DONALD YOUNG, JOHN ISNER, AND BOB BRYAN AND MIKE BRYAN TO FACE GREAT BRITAIN IN DAVIS CUP BY BNP PARIBAS WORLD GROUP FIRST ROUND

Written by: Staff on 24th February 2015

French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros

DONALD YOUNG, JOHN ISNER, AND BOB BRYAN AND MIKE BRYAN TO FACE GREAT BRITAIN IN DAVIS CUP BY BNP PARIBAS WORLD GROUP FIRST ROUND

epa04233788 Donald Young of USA in action during his third round match against Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain for the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 31 May 2014. EPA/CAROLINE BLUMBERG |

Matches to be held at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow, Scotland, March 6-8

Up-and-Coming Americans Stefan Kozlov and Francis Tiafoe

Named U.S. Davis Cup Team Practice Partners

The USTA and United States Davis Cup Captain Jim Courier today announced that top-ranked American and world No. 20 John Isner, world No. 45 Donald Young, and the world’s No. 1 doubles team of Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan will represent the U.S. in the 2015 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas World Group First Round against Great Britain. The best-of-five match series will be played on an indoor hard court at the Emirates Arena, March 6-8, in Glasgow, Scotland.

Great Britain Captain Leon Smith named world No. 3 Andy Murray, world No. 108 James Ward, and doubles specialists Jamie Murray and Dominic Inglot to compete against the United States.

Play begins each day at 1 p.m. local time (8 a.m. ET). Friday, March 6, will include two singles matches featuring each country’s No. 1 player against the other country’s No. 2 player. Saturday’s schedule features the pivotal doubles match. And the final day of play on Sunday features the two “reverse singles” matches, when the No. 1 players square off followed by the No. 2 players meeting each other in the final match. All matches are best-of-five sets until one nation clinches the tie. A revised schedule for Sunday may take place if a team clinches in the third or fourth match.

The U.S.-Great Britain rivalry is the oldest in Davis Cup history, dating back to the first competition in 1900. The two countries last met in January 2014, in a World Group First Round tie played on a clay court in the left field of San Diego’s Petco Park, marking the first time Davis Cup had been played in an open air baseball stadium. (Andy Murray led Great Britain to a 3-1 victory in that matchup.) The U.S. is 11-8 all-time against Great Britain and had won the last four Davis Cup ties against the Brits prior to 2014. The U.S. holds a 214-68 overall record in Davis Cup play.

The winner of this tie advances to the World Group Quarterfinal, July 17-19, and will play either France or Germany. Should the U.S. defeat Great Britain, it will travel to Germany or host France. The losing nation will compete in the World Group Playoff, Sept. 18-20, for the right to play in the World Group in 2016.

John Isner of the US in action against Gilles Mueller of Luxembourg in their third round match at the Australian Open Grand Slam tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 24 January 2015. The Australian Open tennis tournament runs from 19 January until 01 February 2015. EPA/Filip Singer

Isner, 29, is ranked No. 20 and will be competing in his 10th Davis Cup tie; he is 8-7 in singles and 2-0 in doubles. He was named to the Davis Cup team for its first-round match last year against Great Britain, but was substituted for by Young after suffering a sprained right ankle. Isner went 2-0 in singles in the 2014 World Group Playoff last September in the U.S.’s 5-0 sweep of Slovakia. In 2012, Isner defeated Roger Federer in the U.S. Davis Cup team’s first round win at Switzerland, one of the biggest victories of his career. The tallest player in U.S. Davis Cup history, at 6-foot-10, Isner made his Davis Cup debut in the 2010 World Group First Round in Serbia, where he became the first U.S. player since 2003 to compete in three live rubbers in the same tie. Isner represented the U.S. in the 2012 London Olympics, reaching the quarterfinals before losing to Federer. He turned pro after an outstanding four-year career at the University of Georgia, leading the Bulldogs to the 2007 NCAA team title as a senior. Isner holds nine career tour singles titles, the last of which came in Atlanta during the 2014 Emirates Airline US Open Series. So far this year, he has reached the third round of the Australian Open and the quarterfinals of the ATP event in Memphis, Tenn.

Young, 25, is ranked No. 45 and will be making his second appearance for the U.S. Davis Cup team. He made his Davis Cup debut in the World Group Quarterfinal against Great Britain in San Diego last year, where he lost to Andy Murray. Young comes to Davis Cup after reaching the final of the ATP event in Delray Beach, Fla., this past weekend—his second ATP singles final (2011 Bangkok). Also this year, Young reached the singles semifinals and doubles final of the ATP event in Memphis. Young broke into the Top 40 in February 2012 and qualified for the 2012 U.S. Olympic team.In 2011, he reached the round of 16 at the US Open, upsetting two Top 30 players en route, for his best Grand Slam result. And last year, he reached the third round at both the Australian Open and French Open. Young was a standout junior player, winning the 2005 Australian Open and 2007 Wimbledon boys’ singles titles. And at age 16 years, 5 months, he became the youngest-ever year-end world junior No. 1 in 2005. Donald’s friends all call him DY. He loves his #yim. Young In Motion. He is a super guy and he is uber talented. He represents everything great in a young athlete and role model. He Enjoys doing kids days , the clinics. Tennis runs in his blood. Both parents played in college. Both high rated teaching pros.

