TENNIS in DEPTH.

Defending champion Radek Stepanek became the first defending champion in two decades to lose in the first round of the SAP Open, falling 6-3, 6-4 to Xavier Malisse on Wednesday.

The third-seeded Stepanek was broken once in each set to become the first defending champion to lose his first match the following year at this tournament since Brad Gilbert was knocked out by Gary Muller in 1990. Stepanek beat Mardy Fish for the title last year in San Jose after losing the championship the previous year to Andy Roddick.

 Stepanek wasn’t the only seeded player to fall Wednesday. Fourth-seeded Tommy Haas lost his second-round match to Denis Istomin 7-6 (3), 6-2. Haas had five set points on Istomin’s serve in the first set before falling in the tiebreaker. He double-faulted on break point in his first service game of the second set and then was broken at love to lose the match.

In other second-round matches Wednesday, Philipp Kohlschreiber beat Dudi Sela 6-2, 6-0, and Tomas Berdych beat Jarkko Nieminen 6-3, 6-2.

In the featured night matches, top-seeded Roddick was set to take on Ryler DeHeart, and second-seeded Fernando Verdasco faced Yen-Hsun Lu in first-round matches.

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Andy Roddick survived a second-set collapse to defeat defending champion Radek Stepanek and win the Brisbane International title in straight sets.

The American, who has been out for three months with a knee injury, won 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (9-7) after his Czech opponent double-faulted on match point.

Top seed Roddick led 4-0 in the second set and 6-1 in the tie-break, but Stepanek hit back to hold a set point.

Roddick won the next two points before Stepanek’s error gifted him victory.

“I don’t think I’ve ever squandered a lead where I’ve been putting in first serves and making approach shots,” said Roddick.

“The first time I served for it I had a double fault, but I don’t know that I missed a ball apart from that. The next one I actually made five out of six first serves and again was coming in.

“Once he got down he kind of loosened up and played more aggressively.

“I certainly don’t know if I expected to come and win my first tournament after a pretty extended lay-off.”

It is the 27-year-old’s first title in Australia in his first event back after recovering from the left knee injury he suffered in October.

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Gael Monfils fought back from a set down to topple  American James Blake 3-6 6-3 6-4 in a highly entertaining quarterfinal at Pat Rafter Arena.

The third seed’s victory has set up an intriguing clash with defending champion Radek Stepanek, who easily overcame another unseeded American in Wayne Odesnik, on Saturday.

It took Monfils four match-points to finally sink Blake, after breaking him in the seventh game of the deciding set.

Blake survived the third match point with a fortunate forehand that clipped the net cord and gave the world No.13 no chance.

One of the characters of men’s tennis, Monfils immediately walked to the net and brushed the cord before waving his finger at it and telling it not to hurt him again, leaving the Brisbane crowd in stitches.

Blake’s luck didn’t last much longer as Monfils, who served 13 aces for the match, ended his tournament with the next two points.

Blake had three more break-point chances in the match but Monfils saved seven of his nine.

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Andy Roddick’s troublesome knee was given a stern test but the big-serving American came through with flying colours in his return to the ATP tour on Monday night.

Australian Davis Cup regular Peter Luczak gave Roddick a worrying first-set scare before the top seed prevailed 7-6(5) 6-1 in his opening match at the Brisbane International.

Luczak, who has worked his way to No.77 in the rankings after an injury-hit 2009, was up 5-3 in the tense tiebreak but failed to close out the set by dropping clutch points on serve.

Roddick swiftly grabbed the opportunity given by two unforced Luczak errors and then quickly ran through the second set with his signature booming serve firing on all cylinders.

The world No.7 iced the first set with an ace, one of an amazing 15 for the match, with his weapon hitting speeds beyond 220 km/h.

Roddick finished 2009 early to rest his knee but after three months rest he moved as well as ever during his one hour and 23 minutes at Pat Rafter Arena.

Defending champion Radek Stepanek used all his smarts to work out and then work over local John Millman on Monday night to maintain his unbeaten record at the Brisbane International.

The crafty Czech took just over an hour to dispose of Millman 6-4 6-0 on Pat Rafter Arena to set up a possible second round clash with another Queenslander, Bernard Tomic.

Brisbane baseline slugger Millman was an instant crowd favourite and rose to the occasion in the opening set when he went shot for shot with the world No.12.

His first faltering step came in the eighth game as Stepanek broke to take a 5-3 lead and serve for the set.

But to Millman’s credit he immediately broke back to the delight of the parochial crowd, which regularly chanted for the 20 year old.

He was set to defy his world ranking of 307 and level at 5-all when 40-15 up on serve but consecutive double faults gave the Czech his chance.

Stepanek grabbed it with both hands to take the set and the wind went from the popular local’s sails as he lost the next seven games in his ATP tour debut.

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At the start of this season, defeat for Spain in a home Davis Cup tie against a nation like the Czech Republic – solid, but hardly one of the competition’s powerhouses – would have been unthinkable.

But that was before Nadal’s season became hampered by injuries and before the brief promise of David Ferrer and Fernando Verdasco also faded into relative mediocrity the further they got from the clay-court season.

