WTA Top Tennis Nations 2010 - #5 Spain

Spain should be the dominant country in men's tennis, and their women also don't lag far behind.  This year, they are the fifth strongest country in women's tennis, with five women in the Top 100.  Their highest-ranked player, for now, is Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, now ranked at #28.  Their other top players are Carla Suarez Navarro (#58), Arantxa Parra Santonja (#65), Anabel Medina Garrigues (#71) and Lourdes Dominguez Lino (#85).

WTA Top Tennis Nations 2010 - #4 Italy

Italy is the fourth strongest country in women's tennis in 2010, and they have one player in the Top 10 right now, 2010 French Open champion, Francesca Schiavone.  In other years, Flavia Pennetta, was the other Top 10 player, but this year, she is at #24.  There are five other Italians sprinkled all over the Top 100, showing how deep the country's bench is.

They are Roberta Vinci (#38), Sara Errani (#43), Romina Oprandi (#66), Tathiana Garbin (#87) and Alberta Brianti (#91).

WTA Top Tennis Nations 2010 - #3 USA

 Well, I wouldn't blame people if when they think of US women's tennis as the bulwark of Serena and Venus Williams.  For more than a decade now, they have carried the torch for the country.  This year, they end the year at #4 and #5 respectively, and they are always serious contenders during Grand Slams. 

However, interestingly, there is more to US women's tennis, than these two superstars, since in my book, the US is the third strongest country in women's tennis, with seven players in the Top 100.  Yes, there are five more women outside the Top 10 who should be taking the place of the Williams sisters soon.

They are Bethanie Mattek-Sands (#58), Melanie Oudin (#61), Varvara Lepchenko (#74), Vania King (#86) and Jill Craybas (#98).

WTA Top Tennis Nations 2010 - #2 Czech Republic

Surprisingly, the Czech Republic is the #2 tennis nation in the WTA Tour for 2010 - with nine players in the Top 100.  Although they have no Top 10 player as yet, their country has a long tradition of producing tennis champions and they do have a deep bench in the women's tour.  Their highest-ranked player, for now, is Lucie Safarova, at #33.  This year, Petra Kvitova, reached the semi-finals of Wimbledon!  She is ranked at #34.

The other players in the Top 100 from the Czech Republic are Klara Zakopalova (#41), Iveta Benesova (#59), Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (#67), Renata Voracova (#81), Zuzana Ondraskova (#83), Sandra Zahlavova (#95) and Andrea Hlavackova (#100).

WTA Top Tennis Nations 2010 - #1 Russia

Russia has 15 women in the Top 100, with Vera Zvonareva as the highest ranked player, at #2. Elena Dementieva is the other player in the Top 10, at #9. But she will soon exit because she has announced her retirement. No problem though, as Nadia Petrova is at #15, Maria Sharapova at #18 and Maria Kirilenko at #20.

Next in line are Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (#21), Alisa Kleybanova (#25), Svetlana Kuznetsova (#27) and Ekaterina Makarova (#49) in the Top 50.

Deeper into the Top 100 are Elena Vesnina (#52), Vera Dushevina (#54), Anna Chakvetadze (#56), Alla Kudryavtseva (#60), Dinara Safina (#63) and Ksenia Pervak (#97).

Svetlana Kuznetsova - WTA Players Who Should Enter the Top 10 in 2011

She is the cyclical woman!  Hot this year, cold the next, hot again the year after, cold again after that.  Well, she was definitely cold in 2010, which saw her ranking dip to #27 in the world.  So the only place for Sveta is up.  And she has the chops to prove it!  She already has two Grand Slam titles - a US Open and a French Open title, and she has defeated everyone in the Top 10 - at one point or another.  If she performs and goes deep into the French Open this year, she should be in the Top 10 before Wimbledon 2011.

Yanina Wickmayer - WTA Players Who Should Enter the Top 10 in 2011

Among the players ranked #20 to #40, I think Yanina Wickmayer has the strongest chance of making it into the Top 10 this year.  She is a solid player with several skills that could trip a top 10 player.  She already has a semifinal appearance in a Grand Slam - so she knows she can perform at a high level in a high profil event.  Also, she is a fearless player, and on a good day, could trip one of the Top 10 players who is not in peak performance. She is currently ranked #23 and should slowly reach the Top 10 towards the end of 2011.

Li Na - WTA Players Who Should Enter the Top 10 in 2011

Li Na should be the first beneficiary of Elena Dementieva's retirement.  She is currently at #11 and a solid performance during the January circuit of 2011, should help her attain Top 10 status early in the year.  A solid and powerful player and with credentials of having beaten Top 3 players, Li Na is poised to soar into the Top 10, and a deep entry into another Grand Slam, much like her semi-final appearance in the Aussie Open, should help cement her reputation as one of women's tennis elite players.

Shahar Peer - WTA Players Who Should Enter the Top 10 in 2011

It would be fantastic to see Shahar Peer enter the Top 10 in 2011!  She is so close already at #13 so she just needs a major Grand Slam performance to cement her reputation as a truly elite player.  This year, she has reached as far as the 4th round in the French Open, where she lost to Serena Williams.  A win over a top caliber player like Serena, in a Grand Slam, is something that Shahar has to do, if she wants Top 10 credibility!

Ana Ivanovic - WTA Players Who Should Enter the Top 10 in 2011

I don't want to fault her for her movie star looks because she is truly talented and her French Open title is testament to that!  However, after that breakthrough win, she has also broken down, and it was only during the latter part of 2010 that she bounced back to the limelight.  So like many of her fans, we are all behind her in her 2011 campaign, hoping that she does bounce back into the Top 10 in 2011.  It's not going to be easy since many in the Top 20 are tough players, so it's important that Ana sticks to her game plan and executes them really well.  My prediction is that she enters the Top 10 just before Wimbledon 2011.

