LATEST TENNIS NEWS – GREAT BRITAIN TAKES ON AUSTRALIA, WHILE BELGIUM FACES OFF AGAINST ARGENTINA

Written by: Staff on 16th September 2015

LATEST TENNIS NEWS - GREAT BRITAIN TAKES ON AUSTRALIA, WHILE BELGIUM FACES OFF AGAINST ARGENTINA

epa04853380 Britain's Davis Cup team celebrates after beating France 3-1 during the Davis Cup quarter final match at the Queens Club in London, Britain, 19 July 2015. EPA/ANDY RAIN |

Great Britain has not won the Davis Cup since 1936, but can count on Andy Murray and a supportive home crowd in Glasgow in the semi-finals against 28-time champion Australia.

Belgium and Argentina have never gone all the way in Davis Cup competition, combining for a 0-5 final record. Whichever team can get to three wins first this weekend will have a chance to rectify the situation.

BELGIUM AND GREAT BRITAIN LOOK TO END BARREN RUN…

Belgium and Great Britain are both bidding to end a lengthy wait for a place in the Davis Cup Final. Belgium is looking for its first Final since 1904 when, in its debut year in the competition, it lost to British Isles 5-0, while Great Britain is seeking a place in the Davis Cup Final for the first time since 1978, when it lost 4-1 to USA. By contrast, Argentina last reached the Final in 2011 and Australia won its last appearance in the title decider in 2003.

HISTORY IN THE MAKING?

Australia is in the most familiar territory of the four semi-finalists, having won the Davis Cup on 28 occasions, most recently in Melbourne 12 years ago. Though Great Britain has won the title on nine occasions, it has been 79 years since its last triumph in 1936. Argentina and Belgium have never won the Davis Cup.

GREAT BRITAIN DOMINATING FELLOW GRAND SLAM NATIONS?

Great Britain is bidding to become the first nation to defeat the three other Grand Slam nations in consecutive ties since it defeated Australia, USA and France en route to winning the Davis Cup title in 1933. By defeating USA in the first round and France in the quarterfinals to set up a semi-final with Australia, Great Britain has become the first Grand Slam nation to face the three other Grand Slam nations in consecutive ties since France faced USA, Australia and Great Britain in back-to-back ties in 1989-1990.

UNSEEDED NATIONS…

Australia, Belgium and Great Britain have ensured that three unseeded nations feature in the World Group semi-finals for the first time in World Group history. Croatia (2005) and Serbia (2010) are the only unseeded nations to win the Davis Cup. Two unseeded nations have contested the Final on two occasions – in 2005 (Croatia d. Slovak Republic) and 2010 (Serbia d. France).

GREAT BRITAIN v. AUSTRALIA

GREAT BRITAIN is bidding to reach the Davis Cup Final for the first time since 1978, when it finished runner-up after losing 4-1 to USA.

Great Britain is looking to reach its 20th Davis Cup Final overall. The nation has been crowned Davis Cup champion nine times, with its last title coming in 1936 when it defeated this weekend’s opponents 3-2 in the Challenge Round Final.

Great Britain has advanced to the World Group semi-finals for the first time since 1981 after defeating USA 3-2 in the first round in Glasgow and France 3-1 in the quarterfinals at Queen’s Club. Great Britain lost to Argentina 5-0 the last time it reached this stage of the competition 34 years ago.

AUSTRALIA is bidding to reach its 49th Davis Cup Final but first since 2003, when it defeated Spain 3-1 in Melbourne.

Australia has advanced to the semi-finals for the first time since 2006. It defeated three-time Davis Cup champion Czech Republic 3-2 in the World Group first round in Ostrava and recovered from 0-2 down to defeat Kazakhstan 3-2 in the quarterfinals in Darwin. Australia’s win over Kazakhstan was just the 9th comeback from 0-2 in World Group history and the first time a nation had come back from 0-2 down on grass at any level of Davis Cup since Italy defeated Australia 3-2 on the surface in 1960.

Australia has been crowned Davis Cup champion 28 times, second only to USA (32) on the all-time list of Davis Cup champions. Lleyton Hewitt is the nation’s most successful player, with a total win-loss record of 58-19 and a singles win-loss record of 42-14. Hewitt has also played the most ties for Australia, with 40 (prior to this one) over 17 years.

BELGIUM v. ARGENTINA

BELGIUM is bidding to reach the Davis Cup Final for the first time since making its debut in the competition in 1904, when it finished runner-up to Great Britain.

Belgium is through to the World Group semi-finals for the first time since 1999 and just the second time since the inception of the World Group in 1981. In 1999, Belgium defeated Czech Republic and Switzerland before losing to France in the last four.

Belgium is bidding to win four consecutive Davis Cup ties for the first time since 1989-1990, when it won five straight ties to rise from Europe Group II into the World Group.

