Estranged doubles pair stay apart

Wesley Moodie and Jeff Coetzee, the estranged doubles pair who are touted to represent South Africa in the critical Davis Cup World Group play-off against India, will remain apart, but reportedly on good terms like any upstanding divorced couple going into next month's critical tie at the Ellis Park Indoor Arena.

This was revealed on Sunday when it was announced that Moodie would continue playing with Belgian giant Dick Norman in the US Open, which starts later this month, as well as all tournaments leading up to the grand slam event at Flushing Meadows.

Coetzee, in turn, is expected to continue a partnership with Israeli Jonathan Erlich leading up to the US Open.

Coetzee and Moodie formed a successful doubles pairing last year, qualifying for the Masters doubles event and finishing as the eighth-best combination in the world.

Moodie dropped a bombshell earlier this year when he informed Coetzee, without any warning, he would no longer partner him - with the two South Africans enjoying contrasting fortunes since.

Moodie has come away with a succession of impressive results, including a French Open final and Wimbledon semifinal while teaming up with Norman and an assortment of other partners.

In the process, he has earned a ranking of eighth-best doubles player in the world.

Coetzee's fortunes, in contrast, have been on a downward spiral and it has been suggested that it might be better, in the circumstances, to pair Moodie with either Rik De Voest or Izak van der Merwe against the Indian doubles maestros of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi.

Moodie and Norman reached the quarterfinals of the current Canadian Open before losing 6-2 6-4 to second-seeded Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic.

Coetzee, in partnership with Austrian Jurgen Melzer, lost 7-6 6-4 in the second round to third-seeded Bhupathi and Mark Knowles.

South African Davis Cup captain John-Laffnie de Jager says he still regards a Moodie-Coetzee partnership as his likeliest combination at this stage of what could be the deciding match of the Davis Cup play-off, but he has admitted that nothing is cast in stone and his singles and doubles line-ups will only be decided shortly before the September 18 to 20 tie.

Ironically, Paes and Bhupathi, who at one time scaled the heights of best doubles combination in the world, have also parted ways and no longer play with each other in tournaments - after what was termed an acrimonious fall-out.