Beatrice Capra - WTA Players Who Should Break Out in 2011

Beatrice Capra is only 18 yet she is one of America's brightest hopes for women's tennis.  In this year's US Open, she reached the third round by defeating two players ranked much much higher than the 200+ current rank.  She first beat Karolina Sprem, a wily veteran, and then in-form Frenchwoman, Aravane Rezai, who was in the Top 20 when Capra edged her.  She fell to Sharapova though but I think 2011 is very promising for her.  I just hope she gets the chance to join WTA tournaments so her rankings get closer to the #100 spot before Wimbledon, or at least the US Open.

Jarmila Groth - WTA Players Who Should Break Out in 2011

Jarmila Groth is one of Australia's hopes for the future and it won't be long now before she breaks into the top echelons of women's tennis.  Already ranked in the 40s section of the rankings, I won't be surprised to see her get a seeding by the French Open.  She plays aggressively and can hold her own against top players like Serena or Venus.  That usually for me is how I gauge how good a player is - how she reacts when faced with superb serving and vicious returns!

Rebecca Marino - WTA Players Who Should Break Out in 2011

Canadian women are not really a force to reckon with in today's women's tennis, but when I saw how Rebecca Marino handled Venus Williams in the second round of this year's US Open, I knew, Canada had a star in the making, if she just gets the right breaks.  She was fearless in that game, and with a little more experience, would've been able to upset the vastly more experienced Venus. 

Currently ranked #104, she should be able to make it into the main draw of the upcoming Australian Open, and hopefully get a merciful draw.  I'm sure she can break into the Top 100 way before the French Open.

Coco Vandeweghe - WTA Players Who Should Break Out in 2011

The USA has two entries in my list of break out hopefuls this year.  One of them is collegiate champion, Coco Vandeweghe, who showed a lot of promise this year, during her run to the quarterfinals, where she lost to Victoria Azarenka, and along the way, won over Aravane Rezai and a host of players ranked higher than her - Zakopalova, Goerges, Groth and Garbin.  This was the tournament which made me really take notice of her.  She has the height for the game which could help her serve.  Currently ranked at #116, she should be able to enter the Top 100 before the French Open.  Let's hope she gets into the main draw in the coming Australian Open.

Simona Halep - WTA Players Who Should Break Out in 2011

I've checked the head to head record of Simona Halep with some of today's top players and it's surprising to see that she has a good record among some of them. I've also seen her play and I can sense that she has what it takes to really break into the upper echelons of the WTA Tour in 2011.  Currently at #84, this Romanian player has the best chance of uplifting the game of tennis in Romania.

Sam Querrey - ATP Players Who Should Make the Top 10 in 2011

When Andy Roddick slipped out of the Top 10 in the latter part of 2010, many sounded the death knell of American tennis, but if you check the rankings closely right now, there are actually FOUR Americans in the Top 20!  Andy Roddick is back in the Top 10 at #8, Mardy Fish is at #16, John Isner is at #19 and Sam Querrey is at #18.  With his big serve and huge forehand, I think Sam has the ability to challenge the Top 10 in 2011.  He won three titles in 2010 - Belgrade, London, Los Angeles and reached the 4th round in Wimbledon and the US Open.  He only reached the 1st round in the Aussie and French Open in 2010 - so if he could go deeper into those two tournaments in 2011, he should be very near the Top 10 by May.  Let's wait and see!

Mardy Fish - ATP Players Who Should Make the Top 10 in 2011

Mardy Fish, at 29 years old, is already a veteran of the tour, so it would be great to see him finally make it into the Top 10 in 2011.  2010 was a very good year for him, winning two titles in Newport and Atlanta, and reaching the 4th round of the US Open.  If only he could improve his Slam performances over last year, he could have the sufficient points needed to make him break into the Top 10.  His improved physique and new-found confidence can really help him achieve that elusive goal!

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - ATP Players Who Should Make the Top 10 in 2011

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is another one of the talented players from France who has the potential to finally break into the Top 10 of men's tennis.  He has had a very solid 2010, with a semi-finals appearance in the Aussie Open and a quarterfinal appearance in Wimbledon.  He definitely has what it takes to reach very deep into the Slams, and I just hope he doesn't have a serious injury in 2011, since I know he had to sit out the US Open. 

Players In The ATP Tour That Should Make the Top 10 in 2011 - Gael Monfils

I was lucky to see Gael win the Wimbledon juniors championship in 2004, and I was not surprised that he has successfully made inroads into the elite echelons of men's tennis.  He is one of the most flamboyant players in the tour, but he has to check his movements since he does make some unnecessary shots just for the sake of pleasing the crowd.  If he could combine the economy of movement with the sharpness of delivery, like Federer, who knows how much more he can achieve.  However, even with those faults, he is still #12 now in the world and is just two steps away from the Top 10.

Jurgen Melzer - ATP Players Who Should Make the Top 10 in 2011

He is at #11 now, and just needs that little push to make it to the Top 10, and I believe he can make it!  He has played consistently in 2010, and although he just had one title this year - in Vienna (where else!), he has reached the 4th round or higher in three of the four Grand Slams in 2010.  And since he only reached the 1st round of the Aussie Open in 2010, if he goes deeper into that tournament, his points could gain momentum early in the year, which should propel him into the Top 10, maybe even after the Aussie Open - who knows?  His crowning achievement for now is a semi-final appearance in last year's Roland Garros.  Will he reach another semi-final grand slam in 2011? Let's wait and see!

