Players Under the Microscope / Editor / 05 February 2007 /

For two weeks in January he was the talk of tennis, the hot property eager to test the mighty Roger Federer.

It didn't quite end how he would have wanted at the Australian Open in Melbourne, but Chile's Fernando Gonzalez has made a real impact at the start of 2007.

He demolished Australian second seed Rafa Nadal in straight sets in the quarter-finals and his three-set demolition of Tommy Haas in the semi-finals was just as clinical.

For one set he lived with Federer at Melbourne Park, as he became only the second Chilean to reach a Grand Slam final, suggesting he has a very bright future ahead of him.

Now he is aiming to take that form into Davis Cup action, as he looks to inspire his team-mates against holders Russian in the opening round of the Word Group next weekend.

'Gonzo' warmed up for the clash by reaching the quarter-finals of the Movistar Open in Chile's Vina del Mar before losing to Spain's seventh seed Albert Montanes 6-3 3-6 6-4.

The 26-year-old from Santiago now meets up with the rest of the Chilean team for the tie in La Serena.

Team captain Hans Gildemeister can also call on experienced world number 42 Nicolas Massu, as they square up to Marat Safin and Dmitry Tursunov in the singles.

Next Saturday's doubles will probably pit Paul Capdeville and Adrian Garcia against Igor Andreev and Teimuraz Gabashvili, although Gildemeister and opposite number Shamil Tarpischev have the option to shuffle their pack depending on the state of the tie.

The two nations have met three times and Russia have never lost. Last time, in 2005, Russia won 4-1 in Moscow and went on to win the Cup - just as they did last year in beating Argentina.

But this is the first time they have met in Chile - and the South Americans have won their last nine home ties.

Chile are trading at 1.43 to pull off a victory, with the defending champions available to back at 2.44. Gonzalez and co can be backed at 9.6 to lift the trophy, with Russia trading at 7.6.

World number 5 Gonzalez has an excellent Davis Cup record, making 22 appearances and losing just eight matches.

In the 2005 clash with Russia, Gonzo played both singles and the doubles, beating Mikhail Youzhny in four sets but losing to Safin in five.

In the second-day doubles, Gonzo and Garcia lost in three sets to Safin and Youzhny.

But Betfair punters take note, since that last singles defeat by Safin, the Chilean hero has won the next three meetings to hold a 3-2 lead in head-to-heads, including a three-set win at Wimbledon in 2006 and a five-set win at the French Open the same year.

Gonzalez holds a 3-1 lead in head-to-heads with Tursunov, including their only five-set meeting in the 2005 US Open. In Tursunov's favour, he won their last clash 6-4 6-2 in Los Angeles last year.

But after all the kind words of thanks to his fans after the Australian Open final, the buoyant Gonzo can bank on the excitable Chilean fans getting right behind him when he goes into action on Friday.

The prize for the winners of this tie will be a clash against either France or Romania in April.

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