Tennis / A one-time chance for Israel to beat the world's best

If Anna Chekvetadze was fit, we'd be finished. If Svetlana Kuznetsova, Nadia Petrova or Elena Dementieva came to Israel to compete for Russia in this weekend's Fed Cup World Group first-round tie, our chances would be slim. With Dinara Safina here at home, it's a completely different story. A soccer team, Johan Cruyff said once, is only as good as its weakest player. This also is true in tennis.

Even though Maria Sharapova is here, to compete in the Fed Cup for the first time, the chain of events up until this point pushes the door wide open for expectations to beat the best women's national team in the world, on which plays the best player in the world.

In order to win the quarterfinal tie, Israel must not be eliminated before the fifth match: the doubles. In an atmosphere of a deciding match, an experienced pair, Shahar Peer and Tzipi Obziler, are capable of beating any given doubles team. So, what Israel needs is two wins out of the four singles matches.

Peer gets the first shot. Yesterday evening's draw sets up an early fateful match: If Peer loses to Safina, it's all over; the rest of the weekend's matches will be for the record only. If Peer wins, and Obziler wears out Sharapova, the second day of matches will be dramatic. Peer beat Safina a month ago in the Gold Coast, Australia, tournament and if she loses, she'll be in ruin.

If the tie is 1-1 after the first day of matches, the Russians will be under a lot of pressure. On Sunday, Peer will then try to steal a match from Sharapova. Anything is possible.

Obziler, who is 34 years old and facing the most important match of her career, is one of the best "marathon runners" in this competition. A victory over Safina, and she has already beaten better players, or a decisive win in the doubles would be a crazy finale to a Fed Cup career that has lasted about 15 years.

Peer and Obziler need to win just one match, the first one. Everything else would be a bonus, but that bonus could lead them to a decisive fifth match.