Janko Tipsarevic - ATP Players Who Should Break Out In 2011

Janko Tipsarevic is one of those talented Serbian players, who I think should start assaulting the top echelons of the tennis world in 2011.  He has had a very decent 2010 and in the games that I've seen him play, he has troubled many of the players in the Top 10, including Federer and Nadal.  He hasn't made that breakthrough win yet but I won't be surprised if he goes deeper into one of the Slams next year.

Thiemo de Bakker - ATP Players Who Should Break Out In 2011

I have been seeing his name in the draws of some of the biggest tournaments in 2010  and by being consistent, he has now reached #43 in the rankings.  Will he finally get his best results in 2011?  Well, he certainly has the talent to do just that!  Does he have the self-belief to be able to beat higher ranked players in Tier 1 or Grand Slam events.  Well, that, we'll have to see for ourselves.

Sergiy Stakhovsky - ATP Players Who Should Break Out In 2011

Sergiy Stakhovsky is the other Ukrainian who is slowly making waves in men's tennis.  He ends 2010 at #46, but he should slowly reach the seeded players range if he continues playing constantly and challenging those players ranked higher than him.

Ernests Gulbis - ATP Players Who Should Break Out In 2011

Ernests Gulbis name has always been hovering in the radar of most tennis fans but he still has to make that crucial Grand Slam breakthrough that could make him a household name.  He is now ranked at #24 and should be poised to reach the outside of the Top 10 by the end of 2011.  He has the chops to beat the top players but his injury problems have constantly hounded his campaign.  Will 2011 be the year he gets into the public's consciousness?  Well, that we shall see.  I wouldn't be surprised though if he achieves just that.

Alexandr Dolgopolov - ATP Players Who Should Break Out In 2011

Ukraine doesn't really have a huge tradition of big-name tennis players, but this could change in 2011, when Alexandr Dolgopolov slowly makes his way to the upper echelons of the elite men's game. He is currently ranked at #48, and basing from his performance last year, if he continues to develop his confidence, he should be able to make some 3rd round appearances in one or two of the Slams this year - an achievement crucial for him to break into the Top 20.  I think he has the game to beat some of the top players in the men's game and I won't be surprised if he does just that in 2011

Men's World Cup Tennis 2010: Top 4 Teams

Men's World Cup Tennis 2010

Champion: Spain - Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer, Fernando Verdasco

Runner-up: USA - Andy Roddick, Mardy Fish, Sam Querrey

3rd Place: Russia - Mikhail Youzhny, Nikolay Davydenko, Igor Andreev

4th Place: Serbia - Novak Djokovic, Victor Troicki, Janko Tipsarevic

Men's World Cup Tennis 2010: Battle for Third Place: Serbia vs. Russia

SERBIA
Novak Djokovic
Victor Troicki
Janko Tipsarevic

vs.

RUSSIA
Mikhail Youzhny
Nikolay Davydenko
Igor Andreev

***************************************************************************

Djokovic vs. Youzhny - 1 - 0
Troicki vs. Davydenko - 0 - 1
Tipsarevic vs. Andreev - 0 - 1

Round 1: 1-2

******************************************************************************

Djokovic vs. Davydenko - 1 - 0
Troicki vs. Andreev - 1 - 0
Tipsarevic vs. Youzhny - 0 - 1

Round 2: 2-1

*******************************************************************************

Djokovic vs. Andreev - 1 - 0
Troicki vs. Youzhny - 0 - 1
Tipsarevic vs. Davydenko - 0 - 1

Round 3: 1-2

SERBIA 4 - RUSSIA 5

3rd Place - Russia
4th Place - Serbia

Men's World Cup Tennis 2010 - Finals - Spain vs. USA

SPAIN
Rafael Nadal
David Ferrer
Fernando Verdasco

vs.

Andy Roddick
Mardy Fish
Sam Querrey

*****************************************************************************

Nadal vs. Roddick - 1 - 0
Ferrer vs. Fish - 0 - 1
Verdasco vs. Querrey - 1 - 0

Round 1: 2-1

*******************************************************************************

Nadal vs. Fish - 1 - 0
Ferrer vs. Querrey - 1 - 0
Verdasco vs. Roddick - 0 - 1

Round 2: 2-1

*******************************************************************************

Nadal vs. Querrey - 1 - 0

SPAIN IS THE MEN'S WORLD CUP TENNIS CHAMPION FOR 2010!

Runner-Up - USA

Men's World Cup Tennis 2010: Semifinal B - USA vs. Serbia

USA
Andy Roddick
Mardy Fish
Sam Querrey

vs.

SERBIA
Novak Djokovic
Victor Troicki
Janko Tipsarevic

*******************************************************************************

Roddick vs. Djokovic - 1 - 0
Fish vs. Troicki - 1 - 0
Querrey vs. Tipsarevic - 1 - 0

Round 1: 3-0

*******************************************************************************

Roddick vs. Troicki - 1 - 0
Fish vs. Tipsarevic - 1 - 0

USA 5 - SERBIA 0

USA goes to the Finals!

Men's World Cup Tennis 2010: Semifinals A - Spain vs. Russia

SPAIN
Rafael Nadal
David Ferrer
Fernando Verdasco

vs.

RUSSIA
Mikhail Youzhny
Nikolay Davydenko
Igor Andreev

******************************************************************************

Nadal vs. Youzhny - 1- 0
Ferrer vs. Davydenko - 0 - 1
Verdasco vs. Andreev - 1 - 0

Round 1: 2- 1

******************************************************************************

Nadal vs. Davydenko - 0 - 1
Ferrer vs. Andreev - 1 - 0
Verdasco vs. Youzhny - 1 - 0

Round 2: 2-1

******************************************************************************

Nadal vs. Andreev - 1 - 0

SPAIN 5 - RUSSIA 2

Spain goes to the Final!

