U.S. TO FACE AUSTRALIA IN BRISBANE IN DAVIS CUP QUARTERS  

Jim Courier and Team USA will be going back Down Under in April when they travel to Brisbane for a Davis Cup quarterfinal rematch against Australia.

The tie will be played on an outdoor hard court at the Pat Rafter Arena, April 7-9, with a spot in the final four on the line.

It marks the second time in 15 months that the U.S. will be contesting a tie in Australia after beating the Aussies, 3-1, in Kooyong in the World Group first round last January.

Nations normally alternate which country hosts with each tie. However, the Americans and Australians played consecutive ties in the U.S. in 1997 and 1999, when the ITF staged the latter tie at the Longwood Cricket Club in Chestnut Hills, Mass., the site of the first-ever Davis Cup tie, as a 100th anniversary celebration of the competition. As a result, the two countries agreed their next two ties would be in Australia.

The U.S. is 26-20 all-time vs. Australia in a rivalry that dates back to 1905. The U.S. leads all nations with 32 Davis Cup titles and holds an overall 217-70 Davis Cup record.

In February, Team USA swept Switzerland, 5-0, in the World Group first round in Birmingham, Ala., while Australia beat the Czech Republic, 4-1.