Russian News: Davis Cup: the showdown in Portland

The coming weekend will bring a treat to tennis fans: the last show of the year, the Davis Cup final between the US and Russia.The Russian team, whose players have come to America from various spots around the globe, is getting ready for the match. The first joint workout is scheduled for Monday and the team’s all-time captain Shamil Tarpishchev flew in from Moscow carrying a briefcase with detailed game plans for each of his matches on November 30, and December 1 and 2. Tarpishchev, of course, hopes there will be no less than five matches and the winner will not be known until Sunday.

The signs are that may be so, even though the American team will already have one point under its belt before the match starts. There is nothing to be done: the American doubles team, brothers Bob and Mike Bryan, is the best in the world and practically invincible. Their interaction during play is perfect. Last year, when Russia hosted the U.S. in the Davis Cup semis, the brothers trounced Dmitry Tursunov and Mikhail Yuzhny in three straight sets 6:3, 6:4, 6:2.

Russian-U.S. head-to-head tennis history is relatively brief. Twelve years ago the Russian team lost the Davis Cup final in Moscow in a contest that was too close to call. In 1998, the teams met in Atlanta in the first round of the Davis-Cup because of the draw and the Americans won again 3:2. Last year the Russian team won in the semi-finals (3:2) to go on to win the cup.

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