Previews of four first-round Davis Cup ties appeared yesterday on this site.  Now, another columnist looks at three more. 

Czech Republic vs Netherlands:

It’s hard to see suspense in this tie. Igor Sijsling and Thiemo De Bakker are talented players, but they cannot stick with any of the Czech players. Look beyond Tomas Berdych, who is the only elite player in this tie. Sijsling and De Bakker would be very hard-pressed to compete with Jiri Vesely, let alone Lukas Rosol and Radek Stepanek.

Any Dutch hope in this tie would come from the racket of Robin Haase, a talented shot-maker who has never quite lived up to his full potential. That said, he can outhit just about anyone in the world from the baseline if his game is there. It’s a long shot, but his winning two singles rubbers feels like the Netherlands’ only chance of keeping this tie in doubt.

Argentina vs Italy:

This tie intrigues me. Argentina is not the force it was now that Juan Martin del Potro has decided not to play. It would have been very difficult for Italy to win if he had played, even on red clay. Now, though, eight talented clay-court players are competing.

On paper, the Italian team is stronger and more talented. The only Argentine player currently close to the level of Fabio Fognini or Andreas Seppi is Juan Monaco. Still, it is hard to expect a top performance from players as inconsistent as Fognini and Seppi, especially since the tie is in Argentina.

Fognini, by the way, is a reason to watch this tie in and of himself. He is just as much an entertainer as he is a professional tennis player. And his best moments come when he wants nothing more than to engage with the crowd.

The world met Fognini and his antics at the 2010 French Open, when he faced home favorite Gael Monfils in a match with a controversial finish. Fognini thrived off the crowd’s hostility. He invited it and used it to both play better tennis and rile up the crowd further. Watching him in a hostile Davis Cup environment may very well be among the greatest spectacles that this weekend will offer.

Germany vs Spain:

This is probably the highest-quality tie that we will see until the semifinals or later. Granted, Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer are not playing for Spain. But that only means that we get an amazing tie between two teams evenly matched in talent, rather than a very talented German team attempting to pull off an upset against the Spanish juggernaut.

The high-bouncing and fast-playing Rebound Ace hard court is usually a challenge for the Spanish team. But it suits their current lineup just fine. Feliciano Lopez’s serve is nearly unbreakable, no matter where he plays. On this court, he will be even tougher. And Roberto Bautista-Agut just had the breakout tournament of his career by hitting del Potro off the court in Melbourne. He’ll be ready to go in Frankfurt.

This German team is no slouch on the fast courts either. While Tommy Haas has a tendency to crack in high-pressure matches, he is still one of the most talented players in the world. Philipp Kohlschreiber has had similar trouble stepping up in the biggest of stages, but he also is one of the world’s elite on fast surfaces.

I expect to see five tightly contested rubbers in this tie, with all of them high-quality tennis. It would not surprise me to see three or more of these rubbers go five sets, and I don’t think we will see a single straight-sets match in this tie. It will be fast-paced tennis at the highest level, which is always a pleasure to see.

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Come back later today to read a more detailed look at the tie in San Diego featuring Great Britain and Team USA.