U.S. to Open 2016 Davis Cup Campaign ‘Down Under’
The U.S. Davis Cup team last week in Uzbekistan
On the heels of the U.S. Davis Cup Playoff round win over Uzbekistan last weekend to stay in the elite World Group for 2016, this week the International Tennis Federation unveiled the 2016 Davis Cup World Group draw, which has the U.S. traveling to Australia to renew one of the sport’s oldest rivalries.
On March 2-6, 2016 the U.S. will play at Australia at a venue and on a surface to be named. The Aussies will be without former No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt, who will retire at the 2016 Australian Open, but they will have a dangerous young trio of players in current No. 20-ranked Bernard Tomic, No. 42 Nick Kyrgios, and No. 70 Thanasi Kokkinakis.
The winner advances to the World Group Quarterfinal in July, while the losing nation will compete in the World Group Playoff next September.
The United States has faced Australia more times than any country, holding a 25-20 overall winning record. The two countries last met in 1999, in a World Group quarterfinal tie played in Chestnut Hill, Mass., where the U.S. lost 4-1. The U.S. leads all nations with 32 Davis Cup titles (Australia is second with 28), holds a 215-69 all-time Davis Cup win-loss record and owns the longest uninterrupted run in the World Group,
dating to 1989.
Other World Group first round match-ups will be Japan at Great Britain, Kazakhstan at Serbia, Switzerland at Italy, Argentina at Poland, Canada at France, Czech Republic at Germany, and Croatia at Belgium.
For more information go to www.usta.com/daviscup or www.daviscup.
U.S. Jr. Davis, Fed Cup Teams Defend Titles This Week
Last year’s champion U.S. Junior Davis Cup and Junior Fed Cup teams
Tampa’s 16-year-old Vasil Kirkov will represent the U.S. this week when some of the top American juniors participate in the Junior Davis Cup and Junior Fed Cup competitions, featuring players age 16 and under, on Sept. 29-Oct. 4 on red clay in Madrid, Spain.
Kirkov’s highlights this year include advancing to the Boys’ 18s singles semifinals and winning the doubles title, with Sam Riffice, at this year’s USTA National Clay Court Championships.
Kirkov is joined on the U.S. Junior Davis Cup team by Patrick Kypson (15, Greenville, N.C.; Coach: Chris Cloer), Sam Riffice (16, Roseville, Calif.; Coaches: Sylvain Guichard, Lori Riffice), and USTA National Coach Sylvain Guichard.
The U.S. Junior Fed Cup team is all-Californian, comprised of Kayla Day (16, Santa Barbara, Calif.; Coaches: Mike Gennette, Aaron Webster, Adam Peterson, Leo Azevedo), Michaela Gordon (16, Los Altos Hills, Calif.; Coach: John Hubbell), Claire Liu (15, Thousand Oaks, Calif.; Coaches: Mike Gennette, Adam Peterson, Leo Azevedo), and USTA National Coach Adam Peterson.
The competition includes 16 nations on both the boys’ and girls’ sides, competing first in round-robin groups, then in a knockout bracket to determine the winner. In 2014, the U.S. swept both titles for the second time in seven years.
For complete tournament information go to www.itftennis.com/juniors/home.aspx.
Florida Players Claim Titles at USPTA $15,000 Masters Invitational
Six Florida players won titles at the inaugural United States Professional Tennis Association’s (USPTA) Masters Invitational, taking home a portion of the $15,000 in prize money. The Masters Invitational was held during the USPTA World Conference at the Hilton Riverside in New Orleans.
Stefano Ianni of Miami earned the men’s open singles division title after defeating the 2014 USPTA Men’s Open Singles Player of the Year, Adrians Zguns of Orlando, 1-6, 6-1, 6-1. The pair partnered up earlier in the week to take home the top prize in the men’s open doubles division.
The USPTA Men’s 35 Singles Player of the Year, Paulo Barros of Winter Garden, Fla., won the Masters Invitational title in the same division. Jeff Cohen of Boca Raton, Fla., won the men’s 45 singles division crown after edging Frank Vermeer of Jacksonville, Fla., 6-4, 7-6. Cohen and Vermeer also paired up to earn the men’s 45 doubles division title by defeating Tom Breece and Rob Horsch 6-0, 6-2 in the finals.
Hans Gallauer of St. Petersburg, Fla., went down to the wire with Pat Serret but came up victorious with a 7-5, 1-6, 6-4 win for the men’s 55 singles division title.
The USPTA Masters Invitational featured the top point earners from the four USPTA Surface Championships in 2014-15 who were selected to compete based on their finish. Divisions included men’s 35 singles, men’s 45 doubles, men’s 45 singles, men’s 55 singles, men’s open doubles, men’s open singles, and women’s open singles. The total prize money for the event was $15,000, which was the largest amount awarded of all the USPTA tournaments.
Full results of the 2015 USPTA Masters Invitational are available on getcourtside.com.
