DAVIS CUP TENNIS: U.S. VS. GREAT BRITAIN DRAW AND DAY 1 PREVIEW

Written by: Staff on 5th March 2015

DAVIS CUP TENNIS: U.S. VS. GREAT BRITAIN DRAW AND DAY 1 PREVIEW |

“The draw is done. Donald Young vs Andy Murray first up tomorrow. #Glasgow #DavisCup #GoUSA” – Photo by @katadams68 via Instagram.

United States vs. Great Britain

Davis Cup by BNP Paribas

2015 World Group First Round

Emirates Arena

Glasgow, Great Britain * March 6-8

ORDER OF PLAY

The opening day of play in the best-of-five match series features each country’s No. 1 singles player against the No. 2 player from the opposing country. The exact order of play was determined at Thursday’s Draw Ceremony, which was held at Emirates Arena in Glasgow, Scotland.

The second day of competition features the pivotal doubles match. The event concludes Sunday with the “reverse singles,” starting with each country’s No. 1 player squaring off followed by the No. 2 players. Each match is best-of-five-sets until one nation wins three matches and clinches the tie. The remaining matches, if any, are played as best-of-three sets.

DAY/LOCAL MATCH TIME                 EVENT                    DETAILS/PAIRING

Friday, 1:00 p.m.                                     Singles A:                Donald Young (USA) vs. Andy Murray (GBR)

                                  Singles B:                John Isner (USA) vs. James Ward (GBR)

Saturday, 1:00 p.m.                                 Doubles:                  Bob and Mike Bryan (USA) vs. Jamie Murray/Dominic Inglot (GBR)

Sunday, 1:00 p.m.                                   Singles C:                John Isner (USA) vs. Andy Murray (GBR)

                                  Singles D:                Donald Young (USA) vs. James Ward (GBR)

*Team captains may substitute the doubles team up to one hour before the match.

DAY ONE NOTES

The United States will face off against Great Britain for the second consecutive year in the 2015 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas World Group First Round. The best-of-five match series will be played on an indoor hard court at Emirates Arena in Glasgow, Scotland, from March 6-8.

“I don’t usually put on a suit… but hey the kid not bad in one! #Yimlife” – Photo by @donaldyoungjr via Instagram.

Tomorrow’s singles play will first feature world No. 47 Donald Young against world No. 5 Andy Murray. Young and Murray met in last year’s Davis Cup World Group First Round tie at Petco Park in San Diego with Murray winning the match, 6-1, 6-2, 6-3, in Young’s Davis Cup debut. Young and Murray have met three times on the ATP World Tour—2011 US Open, 2011 Indian Wells, 2011 Bangkok—with Murray holding a 2-1 record over Young. Young won the meeting in Indian Wells. Murray holds a 19-2 singles record in Davis Cup, his only losses to Top 20 players Stanislas Wawrinka in 2005 and Fabio Fognini in 2014. Murray also holds a 7-0 record on hard courts. Murray won both of the singles points against the U.S. in last year’s World Group First Round. Young holds a 0-1 record in Davis Cup after his loss to Murray last year.

In the second match of the day, top American and world No. 20 John Isner will face world No. 111 James Ward. Isner and Ward have never met on the ATP World Tour, but played once before at a USTA Pro Circuit Challenger in 2009, in Savannah, Ga., with Isner claiming the victory. Earlier this year, Isner and Ward played in an exhibition in Melbourne, Australia, and Ward won. Isner will be competing in his 10th Davis Cup tie and holds an 8-7 singles record (3-2 on hard courts). Isner was originally named to the U.S. team in their tie against Great Britain last year, but did not compete due to injury. Ward holds a 9-7 singles record in Davis Cup (6-5 on hard courts) and upset American Sam Querrey in last year’s World Group First Round tie en route to Great Britain’s victory over the U.S.

The United States-Great Britain rivalry is the oldest in Davis Cup history, dating back to the first competition in 1900, when the U.S. defeated Great Britain in Boston. The United States is 11-8 all-time against Great Britain and had won the last four Davis Cup ties against the Brits prior to 2014. This will be the third time that the U.S. and Great Britain will square off in the current World Group format (1999, 2014 and 2015). The U.S. is 77-45 in Davis Cup when competing away, playing at 81 different venues in 38 countries.

The U.S. leads all nations with 32 Davis Cup titles and owns the longest uninterrupted run in the World Group, dating back to 1989. The U.S. holds a 214-68 all-time Davis Cup record and has a winning record against 35 of the 39 countries faced and a level record with one country. The U.S. is undefeated versus 21 countries and holds an active winning streak against 34 nations. Founded in 1900, Davis Cup is the world’s largest annual international men’s team competition with 126 nations entered in 2015.

