Tennis Host Andy Taylor. Davis Cup Nashville
Davis Cup Nashville. The Draw Ceremony. World Group Quarterfinal
You can’t host a Davis Cup Draw Ceremony in Nashville without a concert. Thursday’s draw began with a 30-minute set from husband and wife duo Two Story Road, before emcee Andy Taylor took the stage to welcome the teams and dignitaries.
Several guests joined Tournament Referee Norbert Peick on stage:
- Chairman of the Board and President of the USTA, Katrina Adams
- Belmont University’s President, Dr. Robert Fisher
- Carlos Bravo from the International Tennis Federation
- President of the Royal Belgian Tennis Federation, Andre Stein
- And Tennessee Governor Bill Halsam
[lightbox link=”https://andytayloronline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Andy-Taylor-Announcer-Davis-Cup-Nashville-2018-009.png” thumb=”https://andytayloronline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Andy-Taylor-Announcer-Davis-Cup-Nashville-2018-009-500×281.png” width=”500″ align=”right” title=”Davis Cup Tennis Announcer Andy Taylor. 2018 World Group Quarterfinal Nashville. Draw Ceremony at the Country Music Hall of Fame, featuring Two Story Road.” frame=”true” icon=”image” caption=”Two Story Road performs at the Draw Ceremony”]After a few words from the Governor and Mr. Bravo, Norbert Peick announced each team’s selections for Singles and Doubles. Jim Courier chose John Isner and Sam Querrey for Singles, Jack Sock and Ryan Harrison for doubles, and kept Steve Johnson on stand-by as an alternate. Captain Johan Van Herck, who’s two best players – David Goffin and Steve Darcis – are injured this weekend, selected Ruben Bemelmans and Joris De Loore as his Singles #1 and #2. Season-long partners Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen will play doubles.
Mr. Peick then stuffed each Singles players’ name inside a tennis ball, mixed them in a glass bowl, and drew John Isner’s name first – creating the weekend’s order of play. On day-1, it is each team’s top singles player versus the opponent’s #2. Doubles dominates the day on Sunday, while the Singles players swap opponents on Sunday.
*** Saturday and Sunday’s players are subject to change up to an hour before play
Host Schedule | Friday’s Order of Play
Doors open at 2:30 | Ceremony starts at 3:30 | First match begins at 4:00 / Tennis Channel
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- [1] John Isner -09- (USA) vs [2] Joris De Loore -319- (BEL)
- [2] Sam Querrey -14- (USA) vs [1] Ruben Bemelmans -110- (BEL)
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The first day of competition features a formal Opening Ceremony, followed by the first two singles rubbers. Each match is the best of five tiebreak sets.
Host Schedule | Saturday’s Order of Play
Doors open at 2:30 | Ceremony starts at 3:30 | First match begins at 4:00 / Tennis Channel
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- Jack Sock and Ryan Harrison (USA) vs Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen (BEL)
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The second day includes an Opening Ceremony, followed by the weekend’s only doubles rubber. The match is the best of five tiebreak sets. Opponents are subject to change per Team Captains.
Host Schedule | Sunday’s Order of Play
Doors open at 12:30 | Ceremony starts at 1:30 | First match begins at 2:00 / Tennis Channel
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- [1] John Isner -09- (USA) vs [1] Ruben Bemelmans -110- (BEL)
- [2] Sam Querrey -14- (USA) vs [2] Joris De Loore -319- (BEL)
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The final day of competition features a formal Opening Ceremony, followed by a pair of “reverse singles” rubbers. Each match is the best of five tiebreak sets. Best of three if a team wins the Tie 3-0 or 3-1. Opponents are subject to change per Team Captains.
[vector_icon icon=”fas fa-arrow-alt-circle-right”] LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS WEEKEND’S PLAYERS
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United States and Belgium. 65-years of Davis Cup History
The United States Davis Cup Team is 4-0 against Belgium. The two teams last met in the 2005 World Group Playoffs, where Andy Roddick, James Blake and the Bryan Brothers delivered a 4-1 win over the Rochus Brothers, Steve Darvis and Kristof Vliegen. Team USA and Belgium’s previous three meetings came in 1953, 1957 and 1998.
Belgium. A formidable opponent
The Belgians have reached the Davis Cup Final two out of the past three years. Last November, they were defeated by France in a Final that came down to the deciding rubber. David Goffin won both of his rubbers over Lucas Pouille and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Pouille then clinched the Davis Cup title for France with a straight-sets victory over Steve Darcis, giving-up only four games in the deciding match.
In 2015, Belgium fell to Great Britain in the U.K.’s first Davis Cup title in 79-years
Back in February’s 1st-Round, Belgium advanced to the Quarterfinals with a 3-2 home victory over Hungary. Ruben Bemelmans and David Goffin lifted the Belgians to a 2-0 lead after the first day of singles competition, but the Hungarians kept the Tie alive with a 5th-set doubles victory on Saturday. On Sunday, Goffin clinched the win with a 4-set defeat of Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics. Hungary’s Zsombor Piros (World #521) then defeated Julien Cagnina (World #248) in the weekend’s final dead rubber.
United States. Most successful Davis Cup Nation
Since 1900, the Americans have won the Davis Cup title 32-times. However, Team USA hasn’t reached the Davis Cup Final since capturing the 2007 title. Over the past 10-years, its best runs came in 2008 and 2012 – where on both occasions, the U.S. fell to Spain the World Group Semifinals.
Team USA reached the 2018 World Group Quarterfinals with a 3-1 1st-Round road victory over Serbia on indoor-clay in the southern city of Nis. It was the United States’ first defeat of the Serbs, after defeats in Belgrade in 2010’s 1st-Round and Boise, Idaho in 2013’s Quarterfinals.
Sam Querrey overcame World #88 Laslo Djere in four-sets, after dropping the first in a tie-break. John Isner then won a brutal 5-setter over World #84 Dusan Lajovic, earning the victory 7-4 in the deciding set’s tie-break. On Saturday, Ryan Harrison and Steve Johnson teamed to clinch the Tie in four-sets, after losing the first set in a tie-break. Steve Johnson (at the time World #50) then fell in straight-sets to World #230 Pedja Krstin in Sunday’s only dead rubber. The teams decided not to play the fifth match.
