SOCK, QUERREY, ISNER TO LEAD U.S. DAVIS CUP VS. BELGIUM
Team USA will send one of its strongest possible teams to Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., next month, when the U.S. hosts Belgium for a spot in the Davis Cup semifinals.
Captain Jim Courier today named Top-20 players Jack Sock, Sam Querrey and John Isner to his lineup, along with world No. 53 Ryan Harrison and world No. 54 Steve Johnson.
The team includes five of the top six-ranked American men, with only Jared Donaldson, ranked No. 49, not included in his five-man squad to play in Nashville.
American men have started the 2018 season strong, with Davis Cup teammates Sock, ranked No. 11, and world No. 17 Isner capturing the doubles titles in Indian Wells last weekend and Querrey, currently ranked 14th, climbing to a career-high of No. 11 in the world after reaching the final of the inaugural New York Open in February.
Harrison is nominated to play in his fourth Davis Cup tie for the U.S. and second this year after clinching the doubles point in February in Serbia, while Johnson will be playing in his fourth consecutive Davis Cup tie and fifth overall.
The quarterfinal will be a best-of-five series played on a hard court at Belmont University’s Curb Event Center, April 6-8.
The winner of this tie advances to the World Group semifinals, Sept. 14-16, where it will face either Croatia or Kazakhstan, who will square off on the clay of Varazdin, Croatia. Should the U.S. win, the team will be making its first Davis Cup semifinal appearance since 2012.
In the other half of the draw, Italy will host defending champion France in Genova, while Germany will face Spain in Valencia.
The United States holds a 4-0 record over Belgium in Davis Cup play, with the two countries last playing in the 2005 World Group playoff in Leuven, Belgium. The U.S. won the tie, 4-1, with a team led by Andy Roddick, James Blake and Bob and Mike Bryan. Team USA also squared off against Belgium in the 1998 World Group quarterfinals in Indianapolis, as well as in 1953 and 1957.
Belgium's team will be announced in the next week, although top-ranked Belgian David Goffin, who twice led his country to the Davis Cup finals, will not play while he recovers from an eye injury.
With world No. 9 Goffin unavailable, Belgium will not have a Top-100 player on its team. Ruben Bemelmans, at No. 116 in the world, would be the team’s highest-ranked player should he be nominated.
World No. 139 Steve Darcis could face the U.S., as could Julien Cagnina, Arthur De Greef, Christopher Heyman and Kimmer Coppejans, who are all ranked between 240 and 278. Doubles specialists Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen, ranked No. 85 and 98 in the doubles rankings, respectively, could also be in contention for a spot on Captain Johan Van Herck’s squad.
Belgium nominated Goffin, Bemelmans, Joris De Loore and Cagnina in the first round against Hungary earlier this year.
Play begins at 4 p.m. local time (5 p.m. ET) on Friday, April 6, and Saturday, April 7, and at 2 p.m. local time (3 p.m. ET) on Sunday, April 8.
Friday will include two singles matches featuring each country’s No. 1 player against the other country’s No. 2 player. Saturday’s schedule features the doubles match, and the final day of play on Sunday features the two “reverse singles” matches, in which the No. 1 players square off, followed by the final match between the No. 2 players.
All matches are best-of-five sets until one nation clinches the tie. Sunday will feature a revised schedule if a team clinches in the third or fourth match. Tennis Channel will provide live daily coverage.
Fans can purchase single-day tickets and three-day ticket packages at www.usta.com/daviscup.
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