Bob and Mike Bryan, 36, hold a 22-4 doubles record together in U.S. Davis Cup competition; the 22 wins are first all-time in U.S. Davis Cup history for a tandem. Bob and Mike, the only brothers to pair in victory for the U.S. Davis Cup team, hold the all-time Open era record of most Grand Slam men’s doubles titles (16) and ATP doubles titles (104). In addition, the Bryan brothers won the gold medal in doubles at the 2012 Olympics in London, where they completed a career Golden Slam by winning all four Grand Slam titles and an Olympic gold medal. The Bryan’s ended 2014 as the No. 1-ranked doubles team in the world for a record 10th time. They are the GREATEST ever. Doubles and the sport of tennis are better for having such great guys as ambassadors. Both have beautiful wives and lives thanks to tennis. The twins were coached by their mother Kathy.

Bob and twin brother Mike Bryan from the US, during their doubles match against Carlos Berlocq from Argentina and Leonardo Mayer, also from Argentina at the Australian Open Grand Slam tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 24 January 2015. The Australian Open tennis tournament runs from 19 January until 01 February 2015. EPA/Made Nagi

Overall, Bob holds a 23-4 doubles record in Davis Cup competition; he is also 4-2 in singles (all dead rubbers). Mike holds a 24-4 record in Davis Cup doubles matches, playing without Bob just twice in his Davis Cup career. Bob did not compete in the 2012 first-round match at Switzerland due to the birth of his daughter, Micaela; in that case, Mike teamed with Mardy Fish to defeat 2008 Olympic doubles gold medalists Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka to clinch the tie. Mike also partnered with Fish in the 2008 semifinal against Spain. Bob played without Mike in the 2010 first round in Serbia with Fish. (Mike had food poisoning.)

Additionally, U.S. Captain Jim Courier announced the practice partners for the U.S. Davis Cup team—top juniors Stefan Kozlov and Francis Tiafoe. Kozlov, 17, is the No. 5-ranked junior in the world. He reached the junior boys’ final at both Wimbledon and the Australian Open in 2014, as well as the quarterfinals at the US Open and French Open juniors. This year, he reached three consecutive USTA Pro Circuit quarterfinals and competed in the ATP event in Memphis. Tiafoe, 17, last year peaked at No. 2 in the ITF World Junior Rankings and reached the boys’ semifinals at the 2014 US Open junior tournament. Tiafoe won the prestigious Orange Bowl International Tennis Championships in December 2013 in Plantation, Fla., becoming the youngest boys’ champion in the 67 years of the event. (Kozlov won the Orange Bowl in 2014.) So far this year, Tiafoe has advanced to one USTA Pro Circuit final in Weston, Fla., as well as one semifinal in Sunrise, Fla.

Founded in 1900, by Dwight Davis a great player and a member of the Longwood cricket club. His friends all teased him that it was a silly concept. What a guy. What a visionary. So the current day Davis Cup by BNP Paribas is the World Cup of Tennis. It is the largest annual international team competition in sport, with 126 nations entered in 2015. The U.S. leads all nations with 32 Davis Cup titles. The U.S. holds a 214-68 all-time Davis Cup record and owns the longest uninterrupted run in the World Group, dating back to 1989. For more information, including access to player and historical Davis Cup records, please go to www.usta.com/daviscup or www.daviscup.com. Follow the U.S. Davis Cup team on Twitter @USDavisCupTeam. Wilson is the official ball of the U.S. Davis Cup team.

Topics: Bnp Paribas, Bryan Brothers, Davis Cup, Donald Young, Great Britain, John Isner, Tennis, USA

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10sBalls_com says:

February 24, 2015 at 3:00 pm

-@DonaldYoungUSA, @JohnIsner, AND @Bryanbrothers TO FACE #GREATBRITAIN IN @DavisCup BY #BNPPARIBAS WORLD GROUP…- http://t.co/n3yGSzIjC7
ikesenmarble says:

February 24, 2015 at 3:04 pm

RT @10sBalls_com: -@DonaldYoungUSA, @JohnIsner, AND @Bryanbrothers TO FACE #GREATBRITAIN IN @DavisCup BY #BNPPARIBAS WORLD GROUP…- http:/…