Posted: Sat, 9 Jul 2011 10:00 AM - 9,969 Readers

By: Austin-American Statesman

Triple-digit answer

Before a news conference, Karen Weelass, a former Eanes Elementary teacher, reminisced Thursday about teaching Andy Roddick in the second grade.

When Roddick was told later that his teacher had talked about how he practiced his backhand in the back of the classroom, the tennis star said, "Oh, gosh. Thank you for teaching me how to read. It's served me very well. Appreciate it. ... I don't lose in Scrabble."

Lance jabs

During a performance at the Moody Theater before the Davis Cup draw, Asleep at the Wheel's lead singer, Ray Benson, spoke about the 2005 doubles match at the Grand Slam Jam Shootout pitting him and Jim Courier against Lance Armstrong and Andy Roddick.

"We won,'' Benson said. "Lance has no hand-eye coordination. It's all in his legs."

Courier got a bigger laugh later when a reporter questioned his reference to Roddick as "the mayor of Austin." "I think Lance might have a problem with that," the reporter said.

"Is Lance competing this week?" Courier quipped.

Joey Chestnut's safe

On the Fourth of July, Roddick entertained his Davis Cup teammates at his home on Lake Austin, where he came up with an entertaining game.

It was Roddick's idea that the U.S. team's practice partners engage in the Austin version of the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating contest, staged on Coney Island every Independence Day.

Southern Cal's Steve Johnson, who won the NCAA singles title this year, beat Michigan's Evan King and Stanford's Bradley Klahn by consuming five hot dogs in 2 minutes, 39 seconds.

Joey Chestnut won the contest on Coney Island, scarfing down 62 dogs in 10 minutes.

Almost twins

Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez spoke about their 2007 Davis Cup doubles loss to Bob and Mike Bryan that gave the Americans the victory in the quarterfinal tie. The match went four sets, and the Spanish youngsters said they gained some valuable experience in it.

Verdasco said: "We don't have maybe the same connection like the Bryan brothers because we are not twins. But we are close to being twins."

Argentina has 2-0 lead over Kazakhstan

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Juan Monaco and Juan Martin del Potro won three-set matches to give Argentina a 2-0 lead in its Davis Cup quarterfinal against Kazakhstan.

Monaco defeated Andrey Golubev 6-3, 6-0, 6-4, while Del Potro beat Mikhail Kukushkin 6-2, 6-1, 6-2.

Play started a day early because of elections Sunday in Buenos Aires.

*  Story Contributed by: Austin-American Statesman