DAY/LOCAL TIME | EVENT | DETAILS/PAIRING |
Friday, 12 p.m. | Singles A Singles B |
Sam Querrey (USA) vs. David Ferrer (ESP) John Isner (USA) vs. Nicolas Almagro (ESP) |
Saturday, 2 p.m. | Doubles | Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan (USA) vs. Marcel Granollers/Marc Lopez (ESP)* |
Sunday, 12 p.m. | Singles C Singles D |
John Isner (USA) vs. David Ferrer (ESP) Sam Querrey (USA) vs. Nicolas Almagro (ESP) |
The 2012 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas World Group semifinal match between the United States and Spain will take place from Friday, September 14, to Sunday, September 16, in Gijon, Spain, at the Parque Hermanos Castro on an outdoor red clay court. The U.S. will play on the road for the seventh time in its last eight ties since defeating Switzerland in the 2009 first round in Birmingham, Ala.
This semifinal tie will mark the 11th match-up overall between the U.S. and Spain in Davis Cup competition with the overall series being tied at 5-5. Spain defeated the United States, 3-1, in their last meeting in the 2011 Davis Cup quarterfinal in Austin, Texas—the last time the U.S. played a home tie. The U.S. is 1-4 against Spain when playing on the road, having last won in Barcelona in 1972. Spain last hosted the U.S. in the 2008 World Group Semifinal in Madrid and defeated the U.S., 4-1.
This tie pits the all-time winningest team (U.S.) versus the most dominant team of the past five years (Spain). The U.S. leads all nations with 32 Davis Cup titles and Spain has won three Davis Cup titles in the last four years. The U.S. and Spain have also combined to capture four of the last five Davis Cup titles (U.S. in 2007, Spain in 2008-09 and 2011). The two nations have met once in the Davis Cup Final, with Spain winning, 3-2, in 2004. Spain currently has a 25-tie winning streak on clay, dating back to the 1999 World Group First Round. The U.S. has a four-match winning streak on clay—all away ties.
Sam Querrey, who will open the first day of play, will be competing on the U.S. Davis Cup team for the first time since the 2010 World Group Playoff in Colombia. He holds a 1-4 Davis Cup singles record in three ties and made his Davis Cup debut against Rafael Nadal on clay in Madrid in the 2008 World Group Semifinal, losing in four sets.
John Isner, who will follow Querrey, is undefeated in Davis Cup this year, going 4-0 in singles in the first two ties. In the first round in Switzerland, his two wins included the upset of then-world No. 3 Roger Federer in Isner’s first live singles match win and arguably one of the biggest wins of his career. In the quarterfinal in France, he won two live singles rubbers to clinch the United States’ semifinal berth.
The United States owns the longest uninterrupted run in the World Group, dating back to 1989. The U.S. has a winning record against 35 of the 39 countries faced and a level record with two countries. The U.S. is undefeated versus 21 countries and holds an active winning streak against 35 nations. Spain won its fifth Davis Cup title in 2011, defeating Argentina, 3-1, in the final with other wins over Belgium, the United States and France throughout the year.
In the other Davis Cup Semifinal this weekend, Argentina will face the Czech Republic in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
©Daily Tennis News Wire
Topics: 2012 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas World Group, Bob Bryan, David Ferrer, Davis Cup, John Isner, Marc Lopez, Mike Bryan, Nicolas Almagro, Sam Querrey, Sports, Tennis News, USA vs Spain