Even the veteran Ivan Ljubicic doesn't have the credentials of Haas. The German is older by only a year, but besides that, Ljubicic's recent performances on the biggest of stages have been repeatedly questioned (see the two first-round losses at the last two Grand Slams). Certainly, a must-win rubber to avoid an early first round exit qualifies as well. The trend continued with Haas prevailing in straight sets, 6-2, 7-6, 6-4.

Germany will look to continue their run, and are probably favoured against neighbours Belgium. For Croatia, its back to the drawing board - which might be a clean slate after Ljubicic declared that win or lose, he was retiring from Davis Cup play after this year. The 2005 championship seems like a long time ago.

The mild upset: Chile v. Russia

Last week in Vina del Mar, after seeing the boisterous Chilean crowd support combined with the on-court actions of Nicolas Massu that I could easily describe as frightening, I thought that Chile's home advantage would surely be enough to pull them through. Throw the Australian Open runner-up Fernando Gonzalez into the mix, as well as notable omissions from the Russian team, and on paper it seemed that the defending champions would not only be knocked out, but would have to scrap just to get on the scoreboard. Amazingly, after day one, here were the results: Igor Andreev beat Fernando Gonzalez 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 and Marat Safin beat Nicolas Massu 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.

I'm not sure which result is more baffling - the fact that Gonzo lets Igor get back into a match after taking the first set, or Safin's total whitewash of Massu from the onset. In desperation, the gold medalists from Athens joined forces on day two, and took care of business against the same two opponents and the scoreboard read: Gonzalez/Massu beat Andreev/Safin 7-6, 6-3, 6-4.

This tie was not televised in the United States, but if it were, I'm sure you could have seen the hearts of the Chilean heroes pounding during the tiebreak. To lose a close affair is one thing, but to be swept, at home no less, would be a disgrace for Chile, even against a formidable Russian side. The many fans who counted on a Sunday turnaround were disappointed. Chile needed to sweep the reverse singles. Gonzo did his part in the fourth rubber, upending Safin in straight sets (6-3, 7-5, 6-4), but shockingly, Massu dropped his third straight singles rubber in a row on home soil, losing in four sets to Andreev (6-2, 6-1, 6-7, 6-4). Nicolas' "passion", which I mention in the poem, may have gotten the best of him in the decider.

Regarding Russia, I certainly felt they had a chance going into the tie, but I also felt that their backs were squarely against the wall. The clay court, usually a major handicap to travelling teams, proved not to be an obstacle for Safin and Andreev, both of whom have sufficient experience on the dirt. Most surprising to me was that it wasn't Safin who carried the team, but it was Andreev. Maybe I should have looked a bit more closely at his quarterfinal run at Vina del Mar, which was a great choice for a tournament to enter considering this tie.

In other action, Richard Gasquet made me proud by taking two rubbers for France as they easily defeated Romania 4-1 at Clermont-Ferrand. Belgium took out the Aussies in a close affair, needing a final rubber to win the tie after Lleyton Hewitt fended off Olivier Rochus (6-2, 6-3, 6-7, 3-6, 6-1). The Americans were never tested in Ostrava, beating the Czechs. I caught a lot of this on the Tennis Channel; seeing Andy Roddick look comfortable on clay was a rare sight. A Nadal-less Spain beat a Federer-less Switzerland; they now visit the U.S. in the next round. Sweden and Argentina advanced as well, taking out Belarus and Austria, respectively.

*** For more, go to my tennis blog at: www.gasquetandracquet.com ***