Quarterfinals D: France vs. Russia

FRANCE
Gael Monfils
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Michael Llodra

vs.

RUSSIA
Mikhail Youzhny
Nikolay Davydenko
Igor Andreev

*****************************************************************************

Monfils vs. Youzhny - 0 - 1
Tsonga vs. Davydenko - 0 - 1
Llodra vs. Andreev - 0 - 1

Round 1: 0-3

******************************************************************************

Monfils vs. Davydenko - 0 - 1
Tsonga vs. Andreev - 0 - 1

FRANCE 0 - RUSSIA 5

********************************************************************************

RUSSIA goes through the Semi-finals.

Quarterfinal C: USA vs. Argentina

USA
Andy Roddick
Mardy Fish
Sam Querrey

vs.

ARGENTINA
Juan Monaco
David Nalbandian
Juan Ignacio Chela

****************************************************************************

Roddick vs. Monaco - 1 - 0
Fish vs. Nalbandian - 1 - 0
Querrey vs. Chela - 0 - 1

Round 1: 2-1

*****************************************************************************

Roddick vs. Nalbandian - 1 - 0
Fish vs. Chela - 1 - 0
Querrey vs. Monaco - 0 - 1

******************************************************************************

Roddick vs. Chela - 1 - 0

*****************************************************************************

USA 5 - ARGENTINA 2

USA goes to the Semi-finals.

Men's World Cup Tennis 2010: Quarterfinal B - Serbia vs. Croatia

SERBIA
Novak Djokovic
Viktor Troicki
Janko Tipsarevic

vs.

CROATIA
Marin Cilic
Ivan Ljubicic
Ivo Karlovic

*******************************************************************************

Djokovic vs. Cilic - 1 - 0
Troicki vs. Ljubicic - 0 - 1
Tipsarevic vs. Karlovic - 1 - 0

Round 1: 2-1

******************************************************************************

Djokovic vs. Ljubicic - 1 - 0
Troicki vs. Karlovic - 1 - 0
Tipsarevic vs. Cilic - 0 - 1

Round 2: 2-1

*******************************************************************************

Djokovic vs. Karlovic - 1 - 0

*****************************************************************************

SERBIA goes through the Semi-finals.

Men's World Cup Tennis 2010: Quarterfinal A - Spain vs. Germany

SPAIN
Rafael Nadal
David Ferrer
Fernando Verdasco

vs.

GERMANY
Philipp Kohlschreiber
Florian Mayer
Benjamin Becker

******************************************************************************

Nadal vs. Kohlschreiber - 1 - 0
Ferrer vs. Mayer - 1 - 0
Verdasco vs. Becker - 1 - 0

Round 1: 3-0

******************************************************************************

Nadal vs. Mayer - 1 - 0
Ferrer vs. Becker - 1 - 0

Round 2: 2-0

******************************************************************************

SPAIN goes through the Semi-finals.

Men's World Cup Tennis 2010: Quarterfinal Pairings and Rankings

Quarterfinal Pairings:

Spain vs. Germany
Serbia vs. Croatia

USA vs. Argentina
France vs. Russia

*************************************************************************

Games Won:

1.  USA 22 wins
2.  Spain 21
3.  Serbia 21
4.  France 20
5.  Argentina 18
6.  Russia 17
7.  Germany 17
8.  Croatia 14
9.  Czech Republic 14
10.  Switzerland 13
11.  Ukraine 10
12.  Italy 8
13.  Kazakhstan 7
14.  Austria 6
15.  Brazil 6
16.  Netherlands 2

Men's World Cup Tennis 2010: Round Robin 6th Rd - Group D Action

GERMANY
Philipp Kohlschreiber
Florian Mayer
Benjamin Becker

vs.

AUSTRIA
Jurgen Melzer
Andreas Haider-Maurer
Stefan Koubek

*******************************************************************************

Kohlschreiber vs. Melzer - 1 - 0
Mayer vs. Haider-Maurer - 1 - 0
Becker vs. Koubek - 1 - 0

Round 1: 3-0

*******************************************************************************

Kohlschreiber vs. Haider-Maurer - 1 - 0
Mayer vs. Koubek - 1 - 0
Becker vs. Melzer - 0 - 1

Round 2: 2-1

*******************************************************************************

Kohlschreiber vs. Koubek - 1 - 0
Mayer vs. Melzer - 0 - 1
Becker vs. Haider-Maurer - 1 - 0

Round 3: 2-1

********************************************************************************

TOTAL: GERMANY 7 - AUSTRIA 2

Men's World Cup Tennis 2010: Round Robin 6th Rd - Group C Action

ARGENTINA
Juan Monaco
David Nalbandian
Juan Ignacio Chela

vs.

NETHERLANDS
Thiemo de Bakker
Robin Haase
Jesse Huta Galung

******************************************************************************

Monaco vs. de Bakker - 1 - 0
Nalbandian vs. Haase - 1 - 0
Chela vs. Huta Galung - 1 - 0

Round 1: 3-0

*******************************************************************************

Monaco vs. Haase - 1 - 0
Nalbandian vs. Huta Galung - 1 - 0
Chela vs. de Bakker - 1 - 0

Round 2: 3-0

*******************************************************************************

Monaco vs. Huta Galung - 1 - 0
Nalbandian vs. de Bakker - 1 - 0
Chela vs. Haase -1 - 0

Round 3: 3-0

*********************************************************************************

TOTAL: ARGENTINA 9 - NETHERLANDS 0

Men's World Cup Tennis 2010 - Round Robin 6th Round - Group B

RUSSIA
Mikhail Youzhny
Nikolay Davydenko
Igor Andreev

vs.