Make no mistake, Nadal, Verdasco and co are still favourites to defeat a Czech team led by Radek Stepanek and Tomas Berdych when they meet in Barcelona on Friday.

But there are plenty of pointers to suggest a Spanish victory will not necessarily be as straightforward as any tennis pundit in their right mind would have predicted some time ago.

For a start, there is the increasing concern over Nadal’s form since his return from injury, a concern underlined by his woes at the World Tour finals, where he lost all three matches and was bounced out.

Even Nadal himself hints at needing a break.

“The batteries sometimes finish and you need to buy new ones, that’s what I’m going to do next year,” said Nadal after rounding off his London appearance with a loss to Novak Djokovic.

If that wasn’t worrying enough for Spain coach Albert Costa, Verdasco also left London with three straight losses and some injury concerns and admitted the Czechs enter the final with a distinct advantage.

“It is important to have more time to prepare for the Davis Cup final,” admitted Verdasco. “They were practising for a week on clay already. We will have to get used to it as soon as possible.”

The prodigiously talented Berdych has been in his usual infuriating form all year, flattering to deceive at regular intervals and somehow still failing to announce his big-time arrival with a Grand Slam breakthrough.

Berdych was beaten on the US hard courts by Nadal this year but also took a set off Verdasco in a tight tie in Barcelona and won the clay-court event in Munich. The feeling persists that he thrives when the rest least expect it.

Meanwhile, the mercurial, clever Stepanek ended a patchy year on something of a high, reaching the semi-finals in Basel then repeating the feat at the Paris Masters, beating Andy Murray and Juan Martin Del Potro along the way.

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Of all the top players, the one that nobody wants to play against is Radek Stepanek. He has an irritating style of play that defies the best laid plans of his opposition. He can be a serve and volleyer, or a baseline and drop shot exponent, or he can be a combination of both styles. He is unpredictable, hard to read, impossible to wear down, and a proverbial pain in the ass. And he carries the hopes of his country’s success in the upcoming Davis Cup, on his shoulders. One thing for sure is that he won’t go down quietly to the Spanish powerhouse. He will find a way to win at least one of his singles matches, and the doubles. It will be up to his team mate Thomas Berdych to win just one of his matches to give the Czech team a victory.

In the Davis Cup first round tie against France, he lost his opening match to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in straight sets. But he regained his confidence and won the doubles rubber the next day and his second singles match against Gilles Simon in straight sets to give the Czech Republic its way to the quarter-finals. Then, in the Davis Cup quarter-finals, he won the deciding fifth rubber to lead his country to the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, Stepanek battled Ivo Karlovic to a 6-7 7-6 7-6 6-7 16-14 victory in a marathon opener in which the 82 games played equalled the highest number in a Davis Cup rubber since the introduction of the tiebreak in 1989. In that match, he was aced 78 times, but overall hit more winners with over 170 (including service winners). The match was one of the longest in the history of the Davis Cup, lasting 5 h 59 min. There were only three breaks of serve in this match.

He had been engaged to Swiss tennis star Martina Hingis, but they split up in August 2007. Štěpánek is currently dating Czech tennis player Nicole Vaidišová.

Stepanek also owns a condominium in Bradenton, Florida. He is coached by former Australian Open champion Petr Korda.

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With or without Verdasco the Spanish Davis Cup team will enter the final as the odds on favourites. They are at home, on clay, and have 2 top ten players in their lineup, whereas the Czechs have none. Looks like an easy romp for the home team. But they might be over confident.

Rafa on clay, even at 75% of his norm is still the best clay court player and will win both his matches. The doubles I give to the Czechs, they are the best pair. So it all comes down to Spain’s #2 player, and whether it is Ferrer or Verdasco, Radel Stepanik will win his rubber. The score could be tied 2-2 going into the final match between Berdych and Verdasco/Ferrer……a toss up!

Fernando Verdasco will be hoping to shake off some niggly injuries to take his place in the Spanish team to face Czech Republic in next week’s Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Final in Barcelona.

Verdasco has been selected in the squad by Albert Costa, Spain’s captain, alongside Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer and Feliciano Lopez. It will be his 11th Davis Cup tie since making his debut against Slovak Republic in 2006.

“The foot is feeling good,” said Verdasco, who is competing at the ATP World Tour Finals in London this week. “Physically, I was with some problems in my knees but I took some days off.

“I hope that all the matches here at the Masters will be without pain and also I will arrive in Spain to play the Davis Cup feeling good. I need to see day-by-day how I will feel and then we will see if I am the best option to play.

“If not, I will not be angry. I just want to win the Final of the Davis Cup and if it’s me playing, and I’m the one, then of course I’ll be so happy.

“But if I’m not ready, or if I have pain, or I feel that Ferrer or another guy of my team is in better shape than me and can play better than me, then I will talk to the captain.

“I will not be selfish and think only about myself. I will think about the team and winning the Davis Cup, whoever plays the matches.”

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• czech rep. v. france maybe the best match up.
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