Tennis News from Bratislava, Slovakia . . . .
Slovakia and Croatia Tied at 1-1 in 2005 Davis Cup Final
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia - Croatia and Slovakia were tied 1-1 in the Davis Cup final after Dominik Hrbaty of Slovakia defeated Mario Ancic in the second singles match Friday.
Hrbaty beat Ancic 7-6 (4), 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-4 to even the best-of-five series. Earlier, Ivan Ljubicic gave Croatia a 1-0 lead by taking Karol Kucera 6-3, 6-4, 6-3.
Kucera was a late replacement for Karol Beck, who pulled out because of a lingering left-knee injury just three hours before the start of the match.
. . .
Hrbaty revived Slovakia's hopes when a backhand by Ancic sailed into the net. Hrbaty bowed to the crowd, kissed his fingertips and placed them upon his heart.
The capacity crowd of 4,000 in the Sibamac Arena - about evenly split between home fans and Croatian visitors - produced a typically noisy Davis Cup atmosphere with rattles, horns, drums and inflatable Thunder Stix.
Perhaps sensing that Hrbaty was their best hope, the Slovak side of the crowd was very active in the second singles.
. . .
In Sunday's reverse singles, Kucera replaces Beck to play Ancic, with Ljubicic scheduled to meet Hrbaty.
Goran Ivanisevic, the former Wimbledon champion who came out of retirement for the event, wasn't selected for the singles or doubles by Croatia captain Nikki Pilic.
The International Tennis Federation said a team can change its singles lineup after the draw if the referee determines a player is "incapacitated by illness, injury, or other unavoidable hindrance."
Beck has not played a competitive match for a month. He also has faced unconfirmed reports that he failed a drug test during Slovakia's semifinal win over Argentina.
Beck denied Thursday that he had tested positive. The ITF had no comment.
If Croatia takes the title, Pilic will become the first captain to win the trophy for two different nations. He led Germany to Davis Cup titles in 1988, 1989 and 1993.
The final will produce a 12th champion since the competition's inception in 1900 and the fifth different winner in the past five years. The United States holds the record with 31 titles, three more than Australia.
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia - Croatia and Slovakia were tied 1-1 in the Davis Cup final after Dominik Hrbaty of Slovakia defeated Mario Ancic in the second singles match Friday.
Hrbaty beat Ancic 7-6 (4), 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-4 to even the best-of-five series. Earlier, Ivan Ljubicic gave Croatia a 1-0 lead by taking Karol Kucera 6-3, 6-4, 6-3.
Kucera was a late replacement for Karol Beck, who pulled out because of a lingering left-knee injury just three hours before the start of the match.
. . .
Hrbaty revived Slovakia's hopes when a backhand by Ancic sailed into the net. Hrbaty bowed to the crowd, kissed his fingertips and placed them upon his heart.
The capacity crowd of 4,000 in the Sibamac Arena - about evenly split between home fans and Croatian visitors - produced a typically noisy Davis Cup atmosphere with rattles, horns, drums and inflatable Thunder Stix.
Perhaps sensing that Hrbaty was their best hope, the Slovak side of the crowd was very active in the second singles.
. . .
In Sunday's reverse singles, Kucera replaces Beck to play Ancic, with Ljubicic scheduled to meet Hrbaty.
Goran Ivanisevic, the former Wimbledon champion who came out of retirement for the event, wasn't selected for the singles or doubles by Croatia captain Nikki Pilic.
The International Tennis Federation said a team can change its singles lineup after the draw if the referee determines a player is "incapacitated by illness, injury, or other unavoidable hindrance."
Beck has not played a competitive match for a month. He also has faced unconfirmed reports that he failed a drug test during Slovakia's semifinal win over Argentina.
Beck denied Thursday that he had tested positive. The ITF had no comment.
If Croatia takes the title, Pilic will become the first captain to win the trophy for two different nations. He led Germany to Davis Cup titles in 1988, 1989 and 1993.
The final will produce a 12th champion since the competition's inception in 1900 and the fifth different winner in the past five years. The United States holds the record with 31 titles, three more than Australia.