Damn, no umlaut!!
Huge win by the US over Spain in the first round today. Great not to have Ferrero playing (for the US) - Todd Martin played big and the Blake/Fish 11-9 win in the second set tiebreak is a nice bit of redemption for James.
Stepanek has been playing quite well this year on the red stuff - it's a competitive field! I think the US has a better chance against Australia than they do against the Czechs - I think Martin could beat Arthurs, if that's who he plays, and Blake/Fish can handle Hewitt/Arthurs.
Chile could give a tired Argentina a run for its money in the Blue group...
With the win, I think the US has a real shot at the finals! Too bad it doesn't count for any rankings points - I'd hate to see JB have a great week in Germany and then lose a tough five-setter to a Nadal or a Sanchez in the first round of Roland Garros...