Djokovic and Kyrgios Lead Push for Davis Cup Semifinals Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic
An exciting weekend of Davis Cup action is in the books, and semifinals await in Belgium and France, while a host of nations have a shot at reaching the World Group in 2018 via the World Group playoffs.
Belgium d. Italy 3-2 (3-1 on live rubbers)
The leadership of David Goffin and Steve Darcis continued to shine for Belgium as they both won matches on Friday over Paolo Lorenzi and Andreas Seppi respectively to setup Belgium to capture the tie and reach the semifinals. Despite Seppi and Simone Bolelli winning the doubles over Ruben Bemelmans and Joris De Loore to extend the tie, Goffin eased past Lorenzi in the decider. In the dead rubber, Alessandro Giannessi beat De Loore, perhaps showing he should have been the choice over Lorenzi in the decisive rubber.
Australia d. USA 3-2 (3-1 on live rubbers)
It was a huge week for Nick Kyrgios, who has had a fantastic last month or so. Kyrgios beat John Isner and Sam Querrey without so much as dropping a set to push Australia through to the semifinals at home in Brisbane. Jordan Thompson was also huge, as Thompson upset Jack Sock on Friday. The USA was able to keep the tie alive with a doubles rubber win by Steve Johnson and Sock over John Peers and Sam Groth, but Kyrgios was simply unbreakable in his matches. John Isner would go on to win a dead rubber, but it will be Australia taking on Belgium for a spot in the DC final.
France d. Great Britain 4-1 (3-0 on live rubbers)
Clay was kryptonite for team GB as Lucas Pouille, Jeremy Chardy, and Julien Benneteau/Nicolas Mahut dominated Kyle Edmund, Dan Evans, and Dominic Inglot/Jamie Murray to rule their DC tie 3-0, dropping just one set in the decisive doubles rubber. The British side never looked comfortable on the slower surface, with Evans claiming a dead rubber win, while Chardy also did so. The French side may not have a “star” player, but it remains the deepest in the DC field.
Serbia d. Spain 4-1 (3-0 on live rubbers)
A healthy and motivated Novak Djokovic helped Serbia take care of business against a weaker Spanish side, Djokovic and Viktor Troicki won in straights over Albert Ramos and Pablo Carreno Busta on Friday, then Troicki and “old man” Nenad Zimonjic beat PCB and Marc Lopez to clinch the tie in the doubles rubber. Dusan Lajovic and Ramos would split results in the dead rubbers, but Djokovic now heads into a semifinal against France as the undisputed best player left in the competition this year. He looks ready to do damage in the semis and hopefully the final, and if Serbia is going to win the Davis Cup he’ll most likely need to sweep the matches in which he plays.
Results outside of the World Group
India and Kazakhstan dominated China and Uzbekistan respectively to reach the World Group playoffs, despite India dealing with a row between captain Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes, they still played well. Brazil and Colombia are both heading to the World Group playoffs as well, with Thomaz Bellucci and Santiago Giraldo leading the way past Ecuador and Chile respectively.
Robin Haase went 3-0 in his matches as Holland beat Bosnia to reach the WG playoffs, Belarus beat Austria’s Melzer brothers to do the same, while Joao Sousa’s Portugal were efficient and decisive over Ukraine winning 4-1. Sweden, Lithuania, Denmark, and South Africa will be competing for promotion to Europe/Africa group 1 in 2018.
2017 Davis Cup World Group Round 1 Preview and Predictions Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic
The Davis Cup kicks off for 2017 this weekend, in matches that feature Novak Djokovic, Nick Kyrgios, Jack Sock, John Isner, Richard Gasquet, Alexander Zverev, and Dan Evans among others. Here is your preview and predictions for the matchups, with a look at who might shine in the national colors this weekend.
The only world group tie taking place on clay this weekend pits defending champions Argentina against fellow clay loving nation Italy in Buenos Aires. Three top 100 Argentines, Diego Schwartzman, Carlos Berlocq, and Guido Pella are on the home squad, with veteran Leonardo Mayer as the fourth player. Veteran Paolo Lorenzi is Italy’s top ranked player, with Fabio Fognini, an in-form Andreas Seppi, and comeback kid Simone Bolelli completing their team. Bolelli hasn’t played a pro match since the middle of 2016, so it’s uncertain what part he’ll play in the tie. Home soil should inspire Argentina, a nation that fights hard in this team events, but with Lorenzi and Seppi as the top 2 players in this tie overall, I give Italy a slight edge to advance.
