As we look at the upcoming Davis Cup matches between Chile and Israel in Coquimbo it appears as the matches are to be delayed for a day because of the earthquake and will start on Saturday March 6th, 2010 concluding on Monday March 8th, 2010. This was announced by the International Tennis Federation on Wednesday, four days after the earthquake and tsunami killed approximately 800 persons in Chile.
The sited for the World Group First-round tie, at Enjoy Tennis Center, was unaffected and the local airport is open, but the ITF said transportation issues had delayed the arrival of players and officials. Jose Hinzpeter, President of the Chile Tennis betting Federation, also said he wants the series to go ahead as scheduled in the Northern Port Town of Coquimbo. Singles player Nicolas Massu arrived in Chile from Miami and expressed concerned for the Chilean people but stated he was ready to play.
The Davis Cup Tennis matches with Davis Cup betting lines and tennis betting line will be available at SBGGlobal.com as soon as it is determined what players are able to make it to Coquimbo. Chile lost the first round of the World Cup in February to Russia 3-2. The Chilean’s team’s most successful performance in Davis Cup tournaments was in 1976 when it lost 1-4 to the Italian team in the final that was held in Santiago Chile.
The Chile Davis Cup team is currently headed by team Capitan and former Chilean tennis player Hans Gildemeister. Other players for Chile are Fernando Gonzalez, Nicolas Massu, Adrian Garcia and Paul Capdeville.
Two years after losing to Israel in an unforgettable playoff tie at Ramat Hasharon, Chile was given a chance for revenge on Wednesday when it was drawn to host Eyal Ran’s men in the first round of next year’s World Group. Israel returned to the World Group after a 14-year absence following its 3-2 victory over Chile in September of 2007. Andy Ram and Yoni Erlich gave the team a 2-1 lead just an hour before the start of Yom Kippur after a five-hour thriller, with Dudi Sela claiming a memorable win over the world No. 6 Fernando Gonzalez to clinch the tie. After reaching the semifinals of the competition this year, the expectations from Israel are understandably high.
However, the national team will enter the best-of-five series over the weekend of March 6-8 as an underdog, even though it remains unclear whether Gonzalez will play. The 29-year-old, currently ranked No. 12 in the world, has not played for Chile in the past year due to a dispute with his local tennis federation. The team lost 5-0 at Croatia in the first round earlier this year, but Paul Capdeville (84) and Nicolas Massu (96) managed without Gonzalez this past weekend, defeating Austria 3-2 in the playoffs. Israel faces an uphill battle even if Gonzalez does not take part, as the tie is expected to be played on clay, to the delight of surface specialists Capdeville and Massu, but to the horror of the Israeli players who choked on the red surface this past weekend, losing 4-1 to Spain in the semis in Murcia. This should make for more interest tennis betting and tennis line odds for these Davis Cup Matches.
“There are no easy draws in the World Group,” said Ran, who thinks Gonzalez, will return to the team in time to face Israel. “This is one of the toughest draws we could have received. The fact we faced Spain on clay is an excellent preparation for the upcoming tie.” Chile captain Hans Gildemeister could not hide his delight at being drawn to play Israel. “This is the best draw we could have gotten,” Gildemeister said. “Of all the teams we could have faced at home, Israel is the easiest because its players are not that good on clay. Let’s see if the tennis betting and tennis odds reflect the Capitan’s enthusiasm!
“However, Israel does have a top-30 player in Dudi Sela and an excellent doubles team, so it won’t be easy.” The victory over Chile two years ago was a turning point in Sela’s career. The 24-year-old beat Massu in the first day before defeating Gonzalez in extraordinary fashion to become a household name in Israel over a single weekend. “This is a very tough draw and they are the favorites,” Sela said. “It is very difficult to play on the road and on clay for a second straight tie, but I believe in our team and I’m optimistic.” Ram claimed that playing Chile away is the toughest draw the team could have got, despite the fact that Israel may have also been paired with Roger Federer’s Switzerland, Novak Djokovic’s Serbia or Jo-Wilfried Tsonga’s France. “The crowd is very volatile in Chile and they are hoping to avenge their defeat in Israel,” Ram said. Now will Ram’s statements affect the tone of the Davis Cup Tennis betting or the tennis odds? Well that remains to be seen.
Again the Israel Ran said, “Chile is the clear favorite even Gonzalez is not able to play, and we have just finished playing the best team in the world on Clay, so it can’t get any worse. So it appears that this Davis Cup match between Israel and Chile should make for interest events so check out the tennis betting lines and Davis Cup tennis odds at SBGGlobal.com and let’s hope they don’t witness any aftershocks!
