Right after the Australian Open we are back to regular tennis, and this includes the first week of Davis Cup action. The British team has already kicked off things on Thursday, with Jack Draper making an impressive comeback alongside Cameron Norrie. The top-seed Spain and the host / defending champion Italy are already waiting in the second round or finals. Let’s have a look at all of the action this weekend and where the favorites are right into action.
Already underway – Britain & Japan
The weekend was kicked off by the clash between Great Britain and Norway, played in Oslo. With Casper Ruud still in baby break, the Norwegian singles players didn’t stand a chance against the very powerful British lineup of Draper and Norrie. The tie should go the way of the Brits now, who also have a powerful team for doubles in Julian Cash and Lloyed Glasspool. For Jack Draper, coming back from his long-term arm injury, this is just what the doctor ordered. His opponents are ranked 100+ in the world and he can find his way back into action smoothly, before taking to the ATP tour in Rotterdam next week.
Some highlights from Day 1:
Another tie under way is the matchup between Japan and Austria, which appears to be much more even than the Britain – Norway one. With Filip Misolic not playing, the Austrian number one will be Sebastian Ofner for the weekend. The former world No. 29 will face only players outside of the top 100, as Japan currently has no player ranked there, with Nishioka and Nishikori both well off of their former positions. They are both not playing, though. The singles line-up is Shintaro Mochizuki and Yosuke Watanuki and after the initial round the score is 1-1. The tie seems to be a toss-up, with Japan possibly having a slight advantage in the doubles match.
The strongest lineups – USA, Australia and France?
Straight after the Australian Open and with many top players resting, the lineups aren’t quite what some country names would suggest. But a few teams have come out to play with a part of their stars, making them the early favorites for the qualifier round. The USA are bringing Tommy Paul as their number one against Hungary, with Christian Harrison and Austin Kraijcek playing doubles. This should give them the upside against the Hungarians, led by their number one player in Fabian Maroszan.
The same accounts for Australia, who will face underdog Ecuador with James Duckworth and Aleksandar Vukic, supported by Hijikata, Thompson and Kokkinakis for doubles. Most likely, Kokkinakis will only see playing time if the tie has been decided early, here. Contenders France have an incredibly deep lineup these days. Even without Arthur Fils, Ugo Humbert and Corentin Moutet, they can still sport one of the best singles teams with Arthur Rinderknech and Alexandre Muller. Bringing in Bonzi and Herbert as their doubles, they should be heavy favorites against Slovakia and their team.
Ties without clear favorites – Croatia vs Denmark and Chile vs Serbia
On paper, you would expect Serbia to be a clear favorite against Chile. But the Serbian have travelled to Santiago without Djokovic, Kecmanovic and Medjedovic, leaving Dusan Lajovic alongside youngster Ognjen Milic. And, as we all know, the South Americans are notoriously known for their home crowd and fighting spirit, leaving Alejandro Tabilo, Nicolas Jarry and Tomas Barrios Vera the slight favorites here. It would be a surprise for Serbia to win here, especially with Chile even having Cristian Garin as a backup available.
Denmark is another country missing their top player, as Holger Rune is recovering from his achilles tear from last season. They will go to Varazdin, Croatia, with Elmer Moeller and August Holmgren taking on Dino Prizmic and company. The singles matches look very even, but of course Croatia has a history of dominant doubles teams and will bring Mektic/Pavic as their lineup this time around. If Denmark can win their singles, they should be in good shape, but this tie could very well go either way.
Other favorites looking good
Some other teams, that could be favorites in full shape later on, are looking towards more relaxed ties in the qualifier round. Team Germany will take on Peru without Sascha Zverev, but with Struff, Hanfmann and youngster Justin Engel, as well as their No. 1 doubles team Krawietz/Pütz. The four-men-team from Peru will have a hard time facing this lineup in Düsseldorf this weekend.
Same accounts for Canada, who can count on Gabriel Diallo in their tie against Brazil in Vancouver. Brazil will be without Joao Fonseca and Thiago Seyboth Wild, making world No. 207 Joao Lucas Reis their top player. Other teams looking strong include Belgium against Bulgaria, Czechia against Sweden and Argentina against Korea. Do you anticipate any surprises for the ties above or any others not mentioned?
Qualifier ties this weekend
Chile vs Serbia
Germany vs Peru
Croatia vs Denmark
Ecuador vs Australia
Norway vs Great Britain
Bulgaria vs Belgium
Japan vs Austria
India vs Netherlands
Korea, Rep. vs Argentina
Hungary vs USA
Czechia vs Sweden
France vs Slovakia
Canada vs Brazil