The Zverev brothers recent success in Melbourne could continue on indoor hard courts in Frankfurt against Belgium. Along with Alexander and Mischa, Germany has veteran Philipp Kohlschreiber, and top 60 ATP level player J.L. Struff to round out their squad. Belgium has veteran Steve Darcis leading the way, he’ll be playing alongside Ruben Bemelmans, Arthur De Greef, and Joris De Loore. The Belgians have just one top 60 player, while Germany has four. Regardless of how each team captain decides their rubber nominations, presuming team Germany is fit, they should win.
After the Australian Open, the green and gold squad of Nick Kyrgios, Jordan Thompson, Sam Groth, and AO doubles champion John Peers got to stay in Melbourne to face off with the Czech Republic on outdoor hard courts. Veteran Radek Stepanek leads them, as Jiri Vesely, Jan Satral, and young gun Zdenek Kolar complete their squad. Stepanek is solid for the doubles, and Vesely will put up a fight, but presuming Kyrgios is healthy, he should win his matches. Given the Aussie edge in doubles, and the fact Thompson is an improving player, team Australia should prevail.
Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka didn’t travel down south to Birmingham, Alabama for an indoor hard court contest against team USA. Without having much depth beyond their top two players, the Swiss are at a huge disadvantage against the Yanks. Jack Sock, John Isner, Sam Querrey, and Steve Johnson are all solid ATP players, while Henri Laaksonen, Marco Chiudinelli, Adrien Bossel, and Antoine Bellier are lacking in tour level accomplishments. Team United States should win with ease.
France hasn’t won the Davis Cup since 2001, but they once again bring one of the strongest and most well balanced team to the tournament. Veterans Richard Gasquet, Gilles Simon, and Nicolas Mahut lead team France. Pierre-Hugues Herbert is also on hand to pair with Mahut in the doubles tie. Japan is missing Kei Nishikori, which means Taro Daniel and Yoshihito Nishioka will be playing lead roles. Yasutaka Uchiyama and Yuichi Sugita are also on hand at home on indoor hard courts. Given the ATP level accomplishments of Gasquet and Simon, team France are heavy favorites against an inexperienced Japanese team. Mahut and Herbert should take the doubles and clinch the tie.
Despite the absence of ATP giants Andy Murray and Milos Raonic in Ottawa, this indoor hard court matchup between two commonwealth nations should be competitive, and entertaining. Teenager Denis Shapovalov and 44 year old Daniel Nestor are on the opposite ends of the career spectrum, but will play integral roles for team Canada in this tie. Vasek Pospisil and Peter Polansky round out the home squad. Team GB has the rising Dan Evans leading the way, with Kyle Edmund as #2 singles, and Jamie Murray and Dominic Inglot for doubles.
Evans should have an edge in both singles matches, given his 7-2 start to the season, and the British doubles pairing is strong, despite Nestor and Pospisil’s doubles success. Given their edge in at least three of the five possible matches, team GB are my pick. Great Britain‘s Edmund is also in better form than the struggling Pospisil, Shapovalov, and Polansky.
Novak Djokovic and Viktor Troicki will lead the way at home on indoor hard courts against Russia. Serbia brings Nenad Zimonjic for doubles, and Dusan Lajovic serves as their backup single player. Russia counters with two young guns, Daniil Medvedev and Karen Khachanov. Andrey Kuznetsov, an ATP level player, is also on their team, with Konstantin Kravchuk as their fourth player. Presuming Djokovic plays for Serbia throughout the competition, paired alongside Troicki, this Serbian team are favorites to take home the title at years end, and Serbia should routine Russia in this one, barring once in a lifetime performances from Russia in singles.
Spain brings three top 40 singles players to do battle on indoor hard courts in Croatia. The defending DC finalist Croats are lacking all of their nation’s top men’s tennis talents. A team of Franko Skugor, Nikola Mektic, Ante Pavic, and Marin Draganja, all relative journeymen, is unlikely to stand up well against Roberto Bautista Agut, Pablo Carreno Busta, and the Lopez brothers, Feliciano and Marc. Spain should sweep, with the Lopez brothers clinching the doubles rubber.