KAZAKHSTAN
Sergiy Stakhovsky
Mikhail Kukushkin
Yuri Schukin

******************************************************************************

Youzhny vs. Stakhovsky - 1 - 0
Davydenko vs. Kukushkin - 1 - 0
Andreev vs. Schukin - 1 - 0

Round 1: 3-0

******************************************************************************

Youzhny vs. Kukushkin - 1 - 0
Davydenko vs. Schukin - 1 - 0
Andreev vs. Stakhovsky - 0 - 1

Round 2: 2-1

*******************************************************************************

Youzhny vs. Schukin - 0 - 1
Davydenko vs. Stakhovsky - 1 - 0
Andreev vs. Kukushkin - 0 - 1

Round 3: 1-2

******************************************************************************

TOTAL: RUSSIA 6 - KAZAKHSTAN 3

Men's World Cup Tennis 2010 - Round Robin 6th Round - Group A

CROATIA
Marin Cilic
Ivan Ljubicic
Ivo Karlovic

vs.

BRAZIL

Thomaz Bellucci
Ricardo Mello
Marcos Daniel

**************************************************************************

Cilic vs. Bellucci - 1 - 0
Ljubicic vs. Mello - 1 - 0
Karlovic vs. Daniel - 1 - 0

Round 1: 3-0

**************************************************************************

Cilic vs. Mello - 1 - 0
Ljubicic vs. Daniel - 0 - 1
Karlovic vs. Bellucci - 1 - 0

Round 2: 2-1

**************************************************************************

Cilic vs. Daniel - 1 - 0
Ljubicic vs. Bellucci - 0 - 1
Karlovic vs. Mello - 1 - 0

Round 3: 2-1

****************************************************************************

TOTAL: CROATIA 7 - BRAZIL 2

Men's World Cup Tennis 2010: Round Robin 5th Rd - Group D Action

SERBIA
Novak Djokovic
Viktor Troicki
Janko Tipsarevic

vs.

UKRAINE
Sergiy Stakhovsky
Alexandr Dolgopolov
Ilya Marchenko

*****************************************************************************

Djokovic vs. Stakhovsky - 1 - 0
Troicki vs. Dolgopolov - 1 - 0
Tipsarevic vs. Marchenko - 1 - 0

Round 1: 3-0

******************************************************************************

Djokovic vs. Dolgopolov - 1 - 0
Troicki vs. Marchenko - 1 - 0
Tipsarevic vs. Stakhovsky - 0 - 1

Round 2: 2-1

*******************************************************************************

Djokovic vs. Marchenko - 1 - 0
Troicki vs. Stakhovsky - 1 - 0
Tipsarevic vs. Dolgopolov - 0 - 1

Round 3: 2-1

********************************************************************************

TOTAL:  SERBIA 7 - UKRAINE 2

Men's World Cup Tennis 2010: Round Robin 5th Rd - Group C Action

FRANCE
Gael Monfils
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Michael Llodra

vs.

CZECH REPUBLIC
Tomas Berdych
Radek Stepanek
Jan Hajek

****************************************************************************
Monfils vs. Berdych - 0 - 1
Tsonga vs. Stepanek - 1 - 0
Llodra vs. Hajek - 1 - 0

Round 1: 2-1

******************************************************************************

Monfils vs. Stepanek - 1 - 0
Tsonga vs. Hajek - 1 - 0
Llodra vs. Berdych - 0 - 1

Round 2: 2-1

*******************************************************************************

Monfils vs. Hajek - 1 - 0
Tsonga vs. Berdych - 0 - 1
Llodra vs. Stepanek - 0 - 1

Round 3: 1-2

*******************************************************************************

TOTAL: FRANCE 5 - CZECH REPUBLIC 4

Men's World Cup Tennis 2010 - Round Robin 5th Rd - Group B

USA
Andy Roddick
Mardy Fish
Sam Querrey

vs.

ITALY
Potito Starace
Andreas Seppi
Fabio Fognini

******************************************************************************

Roddick vs. Starace - 1 - 0
Fish vs. Seppi - 1 - 0
Querrey vs. Fognini - 1 - 0

Round 1: 3-0

******************************************************************************

Roddick vs. Seppi - 1 - 0
Fish vs. Fognini - 1 - 0
Querrey vs. Starace - 0 - 1

Round 2: 2-1

*******************************************************************************

Roddick vs. Fognini - 1 - 0
Fish vs. Starace - 1 - 0
Querrey vs. Seppi - 0 - 1

Round 3: 2-1

*******************************************************************************

TOTAL: USA 7 - ITALY 2

Men's World Cup Tennis 2010 - Round Robin 5th Rd - Group A

SPAIN
Rafael Nadal
David Ferrer
Fernando Verdasco

vs.

SWITZERLAND
Roger Federer
Stanislas Wawrinka
Marco Chiudinelli

*******************************************************************************

Nadal vs. Federer - 1 - 0
Ferrer vs. Wawrinka - 1 - 0
Verdasco vs. Chiudinelli - 0 - 1

Round 1: 2-1

*******************************************************************************

Nadal vs. Wawrinka - 1 - 0
Ferrer vs. Chiudinelli - 1 - 0
Verdasco vs. Federer - 0 - 1

Round 2: 2-1

******************************************************************************

Nadal vs. Chiudinelli - 1 - 0
Ferrer vs. Federer - 0 - 1
Verdasco vs. Wawrinka - 1 - 0

Round 3: 2-1

********************************************************************************

TOTAL: SPAIN 6 -  SWITZERLAND 3

Men's World Cup Tennis 2010: Round Robin 4th Rd - Group D Action

UKRAINE
Sergiy Stakhovsky
Alexandr Dolgopolov
Ilya Marchenko

vs. 

