson appeared firmly in control of the match against Tabara – who was not only making his Duesseldorf debut, but playing in his first ATP-level match since 2005 – before the Czech broke his serve to send the match to a decisive third set. Johansson was forced to play catch up after falling behind 0-3, and then clawed back from a 0/40 deficit with Tabara serving for the win in the ninth game, saving four match points in total. Johansson clinched the win on his first match point opportunity as Tabara double-faulted in the tie-break. Earlier Tuesday, Robin Soderling defeated World No. 12 Tomas Berdych 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 to give Sweden the 1-0 lead. Soderling, who made his Duesseldorf debut last year, has a 3-0 record this week (2-0 singles, 1-0 doubles). Sweden, 2-1 winners against defending champions Argentina in their opening tie this week, will have the opportunity to book their place in the final when they take on the United States in their final round robin tie. Three-time champion Sweden has reached the final five times, most recently in 1999 when they lost to Australia.
Tomas Berdych during his match against Robin Soderling SEE PHOTO
.. a good practice session before Roland Garros!
Blue Group
USA tied Argentina
1-1
Red Group Sweden advanced to the World Team Cup final Thursday by taking a 2-0 lead over the United States in the Red Group. Robin
Soderling maintained his unbeaten streak at the tournament by defeating James
Blake 5-7, 6-3, 6-0, and Thomas Johansson then beat Bobby Reynolds 6-3, 2-6,
6-3. Tomas Berdych beats Guillermo Canas 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 to give the Czechs a 1-0 lead over Argentina, but Juan Ignacio Chela then defeated Michal Tabara 6-0, 6-4 to even the score. Spain got its point from David Ferrer, who beat Potito Starace of Italy 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, and Igor Andreev put Russia ahead of Germany by defeating Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-4, 6-3.
Blue Group In the Blue Group, Russia leads Germany 1-0 and Spain leads Italy 1-0. The winner of the Blue Group will face Sweden in Saturday's final.
Tomas Berdych during his match against Guillermo Canas SEE PHOTO
Spain tied Italy 1-1
May 23, 2008 - Argentina got the better of the Czech Republic in a meeting of last year's finalists, once again relying on the doubles point to clinch the 2-1 victory at the ARAG ATP World Team Championship. Lucas Arnold Ker and Sebastian Prieto defeated Tomas Berdych and Pavel Vizner 7-6(3), 6-3 on Friday to give the defending champions a consolation win. Both teams failed to repeat their final efforts this year after losing their first two round robin ties against Sweden and the U.S. On Thursday, World No. 12 Tomas Berdych defeated Guillermo Canas, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 to give Czech Republic the early lead, and Argentine Juan Ignacio Chela followed with a 6-0, 6-4 win over Michal Tabara to level the score. In last year's final, Berdych won the first singles match against Chela before Argentina came back to win the reverse singles rubber and clinched the Championship in the Match Tie-break of the doubles match.
Sweden beat Russia for World Team Cup title SEE PHOTO
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