Notable Action Outside of the World Group
Tunisia’s Malek Jaziri leads the way against Sweden, while Casper Ruud leads a young Norwegian team against Latvia in the only notable ties in Group 2 level play. Taiwan and China face off in an Asia Group 1 tie that should roil political tensions. Denis Istomin, fresh off his victory against Novak Djokovic in Melbourne leads Uzbekistan against a young South Korean team that should feature recent Challenger champion Hyeon Chung, and the deaf Duckhee Lee.
In Europe/Africa Group 1, Lukas Lacko and Martin Klizan’s Slovakia will will be favorites against Hungary. 39 year old Max Mirnyi should play for Belarus against Romania, and Joao Sousa’s Portugal are home favorites against Dudi Sela and Israel.
2016 Davis Cup World Group Round 1 Recap: Serbia Survives, Czechs and Americans Prevail Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic
The Davis Cup World Group saw no opening round upsets this year, though a star studded Serbia team was put to the test against Kazakhstan. Here is a recap of all the weekend Davis Cup action.
Andy Murray nearly did it alone for team GB in Birmingham. The British #1 demolished Taro Daniel on Friday, then teamed with his brother Jamie to handle the Japanese doubles team of Yasutaka Uchiyama and Yoshihito Nishioka on Saturday. Kei Nishikori had beaten Dan Evans in a competitive three set contest on Friday to force competitive action on Saturday, but he would need to get past Murray to force a live fifth rubber.
Murray quickly build a two set lead, at which point Nishikori had his back against the wall. Kei forced a fifth set with improved play, but after five breaks of serve in the final set, Murray served the match out to win the tie. The fifth rubber was then canceled as Birmingham native Dan Evans was only needed once. Next for the defending champion Brits is team Serbia on the road.
Serbia d. Kazakhstan 3-2
Serbia had a top 20 doubles player,the world #1 singles player Novak Djokovic, and top 30 player Viktor Troicki on their squad. On paper, they should have swept at Kazakh team playing on the road without a top 50 player. When it came to the actual matches, the result ended up being quite different. Djokovic started the tie with a routine win over challenger veteran Aleksandr Nedovyesov in straight sets, but team leader Mikhail Kukushkin steadied his team and upset Viktor Troicki in straight sets to even the tie at 1-1 on Friday.
Andrey Golubev and Nedovyesov then combined to stun Djokovic and Nenad Zimonjic for the biggest win of their career in doubles. Even more shockingly, the Golubev/Nedovyesov tandem got the job done in straight sets, as Djokovic was well off his game.
Facing elimination, Djokovic went up against Kukushkin in an all out war for the first three sets. Kukushkin won the first set in a tiebreak, lost the second set tiebreak, and then came back to win the third set, putting Serbia just a set away from elimination. Djokovic upped his game at that point however, overcoming any injury or rust he may be carrying to win the final two sets 6-3 6-2 and force a live fifth rubber.
Called on for the third time in the tie, Nedovyesov lost in straight sets to Troicki, who shook off his poor showing on Friday to erase any doubts of a Kazakh miracle win. Serbia still has some great players, but they won’t be able to afford to play so poorly against team GB in the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, you have to admire the fight and warrior’s heart of the underdog Kazakh team.
Italy d. Switzerland 5-0
On indoor clay, Italy proved too much for a lowly ranked Swiss team. Marco Chiudinelli gave it his all in the opening tie, only to lose in a long fifth set to Paolo Lorenzi, a true dirtballing warrior. Andreas Seppi then finished off Henri Laaksonen in four competitive sets to give Italy a 2-0 lead.
In the final live rubber, Seppi and Simone Bolelli dominated an exhausted Chiudinelli/Laaksonen in straight sets to win the tie. In the dead rubbers, Lorenzi beat Davis Cup débutante Antoine Bellier, and Marco Cecchinato beat Adrien Bossel, both in straight sets. Italy will host Argentina in the quarterfinals.
