DAVIS CUP LINEUPS SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT AS USA EYES REVENGE VS. MURRAY AND GREAT BRITAIN BY RICKY DIMON

Written by: Staff on 3rd March 2015

DAVIS CUP LINEUPS SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT AS USA EYES REVENGE VS. MURRAY AND GREAT BRITAIN BY RICKY DIMON

epa04155258 Britain player Andy Murray hits the ball during the match against Italian player Andreas Seppi, during the Davis Cup quarterfinal match, in Naples, Italy, 5 April 2014. EPA/Ciro Fusco |

In the 2014 Davis Cup first round, the United States had the benefit of home-court advantage against Great Britain. It was all right there for the Americans to advance, having put the visitors out of their comfort zone on a clay surface.

Unfortunately for Team USA, it is similarly uncomfortable on the slow stuff and it was also without an injured John Isner. Try as they might, Sam Querrey, Donald Young, and the Bryan brothers went down to the British side 3-1.

After Andy Murray kicked things off by beating Young 6-1, 6-2, 6-3, the truly decisive match came in the form of James Ward’s 1-6, 7-6(3), 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 upset of Querrey. Bob and Mike Bryan kept the tie alive thanks to a doubles win over Colin Fleming and Dominic Inglot, but Murray finished off the home team with a four-set win at Querrey’s expense.

The rematch is set for round one–again–but this time Great Britain will host the festivities on an indoor hard court in Glasgow, Scotland.

Team GB is going with the same singles lineup of Murray and Ward, who are now joined by Inglot and Jamie Murray. Early indications are that the Murray brothers will partner each other for the doubles rubber. Isner is healthy this year, so he is in while an injured Querrey is out. The remainder of Team USA is unchanged, as Young played his way onto the roster thanks to stellar showings in Memphis (semifinals) and Delray Beach (runner-up).

Donald Young of the US hits a return shot to Kevin Anderson of South Africa in their semi-final round Memphis Open tennis match at the Racquet Club of Memphis in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, 14 February 2015. EPA/TANNEN MAURY

“It helps,” Murray said of confidence from having won the 2014 tie. “I know Isner wasn’t able to play. Also it was on clay and I did say at the time I thought it was a strange surface choice, which I thought favored us, really. Obviously an indoor hard court is a quite neutral surface for everyone. It will be tough if they are all fit and well. It will be a tough one for us to win, but it’s possible.”

Young retired from his opening match in Acapulco against Ryan Harrison, but captain Jim Courier assured it was nothing more than a precautionary measure.

“That injury was one of those makeup injuries that you have to do because the tour requires a reason,” he said in a Tennis Channel interview with Mark Knowles and Tracy Austin.

Courier added that Steve Johnson was in the mix for a No. 2 singles spot, but Young edged him out based on his outstanding current form. With a little more time in his comeback from an injury-plagued 2014 campaign, Ryan Harrison may also have thrown his hat into the ring. Harrison already has a Challenger title to his credit this year and he made a run to the Acapulco semifinals as a qualifier before falling to David Ferrer in three sets.

Ryan Harrison of the US serves against Ivo Karlovic of Croatia during their match at the Acapulco Tennis Open in Acapulco, Mexico, 26 February 2015. EPA/JOSE MENDEZ

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand.

Topics: Andy Murray, Bryan Brothers, Davis Cup, Donald Young, Great Britain, John Isner, Ryan Harrison, Sam Querrey, Steve Johnson, Tennis, USA

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10sBalls_com says:

March 3, 2015 at 7:42 pm

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Dimonator says:

March 3, 2015 at 8:06 pm

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USDavisCupFans says:

March 4, 2015 at 7:11 am

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SRuc69 says:

March 4, 2015 at 7:34 am

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