AUSTRIA

Jurgen Melzer
Andreas Haider-Maurer
Stefan Koubek

******************************************************************************

Stakhovsky vs. Melzer - 0 - 1
Dolgopolov vs. Haider-Maurer - 1 - 0
Marchenko vs. Koubek - 1 - 0

Round 1: 2-1

*******************************************************************************

Stakhovsky vs. Haider-Maurer - 1 - 0
Dolgopolov vs. Koubek - 1 - 0
Marchenko vs. Melzer - 0 - 1

Round 2: 2-1

*******************************************************************************

Stakhovsky vs. Koubek - 1 - 0
Dolgopolov vs. Melzer - 0 - 1
Marchenko vs. Haider-Maurer - 1 - 0

Round 3: 2-1

********************************************************************************

TOTAL: UKRAINE 6 - AUSTRIA 3

Men's World Cup Tennis 2010: Round Robin 4th Rd - Group C Action

CZECH REPUBLIC
Tomas Berdych
Radek Stepanek
Jan Hajek

vs.

NETHERLANDS
Thiemo de Bakker
Robin Haase
Jesse Huta Galung

********************************************************************************

Berdych - de Bakker - 1 - 0
Stepanek vs. Haase - 1 - 0
Hajek vs. Huta Galung - 1 - 0

Round 1: 3-0

********************************************************************************

Berdych vs. Haase - 1 - 0
Stepanek vs. Huta Galung - 1 - 0
Hajek vs. de Bakker - 0 - 1

Round 2: 2-1

********************************************************************************

Berdych vs. Huta Galung - 1 - 0
Stepanek vs. de Bakker - 1 - 0
Hajek vs. Haase - 0 - 1

Round 3: 2-1

********************************************************************************

TOTAL: CZECH REPUBLIC 7 - NETHERLANDS 2

Men's World Cup Tennis 2010 - Round Robin 4th Rd - Group B Action

ITALY
Potito Starace
Andreas Seppi
Fabio Fognini

vs. 

KAZAKHSTAN
Andrey Golubev
Mikhail Kukushkin
Yuri Schukin

*****************************************************************************

Starace vs. Golubev - 0 - 1
Seppi vs. Kukushkin - 1 - 0
Fognini vs. Schukin - 1 -0

Round 1: 2-1

******************************************************************************

Starace vs. Kukushkin - 1 - 0
Seppi vs. Schukin - 1 - 0
Fognini vs. Golubev - 1 - 0

Round 2: 3-0

********************************************************************************

Starace vs. Schukin - 1 - 0
Seppi vs. Golubev - 0 - 1
Fognini vs. Kukushkin - 0 - 1

Round 3: 1-2

*******************************************************************************

TOTAL: ITALY 6 - KAZAKHSTAN 3

Men's World Cup Tennis: Round Robin 4th Round - Group A

SWITZERLAND
Roger Federer
Stanislas Wawrinka
Marco Chiudinelli

vs.

BRAZIL
Thomaz Bellucci
Ricardo Mello
Marcos Daniel

***************************************************************************

Federer vs. Bellucci - 1 - 0
Wawrinka vs. Mello - 1 - 0
Chiudinelli vs. Daniel - 0 - 1

Round 1: 2-1

***************************************************************************

Federer vs. Mello - 1 - 0
Wawrinka vs. Daniel - 1 - 0
Chiudinelli vs. Bellucci - 0 - 1

Round 2: 2-1

****************************************************************************

Federer vs. Daniel - 1 - 0
Wawrinka vs. Bellucci - 0 - 1
Chiudinelli vs. Mello - 0 - 1

Round 3: 1-2

***************************************************************************

TOTAL: SWITZERLAND 5 - BRAZIL 4

Men's World Cup Tennis 2010: Round Robin 3rd Rd - Group D Action

SERBIA
Novak Djokovic
Viktor Troicki
Janko Tipsarevic

vs.

GERMANY
Philipp Kohlschreiber
Florian Mayer
Benjamin Becker

******************************************************************************

Djokovic vs. Kohlschreiber - 1 - 0
Troicki vs. Mayer - 0 - 1
Tipsarevic vs. Becker - 1 - 0

Round 1: 2-1

******************************************************************************

Djokovic vs. Mayer - 1 - 0
Troicki vs. Becker - 1 - 0
Tipsarevic vs. Kohlschreiber - 1 - 0

Round 2: 3-0

*******************************************************************************

Djokovic vs. Becker - 1 - 0
Troicki vs. Kohlschreiber - 0 - 1
Tipsarevic vs. Mayer - 0 - 1

Round 3: 1-2

********************************************************************************

TOTAL: SERBIA 6 - GERMANY 3

Men's World Cup Tennis 2010: Round Robin 3rd Rd - Group C Action

FRANCE
Gael Monfils
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Michael Llodra

vs.

