Argentina team is named as Delbonis, Del Potro, Pella and Leonardo Mayer.
Not sure how the Argentina team compares with GB from a h2h and ranking perspetive, would be interested to see - also, what would be their doubles combo?
For what it's worth, Mayer, who's playing in the St-Rémy Challenger this week (though not in the doubles), is the highest ranked Argentine doubles player at N° 83, followed by JMdP at N° 142, Delbonis at N° 149 & Pella at N° 312.
Argentina team is named as Delbonis, Del Potro, Pella and Leonardo Mayer.
Not sure how the Argentina team compares with GB from a h2h and ranking perspetive, would be interested to see - also, what would be their doubles combo?
For what it's worth, Mayer, who's playing in the St-Rémy Challenger this week (though not in the doubles), is the highest ranked Argentine doubles player at N° 83, followed by JMdP at N° 142, Delbonis at N° 149 & Pella at N° 312.
Thanks Stircrazy - in the last round, Argentina had Del Potro and Pella as their doubles pairing; the previous round it was Bellocq and Olivo (who obviously arent in the team this time around). Either way, it feels like the doubles could be hard work but certainly winnable from a GB perspective and GB should start as favourites for that rubber at least.
Looking at the Argies, I didn't realise both Pella and Delbonis are lefties.. Not sure what difference it would make if anything against our all right handed team..
Mayer's record on hard court in the Davis Cup seems much better than either Delbonis or Pella.. Mayer could well be given a singles birth yet.
Delpo will play doubles for sure by the looks of this selection and it could well be with Pella again, they seemed to click against Italy last time away on out door clay. I suppose its either Pella or Mayer to partner Delpo in the dubs. I'd prefer the Murray's both to play a Delpo doubles act rather than Jamie and Dom because for me after Andy's singles v's Argentina #2, the Murray's doubles looks the next most secure point for us I'd say.
France also named and gone for Tsonga, Monfils , Herbert/Mahut although Pouille will be in squad (and presumably that will be looked at if he beats Monfils today in New York).
But in fairness, this was not only Monfils' excellent play, but also that Pouille had nothing left after his previous 3 five-set matches.
That French team, though! Unbelievable: three top-20 singles players and the world numbers 1 and 2 in doubles (or number 1 and number something in doubles - don't think anyone now can catch Mahut, but Jamie Murray, the Bryans and Bruno Soares could catch PHH if they won the tournament and Mahut/PHH didn't progress any farther. And of course the number one in doubles is also ranked ahead of the Argentine number ... well one or two ... in singles). So deep.
-- Edited by Spectator on Tuesday 6th of September 2016 08:38:45 PM
But in fairness, this was not only Monfils' excellent play, but also that Pouille had nothing left after his previous 3 five-set matches.
That French team, though! Unbelievable: three top-20 singles players and the world numbers 1 and 2 in doubles (or number 1 and number something in doubles - don't think anyone now can catch Mahut, but Jamie Murray, the Bryans and Bruno Soares could catch PHH if they won the tournament and Mahut/PHH didn't progress any farther. And of course the number one in doubles is also ranked ahead of the Argentine number ... well one or two ... in singles). So deep.
-- Edited by Spectator on Tuesday 6th of September 2016 08:38:45 PM
Four top 20 singles players after this week, and seven in the top 40 - via live rankings: La Monf (8), Tsonga (12), Gasquet (17), Pouille (18), Simon (28), Paire (38) and Mahut (40). Also in the top 100 are Robert (52), Mannarino (62), Mathieu (66) and Chardy (73).
Pretty insane. I think they'd be nuts not to pick Mahut and Herbert though, with Monfils and Tsonga playing singles (if fit). But don't they have a tendency to pick four singles players (possibly including Mahut)?
But in fairness, this was not only Monfils' excellent play, but also that Pouille had nothing left after his previous 3 five-set matches.
That French team, though! Unbelievable: three top-20 singles players and the world numbers 1 and 2 in doubles (or number 1 and number something in doubles - don't think anyone now can catch Mahut, but Jamie Murray, the Bryans and Bruno Soares could catch PHH if they won the tournament and Mahut/PHH didn't progress any farther. And of course the number one in doubles is also ranked ahead of the Argentine number ... well one or two ... in singles). So deep.
-- Edited by Spectator on Tuesday 6th of September 2016 08:38:45 PM
Four top 20 singles players after this week, and seven in the top 40 - via live rankings: La Monf (8), Tsonga (12), Gasquet (17), Pouille (18), Simon (28), Paire (38) and Mahut (40). Also in the top 100 are Robert (52), Mannarino (62), Mathieu (66) and Chardy (73).
Pretty insane. I think they'd be nuts not to pick Mahut and Herbert though, with Monfils and Tsonga playing singles (if fit). But don't they have a tendency to pick four singles players (possibly including Mahut)?
Mahut and Herbert are in the squad and so will certainly play. I think they are comfortable with doing that because if one of their singles players gets injured on Day 1 Mahut is a pretty decent substitute for day 3. It isn't like having two out and out doubles specialists which always carries a bit of a risk, especially with France's injury prone players.
Yes, leaving out PHH and expecting Mahut to play with Tsonga was the proximate cause of all the faff last year (which also blew up at this time of year - as Mahut says, they specialise in FFT controversy at the US Open). So this year while they went with four singles again in Guadeloupe, they've certainly used the Mahut/Herbert duo in their last match and would probably expect to in the next one as well, especially with Tsonga injured. And as RJA noted, as Paire isn't a selection option, Gasquet is injured, and Simon doesn't seem quite himself, Mahut would make a sensible singles option, even were he not the world number one in doubles.
Against GB it was apparently ego massaging and / or not wanting to upset any of Simon, Tsonga and Gasquet. Pick all 3, play Simon and Tsonga initially and save Gasquet to bring it home - there, wonderful roles for you all.
Got precisely what it deserved with a quite unnecessary cobbled together ( no matter how good individually ) pair for the always pretty likely crucial doubles. Eternally gratefull though