Spain v Belgium: Spaniards Put Big Guns Out

[andalucia (蘋果狗與臘腸貓)]

Daviscup

Spain v Belgium: Spaniards Put Big Guns Out

06 Feb 2003
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      Clay court ace Juan Carlos Ferrero will lead off a strong Spanish
 challenge in the 2003 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas on Friday, taking on
 Christophe Rochus of Belgium in the opening singles rubber of their
 first-round World Group tie in Seville.

      Thursday’s draw in the Andalucian city also matched up former French
 Open champion Carlos Moya with Belgian number one Xavier Malisse in the second
 singles on Friday.

      Albert Costa will partner Alex Corretja in the doubles against Kristof
 Vliegen and Olivier Rochus on Saturday, with the reverse singles set for
 Sunday.

      Spain, winners of the competition in 2000, have an awesome line-up on
 clay and they will start as overwhelming favourites to take the first-round
 tie against the Belgians.

      Ferrero, Moya and Costa, the reigning French Open champion, are all
 ranked in the top 10, while Corretja is one of the wiliest clay-court
 campaigners around.

      The three-man coaching team in charge of the Spanish set-up have dubbed
 2003 the year of the “Reconquista” of the title won in such spectacular
 style with their final victory over Australian in Barcelona in 2000.

    “Whoever we play on clay we believe we’re the favourites,” Jordi Arrese,
 one of the coaches, said in the build-up to the tie.“We also believe we have
 a team capable of winning the Davis Cup but it’s important that we go step by
 step.”

     Belgium are not so comfortable on the red dirt but they will come into the
 tie with their confidence high after making it through the Euro/African Zone
 Group 1 and World Group Play-offs last year to make it back into the elite.
 Malisse and Olivier Rochus led them to the all-important 4-1 victory away to
 Zimbabwe in Harare.

     The winner of this tie will take on either Croatia or the United States
 in the next round.That provides a major incentive for the Spanish, who have
 good and bad experiences of recent ties against the Americans.

     In 2000, Spain handed a U.S. team, captained by John McEnroe, a 5-0
 drubbing in Santander on their way to taking the title. Last year it was the
 Americans who emerged triumphant, although Corretja did manage to beat
 Pete Sampras in his singles rubber in what was a huge upset on a Houston
 grasscourt.This match provides the third meeting between the two nations and
 the first for almost half a century.

    Spain took the spoils in the first clash in 1930 in Antwerp, with Belgium
 claiming victory in the second tie in Barcelona in 1956.

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作者: andalucia (蘋果狗與臘腸貓) 看板: Spain_PL
標題: Re: Spain v Belgium: Spaniards Put Big Guns Out
時間: Fri Feb  7 14:50:42 2003



記者會照片

Spain
http://www.daviscup.org/popup/mediagallery.asp?id=12225&current=1152

http://www.daviscup.org/popup/mediagallery.asp?id=12225&current=1170

Belgium
http://www.daviscup.org/popup/mediagallery.asp?id=12225&current=1169
(真活潑:P)



                ~
GOOOOOOOOO  Espana!!!!!!

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