ARGENTINA
Juan Monaco
David Nalbandian
Juan Ignacio Chela

********************************************************************************

Monfils vs. Monaco - 0 - 1
Tsonga vs. Nalbandian - 1 - 0
Llodra vs. Chela - 0 - 1

Round 1: 1-2

**********************************************************************************

Monfils vs. Nalbandian - 1 - 0
Tsonga vs. Chela - 1 - 0
Llodra vs. Monaco - 1 - 0

Round 2: 3-0

*******************************************************************************

Monfils vs. Chela - 1 - 0
Tsonga vs. Monaco - 1 - 0
Llodra vs. Nalbandian - 0 - 1

Round 3: 2-1

*******************************************************************************

TOTAL: FRANCE 6 - ARGENTINA 3

Men's World Cup Tennis 2010: Round Robin 3rd Rd - Group B

USA
Andy Roddick
Mardy Fish
Sam Querrey

vs.

RUSSIA
Mikhail Youzhny
Nikolay Davydenko
Igor Andreev

*******************************************************************************

Roddick vs. Youzhny - 1 - 0
Fish vs. Davydenko - 0 - 1
Querrey vs. Andreev - 1 - 0

Round 1: 2-1

*******************************************************************************

Roddick vs. Davydenko - 1 - 0
Fish vs. Andreev - 1 - 0
Querrey vs. Youzhny - 1 - 0

Round 2: 3-0

*******************************************************************************

Roddick vs. Andreev - 1 - 0
Fish vs. Youzhny - 0 - 1
Querrey vs. Davydenko - 1 - 0

Round 3: 2-1

*******************************************************************************

TOTAL: USA 7 - RUSSIA 2

Men's World Cup Tennis - Round Robin 3rd Round - Group A

SPAIN
Rafael Nadal
David Ferrer
Fernando Verdasco

vs.

CROATIA
Marin Cilic
Ivan Ljubicic
Ivo Karlovic
*****************************************************************************

Nadal vs. Cilic - 0 - 1
Ferrer vs. Ljubicic - 1 - 0
Verdasco vs. Karlovic - 0 - 1

Round 1: 1-2

******************************************************************************

Nadal vs. Ljubicic - 1 - 0
Ferrer vs. Karlovic - 1 - 0
Verdasco vs. Cilic - 1 - 0

Round 2: 3-0

*******************************************************************************

Nadal vs. Karlovic - 1 - 0
Ferrer vs. Cilic - 1 - 0
Verdasco vs. Ljubicic - 0 - 1

Round 3: 2-1

*******************************************************************************

TOTAL: SPAIN 6 - CROATIA 3

Men's World Cup Tennis 2010 - Round Robin 1st Rd - Group D Action

GERMANY
Philipp Kohlschreiber
Florian Mayer
Benjamin Becker

vs.

UKRAINE
Sergiy Stakhovsky
Alexandr Dolgopolov
Ilya Marchenko

******************************************************************************

Kohlschreiber vs. Stakhovsky - 1 - 0
Mayer vs. Dolgopolov - 1 - 0
Becker vs. Marchenko - 0 - 1

Round 1: 2-1

*******************************************************************************

Kohlschreiber vs. Dolgopolov - 1 - 0
Mayer vs. Marchenko - 1 - 0
Becker vs. Stakhovsky - 1 - 0

Round 2: 3-0

*******************************************************************************

Kohlschreiber vs. Marchenko - 1 - 0
Mayer vs. Stakhovsky - 1 - 0
Becker vs. Dolgopolov - 0 - 1

Round 3: 2-1

********************************************************************************

TOTAL: GERMANY 7 - UKRAINE 2

Men's World Cup Tennis 2010: Round Robin 1st Rd - Group C Action

ARGENTINA
Juan Monaco
David Nalbandian
Juan Ignacio Chela

vs.

CZECH REPUBLIC
Tomas Berdych
Radek Stepanek
Jan Hajek

*******************************************************************************

Monaco vs. Berdych - 0 - 1
Nalbandian vs. Stepanek - 1 - 0
Chela vs. Hajek - 1 - 0

Round 1: 2-1

*******************************************************************************

Monaco vs. Stepanek - 0 - 1
Nalbandian vs. Hajek - 1 - 0
Chela vs. Berdych - 1 - 0

Round 2: 2-1

******************************************************************************

Monaco - Hajek - 1 - 0
Nalbandian vs. Berdych - 1 - 0
Chela vs. Stepanek - 0 - 1

Round 3: 2-1

*****************************************************************************

TOTAL: ARGENTINA 6 - CZECH REPUBLIC 3

Men's World Cup Tennis 2010: Round Robin 1st Round - Group B

RUSSIA
Mikhail Youzhny
Nikolay Davydenko
Igor Andreev

vs.

ITALY
Potito Starace
Andreas Seppi
Fabio Fognini

*******************************************************************************

Youzhny vs. Starace - 1 - 0
Davydenko vs. Seppi - 1 - 0
Andreev vs. Fognini - 1 - 0

Round 1: 3-0

*******************************************************************************

Youzhny vs. Seppi - 1 - 0
Davydenko vs. Fognini - 1 - 0
Andreev vs. Starace - 1 - 0

Round 2: 3-0

*******************************************************************************

Youzhny vs. Fognini - 1 - 0
Davydenko vs. Starace - 1 - 0
Andreev vs. Seppi - 1 - 0

Round 3: 3-0

********************************************************************************

TOTAL: RUSSIA 9 - ITALY 0

Men's World Cup Tennis 2010 - Round Robin 1st Round - Group A

CROATIA
Marin Cilic
Ivan Ljubicic
Ivo Karlovic

vs.