ARGENTINA is bidding to reach its fifth Davis Cup Final, having finished runner-up in 1981 (l. USA), 2006

(l. Russia), 2008 (l. Spain) and 2011 (l. Spain).

Argentina is one of three nations, along with India and Romania, to have reached more than one Davis Cup Final without being crowned champion, but the only one to have lost four Finals without winning the title.

Argentina is through to its 10th World Group semi-final since 2002. The nation is playing in the World Group for the 14th consecutive year.

WORLD GROUP PLAY-OFFS

India (c) v Czech Republic (s) R.K. Khanna Tennis Stadium, New Delhi, IND (hard – outdoors)

Switzerland (s) (c) v Netherlands Palexpo, Geneva, SUI (hard – indoors)

Russia (c) v Italy (s) Sports Palace ‘Baikal-Arena’, Irkutsk, RUS (hard – indoors)

Uzbekistan (c)* v USA (s) Olympic Tennis School, Tashkent, UZB (clay – outdoors)

Colombia (c) v Japan (s) Club Campestre, Pereira, COL (clay – outdoors)

Dominican Republic (c)* v Germany (s) Centro Nacional de Tenis Parque del Este, Santo Domingo,

DOM (hard – outdoors)

Brazil (c) v Croatia (s) Costao do Santinho Resort, Florianopolis, BRA (clay – outdoors)

Poland (c) v Slovakia (s) Gdynia Arena, Gdynia, POL (hard – indoors)

(s) = seed (c) = choice of ground * = choice of ground was decided by lot

Czech Republic will look to prolong its nine-year stay in the World Group when it takes on India in New Delhi. The Czechs are in unusual territory having reached at least the World Group semi-finals for the last three years, with this just the second World Group play-off Czech Republic has contested since 2007. India is featuring in the World Group play-offs for the second year running, having lost to Serbia at this stage last year. Victory over the three-time Davis Cup champion would send India back into the World Group for the first time since 2011.

2014 champion Switzerland takes on Netherlands in a bid to avoid dropping into Zone Group competition for the first time since 2011. Netherlands, meanwhile, will look to bounce back into the World Group after seeing Croatia end its first year in the competition’s top tier since 2009 in last year’s play-offs. This is the fourth meeting between Switzerland and Netherlands in 12 years, with Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka both set to face a Dutch team for a third time.

Russia and Italy go head-to-head for the first time since 1996, with Italy bidding to extend its 4-1 record over the host nation. The visitors, semi-finalists last year, will hope to maintain their four-year stay in the top tier of the competition, while Russia is looking to break free from Zone Group competition and return to the World Group for the first time since 2012.

Uzbekistan will hope to end a run of seven defeats in the World Group play-offs against USA in Tashkent. While the Uzbeks are through to the World Group play-offs for the fourth time in the last seven years – and eighth time overall – this is the first time the nation has had the advantage of playing a World Group play-off on home soil since 2000. USA will hope to stop the hosts recording a landmark victory and a maiden World Group berth, which would see Jim Courier’s men plunge into Zone Group competition for the first time since 1988.

After three failures in the World Group play-offs, Colombia will look to strike it fourth time lucky when it takes on Japan in Pereira. Japan came from 2-1 down to triumph in Tokyo when the two nations met for the first time at this stage of the competition in 2013, but Colombia will hope the benefit of playing at home can help it reach the World Group for the first time in history.

Dominican Republic hosts Germany in its first appearance in the World Group play-offs. A surprise victory would see the Dominicans become just the second Caribbean nation after Cuba (1993) to reach the competition’s top tier since the inception of the World Group in 1981. The host nation has already achieved a landmark just by reaching the play-offs, becoming only the third Caribbean nation to feature at this stage of the competition after Bahamas and Cuba. By contrast, Germany has spent just three years out of the World Group since 1981, and is bidding to extend its 10-year stay in the top tier.

Brazil and Croatia face off in a bid to maintain their World Group status for 2015. Brazil has lost seven of the nine World Group play-offs it has contested over the last nine years, but the nation will be buoyed by the fact that both of its play-off wins in that time – in 2012 and 2014 – came on home soil. Visitors Croatia will look to avoid dropping into Europe/Africa Zone Group I for only the third time since 2001, having played at that level in 2008 and 2014.

Slovakia will hope to end a nine-year absence from the World Group when it travels to Poland. The Slovaks have lost all four of the World Group play-offs they have contested since losing to Chile in the World Group first round in 2006. Poland, meanwhile, has arguably its best chance to reach the top tier of the competition for the first time, having lost to Australia in its only previous appearance in the play-offs in 2013.

Information courtesy ITF

Topics: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Davis Cup, Great Britiain, Itf, Tennis News

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September 16, 2015 at 8:15 am

LATEST TENNIS NEWS – GREAT BRITAIN TAKES ON AUSTRALIA, WHILE BELGIUM FACES OFF AGAINST ARGENTINA http://t.co/2PMQfdD5SS @DavisCup #DavisCup