Australia defeated by Argentina 1 - 4

Sydney, Australia July 15-17 

"STEVE Wood and Craig Tiley, Tennis Australia's new men at the top, had wanted a comfortable Davis Cup initiation. Into only their second week with TA, Wood and Tiley have been entrusted with the responsibility of resuscitating Australian tennis. The prognosis before this weekend was dire. It has now deteriorated to life-threatening. Despite its lean playing stocks, Australia entered the quarter-final tie as favourite to subdue what was always going to be a fierce Argentine challenge. Wood and Tiley have been around international tennis long enough to understand there are no guarantees at the highest level. And so it was at Olympic Park in Sydney, where Australia hoped a portable grasscourt, Lleyton Hewitt and Wayne Arthurs would be sufficient to topple the visitors. It wasn't. Apart from world No. 2 Hewitt, 34-year-old Arthurs (76th) is the only other Australian in the top 100. Argentina, which has never won the Davis Cup, has 10 players in the top 100 - including five in the top 15. With Todd Woodbridge now retired and Mark Philippoussis (ranked 207th) flitting around the hit-and-giggle World Team Tennis scene, Australia's weaknesses were rammed home. As harrowing as it was for Wood and Tiley to absorb, the message is clear. The pair must be given all the executive powers necessary to effect immediate change as the nation rebuilds its stocks. The system, defended for so long by self-interested, insular and irresponsible administrators, needs to be dismantled and replaced with the models which have made Argentina and Spain strong. Wood and Tiley have inherited a program smothered in decay. John Fitzgerald, Wally Masur, Hewitt and Arthurs are paying the price. Surgery is urgently required. "

R1 - L.HEWITT (AUS) def. G.CORIA (ARG) 7-6(5)  6-1  1-6  6-2

R2 - D.NALBANDIAN (ARG) def. W.ARTHURS (AUS) 6-3  7-6(8)  5-7  6-2

R3 - D.NALBANDIAN / M.PUERTA (ARG) def. W.ARTHURS / L.HEWITT (AUS) 7-6(6)  6-4  6-3

R4 - D.NALBANDIAN (ARG) def. L.HEWITT (AUS) 6-2  6-4  6-4

R5 - G.CORIA (ARG) def. P.LUCZAK (AUS) 6-3  7-6(11)