BRISBANE, April 6, 2017
Jordan Thompson’s 100 per cent Davis Cup record will be on the line when he tackles in-form US-American Jack Sock in the opening singles rubber of the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas World Group quarterfinal tie between Australia and the United States.
Thompson, who won both his singles matches on his Davis Cup debut against the Czech Republic in February, will open proceedings at Pat Rafter Arena on Friday against Team USA’s No.1 player.
Nick Kyrgios, who has already reached three semifinals so far this season, will hope to continue his red-hot form against John Isner, one of the few players in the game with a bigger serve than the Australian.
The potentially pivotal doubles rubber on Saturday will see Australia’s experienced pair Sam Groth and John Peers face the American duo of Sam Querrey and Steve Johnson.
The tie concludes with the reverse singles on Sunday, when Kyrgios is scheduled to meet his close friend Sock, followed by Thompson up against Isner.
Team captain Lleyton Hewitt, Australia’s most successful Davis Cup player, is excited about the match-ups.
Speaking at the official draw, which took place at Brisbane’s Gallery of Modern Art on Thursday morning, he said: “Jordan has been in this position before, he executed his game plan perfectly against the Czech Republic and we’re hoping for more of the same from him on Friday.
“Nick couldn’t be in better form, I’d back him against most players in the world right now, so we’re ready to go and all the boys are up for the challenge.
“It’s not every day you get the opportunity to reach a Davis Cup semifinal, so we want the boys to seize their chance and not leave anything out there. Our planning and preparation so far has been great, now it’s down to these guys to go out there and execute the game plan. I couldn’t be prouder of them, and I’m sure they’ll go out there and make the country proud.”
Davis Cup Tie – Rich In Tradition
This is the 47th Davis Cup meeting between Australia and the United States, the two most successful nations in the history of the competition. The United States currently lead the head-to-head 26-20 and won the most recent meeting between the two teams last year on grass at Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club.
The last time the two teams met in a World Group quarterfinal was in 1999, when Australia won 4-1. This was the last tie Jim Courier played for the United States, while Lleyton Hewitt made his debut.
The United States have won the Davis Cup 32 times, with Australia second on the list with 28 titles. USA last won the tournament in 2007, Australia in 2003.
Both teams remain unchanged from the previous round, with Nick Kyrgios, Jordan Thompson, Sam Groth and John Peers set to represent Australia; while Jack Sock, John Isner, Sam Querrey and Steve Johnson will again represent the US-American team.
This will be the third time Queensland Tennis Centre’s Pat Rafter Arena has hosted a Davis Cup tie, and the first time a World Group quarterfinal will be played here. Australia have won both previous ties 5-0 played at Pat Rafter Arena: firstly against Japan in 2010, and two years later against Korea.
The winner of this tie will face either Italy or Belgium in the semifinals, which will be played in September.
