No regrets for Tarpishchev over strategy

Russian captain Shamil Tarpishchev had no regrets over his strategy for the Davis Cup final against the United States despite his team losing the opening two singles matches on Friday.
 
Americans Andy Roddick and James Blake gave the hosts a commanding 2-0 lead after Tarpishchev had omitted his top player, world number four Nikolay Davydenko, for tactical reasons.
 
"I think that our best chances to beat Blake today were with (Mikhail) Youzhny out of all the players that we have," Tarpishchev told a news conference.
 
"I don't think that Davydenko would have beaten Blake today.
 
"We were not counting on (Dmitry) Tursunov so much as counting on Youzhny winning and we very close to it working out that way. If that would have happened, it would have been very different on the third day."
 
Tursunov, ranked 34th in the world, was crushed 6-4 6-4 6-2 by American number one Roddick in the opening match at Memorial Coliseum before Blake held off a gutsy fightback by Youzhny 6-3 7-6 6-7 7-6.
 
"That second match was played very well," said Tarpishchev, who guided the Russians to Davis Cup titles in 2002 and last year.
 
"They were very even. It's just that fortune went to Blake. I think if we'd have had a fifth set, we would have won. We had a good chance of winning."
 
World number 13 Blake has triumphed just once in 11 matches that have lasted five sets while 19th-ranked Youzhny has won nine times out of 17.
 
The Russians now face an uphill task to keep the Davis Cup final alive with the dominant American Bryan brothers, Bob and Mike, set to take on Davydenko and Igor Andreev in Saturday's doubles.
 
Winners of five grand slam titles together, the Bryans have lost just one doubles match in 13 Davis Cup appearances.
 
"Of course the American team has a very good chance tomorrow of winning," Tarpishchev said. "But, as they say, the ball is round so anything can happen."
 
Asked how he would motivate his doubles pairing for Saturday's pivotal rubber, he replied: "We've got a good team.
 
"Basically we knew what our realistic chances were before the tournament, and now after. They've just going to try all out and show the best tennis that we have."