The winner of this match will play either France or Germany in the quarterfinals, July 17-19. 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, September 18-20.

WHERE TO WATCH

Tennis Channel will air live daily coverage on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, beginning at 8:00 a.m. ET (1:00 p.m. local time).

UNITED STATES QUOTES

Captain Jim Courier

On what to expect from the matches on Friday…

“The energy that players get in an environment like tomorrow is a very different feeling. Some people rise to the occasion, some shrink. Rarely do players play normal, which makes it fun to watch and see what happens. That is the important thing about the competition. Players feel the team comradery and the pride and responsibility for their nation and need to manage that.”

On James Ward…

“We will be ready for James Ward. Last year in San Diego, his mental effort was very impressive. He did not waiver mentally one bit and turned the tie very quickly. We will be aware of his streaky nature. He has good patches and bad patches. We experienced it firsthand.”

On Andy Murray…

“Andy is one of the toughest outs in the business. He has offensive and defensive skills, which makes him a great player. However, everyone is beatable. No one goes undefeated in a season, though, so we need to go in with the idea that while we know he is a tough out, we have a puncher chance. We have skills and need to use them. If Andy is not sharp, he can be vulnerable. Andy has had some tough matches this year, but we also know he reached the Australian Open final for a reason. He knows he has it in him. We can’t worry about that and will need to control our side of the net.”

On Andy Murray playing in his “home”…

“It is a unique opportunity for Andy and for us, as well, to experience the vibe that the crowd will have for him. It is extra special for him to be playing here.”

On losing in San Diego last year…

“Last year in San Diego stung. We don’t like losing and certainly not at home. The Brits took it to us and won. We are here now in Glasgow. It’s a new year and we are a new team with John playing this time. It will be a great match with a great atmosphere.”

On choosing Donald Young…

“The decision for John, Bob and Mike was crystal clear. The second singles spot was in play in February. Donald performed well with the semifinal appearance at the Memphis Open and the final in Delray Beach. Sam suffered a back injury, which took him out of the running, so it came down to Steve Johnson and Donald. Donald outperformed him and earned his spot.”

John Isner

On John’s ups and downs in Davis Cup…

“I have certainly had some very good wins being the underdog and some losses when I was the favorite. Each day is different. Even though I am ranked ahead of James Ward, I know it will be tough. I anticipate myself to play well and anticipate him to play well, too.”

Donald Young

On how Donald feels this year compared to last year in Davis Cup…

“I feel more comfortable and confident than last year. Last year was my first time competing in Davis Cup. I had a ton of nerves starting the match off. It will be a tough match either way because Andy is a great player, but I feel like I am playing well and I look forward to seeing what happens.”

Bob Bryan

“We don’t know who the Great Britain team will throw at us. They have a few options and we are prepared for every option. I am sure the fans want to see the Murrays versus the Bryans. It is the marquee matchup. Dominic Inglot has a hot hand and has been playing us well in the last couple matches. He is the biggest server out there. We are here to do our job. We got here on Friday and have had some good practices. We are ready to go with whoever they choose.”

Mike Bryan

On Dominic Inglot…

Dominic is a good player or else he wouldn’t be named to team. We heard him called Dom the Bomb. He has some of the biggest serves in the game and is very aggressive. He is a big guy and not too lob-able. He is also all over the net and plays with a lot of power. You have to find a way to break him.”

“The big man always knows where the camera is. #usdaviscupteam” – Photo by @mikecbryan.

GREAT BRITAIN QUOTES

Captain Leon Smith

“It is a brilliant atmosphere here. It is a great arena and the court is playing good. It will make a big difference to have the loud crowd support.”

Andy Murray

“This is the biggest home tie that I have played. It is my home and where I grew up. It will be a great atmosphere and very competitive. We are teams that have a lot of history.”

“It is a great feeling to play in front of a crowd like this. The whole crowd is behind you, which it is not like that throughout the year. The arena is the perfect size. It will help us for sure.”

Topics: Andy Murray, Bryan Brothers, Davis Cup, Donald Young, Great Britain, James Ward, John Isner, Tennis, U.S.

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March 5, 2015 at 11:09 am

-@DavisCup #TENNIS: U.S. VS. #GREATBRITAIN DRAW AND DAY 1 PREVIEW- http://t.co/ODywcdDanQ #USA #DavisCup #daviscuptennis