 Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 02 Oct 2009 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 02 Oct 2009 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 02 Oct 2009 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 02 Oct 2009 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 02 Oct 2009 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 02 Oct 2009 |
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| 02 Oct 2009 - San Luis Potosi, Mexico - Mónica E Rojo |  Related Audio |
| Let’s play-off together! |
 Interview with Benjamin Ugarte (CHILE) (MP3 format)
Interview with Sofia Sanchez (MEX) (MP3 format)
Interview with Carlos Boluda (ESP) (MP3 format)
 
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After three days of Round Robin play, today began the second phase of the Junior Fed Cup & Junior Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Finals. Knocking on the weekend’s door, eight Davis Cup and eight Fed Cup nations competed to avoid finishing bottom and seeing one team from their region relegated from the competition next year. A good number of local ‘Potosinos’ made the most of the lovely weather and came to the “Centro Deportivo Las Lomas” to watch some international tennis.
Today, 5 of the 8 Courts spoke in Spanish with different accents ¡¡Vamos!!
Tie of the day
Spaniard Oriol Roca and the Chilean Gonzalo Lama opened the day with a three set match. Oriol won the opening set comfortably but in the second Lama’s racket dominated.
One of the best rallies played on Court 5 took place during the seventh game of the second set, as both players came forward to the net and the Lama eventually put away a winning volley. A few unforced errors from Roca then allowed the Chilean to take the lead. Lama broke the service of the Iberian several times until he gained the set.
The greatest entertainment came in the third set. It was definitely the final fightback from Roca, winning 63 36 63 and giving the first point of the tie to Spain.
Carlos Boluda, the Spanish No.1, took on Benjamin Ugarte in the second singles. Boluda may have still been recovering from the illness that saw him miss the first two days' matches, and was clearly not playing at his best. Although Boluda served several aces, his presence on court was only partial. The South American took the first set 75 and then went on to win the second set 63.
In words of the second match’s champion Benjamín Ugarte “When you play with these kinds of players you don’t have to give concessions to the rival. If you hesitate, they take advantage”. Although he is a clay player, his performance has improved a lot. “We were the second team that arrived to San Luis to get use to the surface”.
In the doubles, Chile came out with a more aggressive game than usual, hitting through their backhand, and creating several opportunities. But with Roca and Boluda scurrying for every ball, Ugarte and his partner Pedro Verdugo frequently failed to land the killer punch.
After the match, Boluda said “My sensations on the court were not good. I’ve been ill and although I felt good yesterday I didn’t today. I lost in the singles and when the doubles started I had to speak with the Captain. The game improved when I started playing for the team”.
Bolivia at its best!
Bolivia's boys found the perfect adversary in Morocco. Perhaps the Bolivians are the ones who feel more comfortable playing at 1800 metres.
The North Africans never had a chance to get into the game and lost the three matches against the Andeans: Boris Arias beat Younes Matrougui 61 62 and Hugo Dellien overcame Ismael Lahlou 64 62, before the four players returned to the court to contest the doubles match, in which the Bolivians prevailed 75 63.
Morocco will take on Chile in Sunday's last place play-off.
Mexican & Argentine girls strike again
Sofía Sánchez gave Mexico an early lead over Belarus, winning 06 64 62 in the first match of the day. In the first set Sánchez wasted all her opportunities by hitting the ball straight at her opponent, Viktoriya Kisialeva. The Belarusian pulled off a reflex volley into the open court to win the first set 60.
Then, suddenly, everything changed. From that point the air went out of Kisialeva, she dropped her serve, and struggled through the rest of the match. The Mexican admitted “I don’t know why but I was very nervous in the beginning and couldn’t hit the ball but I tried to focus and started moving faster”.
Kisialeva had to stop the fourth game of he final set, as she pulled a muscle in her left thigh. She had a quick physiotherapist treatment. It was a busy day for the medics, with several players requesting their attention.
Giuliana Olmos then came from behind to beat Aliksandra Sasnovich in an epic battle that ended 46 61 97 and clinched the tie for the Mexicans.
Argentina's girls overcame Egypt without much trouble. Missing its number one, the Egypt kicked off the day with a disadvantage that became tangible during the day. Florencia Di Biasi defeated Farida Sayed Amin 61 60 in a straight forward match. Almost with the same result, Sol Eskenazi won the second match 63 60 versus Rana Sherif Ahmen.
Neither Argentina nor Mexico played the doubles match. Belarus and Egypt will fight in the 15th/16th play-off match on Sunday.
Tomorrow sees the semifinal matches in both Junior Davis Cup and Junior Fed Cup, along with the first round of fifth to eighth place play-offs.
Related Articles
> Court 1 with a "Ranchera" rhythm
> When the sun shines in México, we'll shine together
> San Luis Potosi raises the curtain
> Junior Davis Cup and Fed Cup by BNP Paribas draw
> 2009 Junior Davis Cup and Fed Cup Finals Preview
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