A semi-final berth is at stake when Australia and the United States lock horns in the Davis Cup World Group quarter-finals in Brisbane this weekend.
This will be the second time in just over twelve months that the two countries have met at Davis Cup level. Although Australia did host the USA in their previous tie at Kooyong last year, the nation has hosting rights in this match-up for the second consecutive tie due to the “Boston agreement”.
Normally, when two countries meet in any Davis Cup tie, the hosting rights would be alternated, but while Australia had the hosting rights in their 1999 World Group quarter-final tie, they agreed to play the USA in Boston as part of the Davis Cup’s centenary celebrations that year.
That was current captain Lleyton Hewitt’s first Davis Cup tie as a player.
Because of this, the next two ties between Australia and the USA would be played in the former country, though it wasn’t until last year that they would meet again on this stage.
On that occasion, the Australians, who were missing Nick Kyrgios due to illness, lost to the United States 4-1 on the grass courts of Kooyong, but then avoided relegation to their Zonal Group by whitewashing Slovakia in Sydney on grass last September.
Thirteen months on, the Aussies will seek revenge against Jim Courier’s side when they face off at the Queensland Tennis Centre this weekend, with a semi-final berth at stake.
The tie will employ the same plexicushion surface used during the Australian summer of tennis.
Marshaling the Australian campaign will be Nick Kyrgios, who is coming off an extremely impressive past month-and-a-half in which he reached three semi-finals and one quarter-final, and scored two victories against Novak Djokovic from as many attempts.
His attempt to defend a title for the first time in his career ended in a respectable semi-final defeat to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Marseille, but it was his following three tournaments that would make the tennis world take notice of his talents and not the controversies that plagued his early career.
In Acapulco, Kyrgios defeated Novak Djokovic in straight sets, in his first meeting against the former world number one, in the quarter-finals before losing to eventual champion Sam Querrey in the semi-finals.
The Canberran then repeated the dose on the Serb at Indian Wells, where he was the three-time defending champion, again defeating him in straight sets before illness cost him a shot at Roger Federer in the quarter-finals.
In neither of his two victories against Djokovic did the 21-year-old face a single break point, making both of them all the more astonishing and somewhat unbelievable.
He then repeated his run to the semi-finals in Miami from last year, stretching Federer to his ultimate limits what many have touted as “the greatest non-Grand Slam match of all time”.
At 5-4 in the final set tiebreak, Kyrgios was two points away from reaching what would have been the biggest final in his career until some idiocy in the crowd saw him drop the final three points of the three-set heartstopper.
He has credited his recent impressive form to the strong bonding he created with his fellow teammates during Australia’s first round victory over the Czech Republic, which followed his disappointing performance at the Australian Open in which he lost to Andreas Seppi in the second round.
Kyrgios will be crucial to Australia’s chances of progressing to the semi-finals for the second time in three years, especially with Bernard Tomic missing once again due to form and management issues.
The other singles contestant, Jordan Thompson, will kick off proceedings on Pat Rafter Arena this afternoon when he faces world number 15 Jack Sock, after which Kyrgios will face John Isner, whom he defeated to win his second career title in Atlanta last August, in the second singles rubber.
Sam Groth and John Peers will then pair up for tomorrow’s doubles rubber against Steve Johnson and Sam Querrey, before Kyrgios and Thompson take on Sock and Isner respectively in Sunday’s reverse singles.
If the tie by that point is 2-1 in Australia’s favour, Kyrgios will be playing to give Australia the win, otherwise, the fifth rubber between Thompson and Isner will decide the tie.
As per the Grand Slam tournaments, the best-of-five format will be employed for all matches, and, under new rules approved in September 2015, a tiebreak will be used if the score in the fifth and final set of any live match goes to 6-all (as per at the US Open).
If the tie is won in either the third or fourth rubbers, then any remaining matches will be rendered as exhibition matches and will therefore employ the best-of-three format, or the final match may not be played depending on the state of affairs.
This is unlike in the Fed Cup, in which ties take place across two days rather than three, and the second of the reverse singles rubbers is not contested if the score by that point is 3-0. However, the doubles is still contested as an exhibition match.
The winner of this tie will face either Belgium or Italy in the semi-finals, while the loser can start preparing for the first round of the 2018 Davis Cup as they won’t play another tie again in 2017.
Australia versus United States
April 7-9
Queensland Tennis Centre, Brisbane, Australia
Head to head (all Davis Cup ties): United States 26-20
Last meeting: United States 3-1 in Kooyong, Australia, first round, 2016 Davis Cup World Group.
First round
Australia 4-1 Czech Republic
United States 5-0 Switzerland
Schedule
Friday, April 7 – Singles
Play starts at 12:00pm, telecast is on the Seven Network
Jordan Thompson (AUS) versus Jack Sock (USA)
Nick Kyrgios (AUS) versus John Isner (USA)
Saturday, April 8 – Doubles
Play starts at 1:00pm, telecast is on 7TWO
Sam Groth/John Peers (AUS) versus Steve Johnson/Sam Querrey (USA)
Sunday, April 9 – Reverse singles
Play starts at 12:00pm, telecast is on 7TWO
Nick Kyrgios (AUS) versus Jack Sock (USA)
Jordan Thompson (AUS) versus John Isner (USA)
The schedule is subject to change without notice.
Prediction
United States 3-2.
The other three Davis Cup World Group quarter-finals are as follows (parentheses indicates the surface the tie will be contested on):
* Italy versus Belgium in Charleroi, Belgium (indoor hard)
* France versus Great Britain in Rouen, France (indoor clay)
* Serbia versus Spain in Belgrade, Serbia (indoor hard)
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