Tennis / Davis Cup / Even ill, Ram and Erlich are too much - Haaretz

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Mon., February 11, 2008 Adar1 5, 5768

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Tennis / Davis Cup / Even ill, Ram and Erlich are too much

By Nir Wolf

Tags: Tennis, Andy Ram

Dudi Sela faces one of his childhood role models in Thomas Johansson as Israel hopes to build on its 2-1 lead against Sweden and clinch a spot in the World Group quarterfinals. Andy Ram and Jonathan Erlich put Israel ahead yesterday by defeating Simon Aspelin and Robert Lindstedt 6-3, 7-6 (3), 7-5. Harel Levy will take on Jonas Bjorkman in the late match. The winning team will face either Argentina or Britain in the next stage.

Johansson, Sweden's top tennis player, started his professional career when Sela, now 23, was just 8 years old. He had won the Australian Open by the time Sela turned 17.

It won't be easy defeating the world's no. 60 player. On Friday, Johansson destroyed Harel 6-1, 6-1, 6-3, outplaying him in every parameter. "I couldn't respond to his level of play," admitted Levy. "He had it easy and didn't feel any pressure. If Dudi wants to beat him he's got to stay close to him the entire game."

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Sela needed almost an entire set and a one-hour rain delay to get into his match against Bjorkman in the Davis Cup opener on Friday. "Two weeks ago I changed something in my serve - I rotate my waist and legs in the delivery - and because it's a new swing I was really tense at first," conceded Sela. "I didn't sleep well at night, and I was really stressed. When he used a serve-volley against me, all my shots were short. I felt he was putting on a clinic."

But then came the rain, and 5,000 fans took cover. "The rain only did me good," explains Sela, who left the court trailing 6-5 in the first set and 15-0 in the game. "We discussed tactics in the locker-room, and when we returned I played the way they told me to."

Sela also credited team captain Eyal Ran for helping him relax when he was down 5-1 by suddenly shouting at him to go with his game. "I felt freer and from there on my confidence started to do its work."

Sela recovered to win the set 10-8. He took the final two sets handily, 6-3 and 6-1, putting Israel ahead 1-0.

Should Sela fall, Levy will need a much better game than the one he brought with him Friday. He scored points on only 17 percent of his serves, which won't suffice against Bjorkman. "After not playing for two and a half months," explained the Swede, "I made a lot of mistakes against Sela that I usually don't make." Bjorkman bested Levy 6-1, 6-3 in 2004 in the only meeting between the two.

The invincible duo has eyes on the prize

Israel wouldn't be in a position to win, however, if it weren't for its doubles victory yesterday. Ram and Erlich rode the momentum they built up in Australia to put Israel in a position to win, albeit not against the pair they expected to meet. And they're not in the best of health.

"The truth is I was surprised Bjorkman didn't participate. He is one of the greatest doubles players ever," Ram said after the match. "I barely got any sleep last night," he added in a heavy, nasal voice. "I was sick, I was coughing, and I was awfully stuffed up. I didn't open with the same energy as usual, but that's the advantage of being in a pair. Yoni opened aggressively and pulled me into the game with him."

Trailing 4-3 in the third set with Aspelin serving, Ram and Erlich finally got the push to put the match away after having to go to a tiebreaker in the second set.

Erlich took two points that got the fans off their feat and broke serve. "The moment the fans cheer like that, you feel something in your body and suddenly everything starts to take off," recalls Ram. After disposing of the Swedes, Erlich said, "We've felt invincible for quite a while now."

Ram added: "We know we're up to this level, and the moment you believe in yourself it all comes together for you." He said that after taking a Grand Slam they may even "finish the year number one in the world."

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