Lleyton Hewitt’s Australian crew will meet outdated foes Sweden away in a bid to maneuver ta step nearer in February to the Davis Cup Ultimate 8.
Melbourne, 3 December 2024 | Glenn Moore, AAP
Australia has been introduced with a probably tough path to the Davis Cup Ultimate 8 because the crew continues its quest for a primary trophy since 2003.
With the competitors reverting to home-or-away ties relatively than a round-robin group stage, Lleyton Hewitt’s crew should journey to Sweden for the January 31-February 2 tie, instantly after the Australian Open.
Ought to they win, they’ll face Belgium or Chile within the second spherical for the possibility to progress to the Ultimate 8.
That might be performed in November in Italy, dwelling of the two-time reigning champions, who’ve received the best to host the Ultimate 8 for the subsequent three years, changing Malaga, in Spain. Bologna would be the venue for the 2025 occasion.
Happy with this crew 💚💛
Three-consecutive @DavisCup semifinals. Simply not our day at this time.
Bravo, Italy 👏 pic.twitter.com/3u2WTGVtPI
— TennisAustralia (@TennisAustralia) November 23, 2024
With the ATP Finals in Turin, and Jannik Sinner the world No.1, Italy – who got a wildcard to the Ultimate 8 – more and more seems to be the house of males’s tennis.
Underneath competitors laws the shedding 2024 finalists, the Netherlands, the world No.4, acquired the second wildcard granting them a bye into the second spherical of the qualifiers relatively than second-ranked Australia, crushed finalists in 2022 and 2023, and a semifinalist this yr.
The tie with Sweden evokes recollections of the times when the Sweden and Australia have been titans of males’s tennis.
In 1983 and 1986 the 2 nations met within the ultimate, on the grass of Kooyong, Melbourne. Australia received every time with Pat Money, John Fitzgerald, Paul McNamee, and (in 1983 solely) Mark Edmondson making up the victorious dwelling crew.
Whereas Australian males’s tennis is on a resurgence Sweden is way from the powerhouse it was when it received this competitors six instances from 1984-1998.
Now with no single participant within the prime 300, although nonetheless twentieth within the Davis Cup rankings, Sweden reached the qualifiers after defeating India within the World Group.
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Their singles gamers in that match have been their top-ranked pair: Elias Ymer, now world No.329 after dropping 174 locations in 2024, and Leo Borg, son of the nice Bjorn, at No.546.
The Swedes do have two doubles gamers within the prime 200, Andre Goransson (No.66) and Filip Bergevi (No.124). Nonetheless, Australia has a battery of top-100 gamers in singles and doubles and may progress even when Sweden can select the floor.
The second spherical is more likely to be tricker. Chile, ranked No.16, has two top-40 gamers, Alejandro Tabilo (No.23) and Nicolas Jarry (No.35). Belgium’s greatest are David Goffin (No.52) and Zizou Bergs (No.71), however the world No.14 crew has the Thirty first-ranked doubles duo Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen.
This might be performed September 12-14, shortly after the US Open, which concludes on September 7.
Amongst different ties thrown up by Monday’s attract London, third seed Canada hosts Hungary, fourth seed Germany was drawn in opposition to Israel, USA travels to Taiwan, Nice Britain goes to Japan and Spain hosts Switzerland.
