Black Tennis Pros

It was 1980 when the USA produced one of the biggest sporting shocks of all time, the so called "Miracle on Ice" when the U.S. ice hockey team, largely made of up of collegiate and amateur players, pulled off a 4-3 semifinal win on their way to the gold medal at the winter Olympics in Lake Placid.

Victory here in Moscow in this Fed Cup by BNP Paribas semifinal wouldn't top that achievement, but it wouldn't be too far off. Such was the surprise back then a movie was made of the feat, one that U.S. Captain Zina Garrison admitted to being one of her favourites of all time.

Whether or not they can draw any kind of inspiration from that remains to be seen but it’s the Russians that will begin this tie as firm favourites to reach a fourth Fed Cup final in five years.

Without either Williams sister or Lindsay Davenport, who fell ill whilst playing in Charleston last week, the opening tie will pit World No. 115 Vania King up against Russia's No. 2 singles player Anna Chakvetadze. Second up Ahsha Rolle, who is making her debut in the competition, faces the daunting task of meeting Svetlana Kuznetsova.

The full schedule for the weekend is as follows:

Saturday
Vania King, USA vs. Anna Chakvetadze RUS
Ahsha Rolle, USA vs. Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS

Sunday
Vania King, USA vs. Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS
Ahsha Rolle, USA vs. Anna Chakvetadze RUS
Liezel Huber/Vania King USA vs. Elena Vesnina/Vera Zvonareva RUS

Monte Carlo Masters Series

Quarterfinal Round - Doubles

Jeff Coetzee, RSA and Wesley Moodie, RSA
defeated
Bob Bryan, USA and Mike Bryan, USA
4-6, 6-4, 10/8


Baton Rouge Pro Tennis Classic, Baton Rouge, LA

Semifinal Round - Doubles

Phillip Simmonds, USA and Tim Smyczek, USA
defeated
Catalin Gard, ROU and Andis Juska, LAT
6-2, 6-4


Movie Gallery Pro Classic 2008

Quarterfinal Round - Singles

Jamea Jackson, USA defeated Tetiana Luzhanska, UKR
2-6, 6-3, 6-2

Monte Carlo Masters Series

Round 2 - Singles

Gael Monfils, FRA defeated by Roger Federer, SUI
6-3, 6-4


Round 2 - Doubles

Jeff Coetzee, RSA and Wesley Moodie, RSA
defeated
Arnaud Clement, FRA and Michael Llodra, FRA
7-6(5), 6-3


Baton Rouge Pro Tennis Classic, Baton Rouge, LA

Round 1 - Singles

Josselin Ouanna, FRA defeated by Andis Juska, LAT
3-6, 7-6(2), 7-6(3)


Round 2 - Doubles

Phillip Simmonds, USA and Tim Smyczek, USA
defeated
Mustafa Ghouse, IND and Sam Warburg, USA
7-5, 6-2

As was the case against world no. 1 Roger Federer at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Frenchman Gael Monfils was not able to prevail in his match today at the Monte Carlo Masters Series Tournament. Monfils lost to Federer 6-3, 6-4.

After being just two points away from defeat against world number 137 Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo in the second round, Federer stepped up his game against Monfils. He dropped serve just once on the single break point he faced in the match and won 81 percent of points on his second serve. Federer, who last week won his first title of the year in Estoril under the watchful eye of new coach Jose Higueras, is now on a seven-match clay-court winning streak.

Monfils said poor decisions proved costly. "I started off well. I was aggressive and then, I don't know, I changed," the Frenchman said. I was watching him playing instead of staying aggressive or very dynamic... I was trying too much to run around my backhand and playing forehands instead of staying more simple and using my backhand. This opened wide angles for him, and it was easier."

Entry #1 - Thursday, April 17
Entry #2 - Wedneday, April 23
Entry #3 - Thursday, April 24

I thought we had a great practice today. It has been good that the Future Fed Cuppers, Alison and Coco, have been able to really mix in and play with the team. Liezel has been teaching them about doubles and Vania and Ahsha also had great practices today.

I’m still trying to figure out what lineup the Russians will announce at the official draw ceremony tomorrow. Dinara Safina is on the list (of players) but we have not seen her yet. Vera Zvonareva is here (as well as Elena Vesnina) though so we are trying to figure out who will play. However, I’m pretty sure that they will still have Kuznetsova and Chakvetadze in No. 1 and No. 2 singles.

Vania played Chakvetadze last year in the semifinals in Vermont. Chakvetadze won that match and I know Vania is a true competitor and would like to bounce back strong.

And I am saying to each one of the girls that you go out there and give it your best and above all, you have to believe in yourself.

Entry #1 - Thursday, April 17
Entry #2 - Wednesday, April 23

Since we arrived in Russia, I think our team has had some of the best practices since I have been U.S. Fed Cup Captain in the respect that our “Future Fed Cuppers”, Coco Vandeweghe and Alison Riske, are also practicing with the players.

Liezel Huber has been amazing. Besides being a great player, she is like a coach on the court at the same time. Ahsha Rolle and Vania King have also had very good practices and it has been a really great team atmosphere. I think it helps that a lot of girls are the same age or around the same age and know each other.

My lineup for this weekend is pretty much set already. It's going to be Vania and Ahsha in singles and Vania and Liezel in doubles. Madison has already had a lot of great practices but Ahsha has more experience and Madison is still a little young. And I like the fact that I have made a decision on the lineup ahead of time.

Tomorrow we are practicing in the morning at the Luzhniki Sport Arena and then Liezel and Vania will play doubles in the afternoon. We will also play some singles and then we have the official dinner at night.

Frenchman Gael Monfils did not concede one ace against 6' 10'' Ivo Karlovic in a 7-6(8), 6-1 win over the Croatian. It was the first time in Karlovic's 225-match ATP career that he had failed to serve an ace in a match.

Monfils, who has not won a tournament since his first ATP title in Sopot almost three years ago, had won just two matches this season before arriving in Monte Carlo.

"I was stressed about Karlovic's game because I wanted to make him play as many balls as possible because I know he's not so good at that. But thinking about that stressed me, and I played too short."