Argentina d. Poland 3-2 (3-1 on live rubbers)
This tie was live on Sunday, but the Poles simply lacked the talent to defeat Argentina, even with the crowd behind them. The experienced Leonardo Mayer defeated Hubert Hurkacz, and Guido Pella defeated Michal Przysiezny in straight sets on Friday to give Argentina 2-0 lead. Poland then called on their veterans Marcin Matkowski and Lukasz Kubot to keep the tie alive, and they did so, defeating Carlos Berlocq and Renzo Olivo in four sets.
Mayer then defeated Przysiezny from a set down to win the tie, with Hurkacz winning his first Davis Cup rubber over Olivo in a dead fifth rubber. Argentina will travel to Italy for their next tie.
The Caribbean paradise of Guadeloupe saw the French tricolore waved proudly as a loaded French team dominated a weakened Canadian one without dropping a set. Gael Monfils demolished Frank Dancevic, and Gilles Simon outdueled Vasek Pospisil on clay to take a 2-0 lead on Friday. Richard Gasquet and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga then defeated Pospisil and Philip Bester to win the doubles rubber and capture the tie. Gasquet beat Bester in the dead fourth rubber, and Dancevic retired in the dead fifth rubber. France will next travel to the Czech Republic with a great chance to win the Davis Cup.
An injury to Tomas Berdych resulted in this tie going to a live fifth rubber, but young gun Alexander Zverev was the weak link for team Germany at home. Philipp Kohlschreiber lead the way for Germany, winning an opening fifth set match against Lukas Rosol. Berdych then fired back with a tough five set win over Zverev, who put his heart and soul into the match. Berdych and veteran Radek Stepanek won the doubles in straight sets over Kohlschreiber and veteran Philipp Petzschner.
In the live fourth rubber, Kohlschreiber won the first two sets over Berdych, who then promptly retired with an injury. That thrust Zverev into the spotlight against Rosol, but the big hitting Czech demolished him 6-2 6-3 6-1. Zverev was never really into the match, even though it should have been more competitive. The Czech Republic will host France next.
The unretirement of Lleyton Hewitt wasn’t enough to save Australia on grass against team USA in a battle between two of tennis’ historical giants. John Isner was the hero for team USA as the big server won matches over Sam Groth in straights on Friday, and Bernard Tomic in four sets on Sunday to clinch the tie. Isner had a surprisingly great return game on grass.
Tomic beat Jack Sock in four sets on Friday, and the Bryan Brothers beat John Peers, and Aussie captain Lleyton Hewitt in the doubles tie, though it went five sets, and Hewitt played quite well for a (just) retired player. Despite the leadership of Hewitt, the Australian team had a running spat all weekend about whether young gun Nick Kyrgios was fit enough to play and should have helped his country out. A frustrated Bernard Tomic accused Kyrgios of faking an injury in the match against Isner.
With the result, team USA will host Croatia in the quarterfinals.
Croatia d. Belgium 3-2
The young Borna Coric won a live fifth rubber to send Croatia into the quarterfinals of the World Group, and end the hopes of Belgium to reach the Davis Cup final once more. Coric lost his five set contest with David Goffin on Friday, though he battled to the end from 2 sets to love down. Marin Cilic beat Kimmer Coppejans in straight sets on Friday though to even the tie at 1-1.
Ivan Dodig and Franko Skugor then got the job done for Croatia over Ruben Bemelmans and Goffin. Goffin scored a minor upset over Cilic to force a live fifth rubber. With Bemelmans injured, Coppejans was called on again, and that was when Coric won in straight sets to send Croatia through.
Action outside the World Group
Wins for Ecuador and Chile in Americas Group 1 one set them up for battles with Brazil and Colombia respectively for a spot in the World Group Playoffs. India will face Korea, and China will face Uzbekistan in the final round of Asia’s Group 1. In Europe/Africa Group 1, Romania beat Slovenia, Dominic Thiem and Austria handled Portugal, Russia beat Sweden, and Hungary slipped past Israel. Romania hosts Spain, Ukraine hosts Austria, Russia hosts the Netherlands, and Hungary hosts Slovakia for spots in the World Group playoffs.
In notable Europe/Africa group 2 ties, Bosnia’s Mirza Basic won an 18-16 fourth set tiebreak and went on to lead his nation to a win over Malek Jaziri and Tunisia. Marsel Ilhan won twice to give Turkey a win over Bulgaria in a battle of neighbors in Ankara, Turkey.
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