[We have special guest at our weekly brunch today, folks, Los Angeles-based screenwriter James LaRosa, who's covering the Fed Cup at La Jolla for us. Here is his report on yesterdays unexpected happenings. This will be your on-topic tennis thread and Fed Cup Crisis Center post for today. Terrific job, James. You writers out there will appreciate that I made exactly three minior editorial changes/corrections in this piece! Go Lindsay! -- PB]
By TW Guest Contributor, James LaRosa
Ah, sunny Southern California. Sunny, cloudy, chilly Southern California.
I’m at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club, bundled up in my parka, ready to watch the US take on underdog Germany on Day 1 of quarterfinal Fed Cup competition. As far as venues go, you could do a lot worse. Spacious grounds, hot dogs that could choke a baby yak, Port-o-Potties for days. Really a dream come true.
It’s the first time Fed Cup’s been held in Southern California. The sun may not have come out, but the crowds sure have. And they’re all here for one thing (besides processed meat and Port-o-Potties) – SoCal native Lindsay Davenport.
But first, let’s get these pesky Germans out of the way. Tatjana Malek, Sabine Lisicki, Julia Goerges and Anna-Lena Groenefeld are introduced to polite applause that says ‘good luck, but not too much luck.’ I wish I could say there’s some crazy German contingent that has security fingering their pepper spray, but alas, it’s not to be.
The US team is introduced. Laura Granville, Lisa Raymond, Ashley Harkleroad. Finally, the bride makes her way down the aisle as Lindsay Davenport joins the rest of her team. We get the German National Anthem (I check to see how many attendees are texting in the middle of it. None? Good for you, America.), followed by the Star Spangled Banner (is she going to hit that high note? Yes. Good for you, faceless blond girl.)
And now, ladies and gentlemen, Dick Enberg to perform the coin toss. Excuse me, “14-time Emmy Award Winner Dick Enberg” to perform the coin toss. (Don’t screw this up, Dick.) Lindsay wins. The crowd cheers.
Facing Sabine Lisicki, a first time Fed Cupper, Lindsay is clearly the favorite. She’s got the big serve. She’s got the big return. She opts to receive. And quickly goes down 0-3. The crowd is silenced. You hear that expression a lot. A silenced crowd. This one has no idea what to do. But it’s early still. She’ll even it out. At 1-5, silence turns to dread, and after yet another of Davenport’s shots sails past the baseline, dread becomes outright stunned.
Personally, I know she’ll pull it out. But I’m just so darned worried about this crowd. Fortunately, Fed Cup second stringers Julia Boserup and Chistina McHale are sent out to hurl Fed Cup shirts to the crowd. You get that crucial Fed Cup experience, ladies! (I’m just bitter, I didn’t get a shirt. . .)
Second set, Lindsay’s anticipating Sabine better and it’s more of a match. Okay, it’s as close to a match as we’ve gotten. I notice something. The sun is trying to break through the clouds. Everytime Lindsay is up, the sun is out. It goes away, and so does she. I begin to wonder if she’s powered by the sun. Lindsay breaks and goes up 5-2. She’s corrected the ship.
And then it hits an iceburg.
Lisicki is just doing everything right. Mixing up her serves, mixing up her groundstrokes. Her slice serve out wide to the deuce court delivers for her like Domino’s and I immediately see how she beat Dinara Safina at the Australian a few weeks back. Five straight games later, Sabine snaps Lindsay’s 19-match Fed Cup win streak.
Is there a suicide hotline for tennis crowds?
At her press conference, Lindsay’s disappointed but upbeat about the rest of the tie. Anything can happen. And anything does.
Superwoman to the rescue, as another first time Fed Cupper, Ashley Harkleroad, charges out of the gates and takes the first set of her match from Tatjana Malek, 6-1. The crowd finally has a reason to cheer. And smash those inflatable bat things together (they love those inflatable bat things). They may not know what a Harkleroad is, but they know how one plays, and this one’s in it to win it.
After taking the second set 6-3, Ashley evens the day out 1-1. And all is (half) right with the world.
Judging by form, Lindsay should have (ahem) no problem taking out Malek tomorrow. Which would leave Ashley with the well-earned task of closing out the tie for the US. If Ashley can’t stop the Lisicki Express, it’ll come down to doubles. Lindsay may want to wrap it up in time to see Tom Brady and the Super Bowl, but I wouldn’t mind if she and Lisa Raymond got to strut their stuff in a fifth deciding rubber.
All that said, there’s another spoiler. Mother Nature. This cloudy, chilly SoCal day is expected to offer up rain tomorrow. In which case, Lindsay may get to see the Super Bowl after all. And play will be pushed to Monday.
More tomorrow. Bring an umbrella.