SWITZERLAND
Roger Federer
Stanislas Wawrinka
Marco Chiudinelli

*******************************************************************************

Cilic vs. Federer - 0 - 1
Ljubicic vs.Wawrinka - 1 - 0
Karlovic vs. Chiudinelli - 1 - 0

Round 1: 2-1

*******************************************************************************

Cilic vs. Wawrinka - 0 - 1
Ljubicic vs. Chiudinelli - 1 - 0
Karlovic vs. Federer - 0 - 1

Round 2: 1-2

******************************************************************************

Cilic vs. Chiudinelli - 1 - 0
Ljubicic vs. Federer - 0 - 1
Karlovic vs. Wawrinka - 0 - 1

Round 3: 1-2

******************************************************************************

TOTAL: CROATIA 4 - SWITZERLAND 5

Men's World Cup Tennis 2010: Round Robin 1st Rd - Group D Action

SERBIA
Novak Djokovic
Victor Troicki
Janko Tipsarevic

vs.

AUSTRIA
Jurgen Melzer
Andreas Haider-Maurer
Stefan Koubek

*****************************************************************************

Djokovic vs. Melzer - 1 - 0
Troicki vs. Haider-Maurer - 1 - 0
Tipsarevic vs. Koubek - 1 - 0

Round 1: 3-0

*****************************************************************************

Djokovic vs. Haider-Maurer - 1 - 0
Troicki vs. Koubek - 1 - 0
Tipsarevic vs. Melzer - 1 - 0

Round 2: 3-0

*****************************************************************************

Djokovic vs. Koubek - 1 - 0
Troicki vs. Melzer - 0 - 1
Tipsarevic vs. Haider-Maurer - 1 - 0

Round 3: 2-1

******************************************************************************

TOTAL: SERBIA 8 - AUSTRIA 1

Men's World Cup Tennis 2010: Round Robin 1st Rd - Group C Action

FRANCE
Gael Monfils
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Michael Llodra

vs.

NETHERLANDS
Thiemo de Bakker
Robin Haase
Jesse Huta Galung

*****************************************************************************

Monfils vs. de Bakker - 1 - 0
Tsonga vs. Haase - 1 - 0
Llodra vs. Huta Galung - 1 - 0

Round 1: 3-0

******************************************************************************

Monfils vs. Haase - 1 - 0
Tsonga vs. Huta Galung - 1 - 0
Llodra vs. de Bakker - 1 - 0

Round 2: 3-0

******************************************************************************

Monfiles vs. Huta Galung - 1 - 0
Tsonga vs. de Bakker - 1 - 0
Llodra vs. Haase - 1 - 0

Round 3: 3-0

*******************************************************************************

TOTAL: FRANCE 9 - NETHERLANDS 0

Men's World Cup Tennis 2010 - Round Robin 1st Rd - Group B Action

USA
Andy Roddick
Mardy Fish
Sam Querrey

vs.

KAZAKHSTAN
Andrey Golubev
Mikhail Kukushkin
Yuri Schukin

*****************************************************************************

Roddick vs. Golubev - 1 - 0
Fish - Kukushkin - 1 - 0
Querrey - Schukin - 1 - 0

Round 1: 3-0

*****************************************************************************

Roddick vs. Kukushkin - 1 - 0
Fish - Schukin - 1 - 0
Querrey - Golubev - 1 - 0

Round 2: 3-0

******************************************************************************

Roddick vs. Schukin - 1 - 0
Fish vs. Golubev - 0 - 1
Querrey vs. Kukushkin - 1 - 0

Round 3: 2-1

*******************************************************************************

TOTAL: USA 8 - KAZAKHSTAN 1

Men's World Cup Tennis 2010 - Round Robin 1st Round - Group A

SPAIN
Rafael Nadal
David Ferrer
Fernando Verdasco

vs.

BRAZIL
Thomaz Bellucci
Ricardo Mello
Marcos Daniel

*****************************************************************************

Nadal vs. Bellucci - 1 - 0
Ferrer vs. Mello - 1 - 0
Verdasco vs. Daniel - 1 - 0

Round 1: 3-0

*****************************************************************************

Nadal vs. Mello - 1 - 0
Ferrer vs. Daniel - 1 - 0
Verdasco vs. Bellucci - 1 - 0

Round 2: 3-0

*****************************************************************************

Nadal vs. Daniel - 1 - 0
Ferrer vs. Bellucci - 1 - 0
Verdasco vs. Mello - 1 - 0

Round 3: 3-0

*******************************************************************************

TOTAL: 9-0

Men's World Cup Tennis 2010 - Top 16 Teams

These are the Top 16 teams of the ATP Tour this year, based on the sum of the ranks of the Top 3 players of each country.  The groupings were made by using the sum of their ranks as basis. 

Group A
SPAIN
CROATIA
SWITZERLAND
BRAZIL

Group B
USA
RUSSIA
ITALY
KAZAKHSTAN

Group C
FRANCE
ARGENTINA
CZECH REPUBLIC
NETHERLANDS

Group D
SERBIA
GERMANY
UKRAINE
AUSTRIA

Federer and Nadal: Still the Players to Beat in the ATP Tour

The ATP Tour just ended last week with Roger Federer winning the end-of-the-year Championships trophy. No surprise there.  Although Nadal may have dominated the Slams this year, it did appear that he was losing steam towards the last few months of the tour.  Anyway, the results last week still showed the complete domination of the two, especially in very high profile tournaments - and although the current Top 5 right now is an interesting list - Djokovic, Murray and Soderling - all capable of beating the two - those three guys have to be in super duper form to defeat Nadal and Federer enroute to their Grand Slam titles next year.  It's also very rare for Nadal and Federer to lose during any stage of the Slams so as a supporter of underdogs, it would take a unique combination of a lucky draw and the right amount of desire, for anyone active in the tour today, to wrest even one of the four slams from these 2 guys next year.  Barring any injury from the two, I can safely say that the rivalry goes on in the upcoming 2011 season!