By Dinny Navaratnam
Australia failed in its attempt to reach the World Group stage of the Davis Cup for 2009, losing 3-2 to Chile in Antofagasta on the weekend.
Following his recent return from a brutal hip injury, Peter Luczak was no match for the match-hardened Fernando Gonzalez, who won 6-2, 6-2, 6-3. The 166-rankings gap showed as Luczak struggled to contain the powerful Gonzalez forehand.
Chris Guccione, ranked 80 th in the world, put up more of a fight in his 7-6(4), 7-6(5), 3-6, 7-6(2) loss to Nicolas Massu. Despite giving up 28 places on the ranking table, Massu’s experience on clay courts was too much for Guccione, who found serve-volleying difficult on the slow surface.
In the doubles, Guccione and Davis Cup debutant Carsten Ball pulled off a massive upset against the more fancied pair of Gonzalez and Massu in five sets, winning 6-7(5), 7-6(6), 6-3, 5-7, 7-5.
The Australian pair, who had never played together prior to the match, were able to break the 8-0 record of Gonzalez and Massu in Davis Cup doubles after trailing 3-0 in the fifth set.
Ball and Guccione went into the match knowing a loss would mean the end of Australia hopes for making next year’s World Group Stage.
Ball, however, was confident.
"I knew if me and Chris played well together we definitely had a chance of winning and we both believed we could win," he said.
But Guccione couldn’t keep the momentum going, with a 7-6(3), 7-5, 6-3 loss to Gonzalez to give Chile the unbeatable 3-1 lead.
Ball was able to continue his good form against Paul Capdeville, with a 6-3, 7-6(3) win in the dead rubber.