Rafael Nadal, Marin Cilic and Dominic Thiem headline the nominations for the upcoming round of Davis Cup by BNP Paribas on 14-16 September. World No. 1 Nadal and No. 7 Cilic will lead their nations into battle in semifinal clashes against France and USA, respectively, while No. 9 Thiem will hope to help Austria defeat […]
via NADAL, CILIC AND THIEM HEADLINE DAVIS CUP NOMINATIONS — finixsportsblog
Rafael Nadal will lead Spain’s bid to reach the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas semifinals for the first time since 2012, after Sergi Bruguera named a formidable side to take on Germany in Valencia on 6-8 April. Nadal, who has a 22-1 win-loss record in Davis Cup singles rubbers, will join-up with Roberto Bautista Agut, […]
via NADAL, CILIC AND ZVEREV LEAD QUARTERFINAL NOMINATIONS — newfanzoneblog
The ITF has announced the official team nominations for the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas World Group semifinals, World Group play-offs and Zone Group ties taking place on 18-20 September. A total of 18 ties will be held next week.
The winners of the two semifinals will contest the 2015 World Group Final on 27-29 November. The winners of the eight World Group play-offs will qualify for the 2016 World Group, while the losers will contest their respective Zone Group I competition in 2016.
The Draw for the 2016 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas will be held during the ITF AGM in Santiago, Chile on Wednesday 23 September at 19:00 local time (22:00 GMT).
Live scoring will be available on the official Davis Cup website throughout the weekend. In addition, the English and Spanish versions of the website will feature a live blog, reports, photographs, audio interviews and live streaming. There will also be a fan zone showing the best social media content on http://www.daviscup.com/showyourcolours
WORLD GROUP SEMIFINALS
GREAT BRITAIN v AUSTRALIA
Venue: Emirates Arena, Glasgow, GBR (hard – indoor)
Great Britain
Andy Murray
Kyle Edmund
Jamie Murray
Dominic Inglot
Captain: Leon Smith
Australia
Bernard Tomic
Sam Groth
Thanasi Kokkinakis
Lleyton Hewitt
Captain: Wally Masur
BELGIUM v ARGENTINA
Venue: Forest National, Brussels, BEL (hard – indoor)
Belgium
David Goffin
Steve Darcis
Ruben Bemelmans
Kimmer Coppejans
Captain: Johan van Herck
Argentina
Leonardo Mayer
Federico Delbonis
Diego Schwartzman
Carlos Berlocq
Captain: Daniel Orsanic
WORLD GROUP PLAY-OFFS
INDIA v CZECH REPUBLIC
Venue: R.K. Khanna Tennis Stadium, New Delhi, IND (hard – outdoor)
India
Yuki Bhambri
Somdev Devvarman
Leander Paes
Rohan Bopanna
Captain: Anand Amritraj
Czech Republic
Jiri Vesely
Lukas Rosol
Adam Pavlasek
Radek Stepanek
Captain: Jaroslav Navratil
SWITZERLAND v NETHERLANDS
Venue: Palexpo, Geneva, SUI (hard – indoor)
Switzerland
Roger Federer
Stan Wawrinka
Marco Chiudinelli
Henri Laaksonen
Captain: Severin Luthi
Netherlands
Thiemo de Bakker
Jesse Huta Galung
Matwe Middelkoop
Jean-Julien Rojer
Captain: Jan Siemerink
RUSSIA v ITALY
Venue: Sports Palace ‘Baikal-Arena’, Irkutsk, RUS (hard – indoor)
Russia
Teymuraz Gabashvili
Evgeny Donskoy
Konstantin Kravchuk
Andrey Rublev
Captain: Shamil Tarpischev
Italy
Andreas Seppi
Fabio Fognini
Simone Bolelli
Paolo Lorenzi
Captain: Corrado Barazzutti
UZBEKISTAN v USA
Venue: Olympic Tennis School, Tashkent, UZB (clay – outdoor)
Uzbekistan
Denis Istomin
Farrukh Dustov
Temur Ismailov
Sanjar Fayziev
Captain: Peter Lebed
USA
Jack Sock
Sam Querrey
Steve Johnson
Donald Young
Captain: Jim Courier
COLOMBIA v JAPAN
Venue: Club Campestre, Pereira, COL (clay – outdoor)
Colombia
Santiago Giraldo
Alejandro Gonzalez
Juan-Sebastian Cabal
Robert Farah
Captain: Mauricio Hadad
Japan
Kei Nishikori
Taro Daniel
Yoshihito Nishioka
Yasutaka Uchiyama
Captain: Minoru Ueda
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC v GERMANY
Venue: Centro Nacional de Tenis Parque del Este, Santo Domingo, DOM (hard – outdoor)
Dominican Republic
Victor Estrella Burgos
Jose Hernandez-Fernandez
Roberto Cid
Jose Olivares
Captain: Rafael Moreno
Germany
Philipp Kohlschreiber
Alexander Zverev
Dustin Brown
Philipp Petzschner
Captain: Michael Kohlmann
BRAZIL v CROATIA
Venue: Costao do Santinho Resort, Florianopolis, BRA (clay – outdoor)
Brazil
Thomaz Bellucci
Joao Souza
Marcelo Melo
Bruno Soares
Captain: Joao Zwetsch
Croatia
Marin Cilic
Borna Coric
Ivan Dodig
Franko Skugor
Captain: Zeljko Krajan
POLAND v SLOVAKIA
Venue: Gdynia Arena, Gdynia, POL (hard – indoor)
Poland
Jerzy Janowicz
Michal Przysiezny
Lukasz Kubot
Marcin Matkowski
Captain: Radoslaw Szymanik
Slovakia
Martin Klizan
Norbert Gombos
Andrej Martin
Igor Zelenay
Captain: Miroslav Mecir
AMERICAS ZONE GROUP I 1ST ROUND PLAY-OFF
BARBADOS v ECUADOR
Venue: National Tennis Centre, St. Michael, BAR (hard – outdoor)
Barbados
Darian King
Haydn Lewis
Russell Moseley
Seanon Williams
Captain: Kevin Yarde
Ecuador
Emilio Gomez
Gonzalo Escobar
Ivan Endara
Roberto Quiroz
Captain: Raul Viver
ASIA/OCEANIA ZONE GROUP I 2ND ROUND PLAY-OFF
THAILAND v CHINA, P.R.
Venue: The National Tennis Development Centre, Nonthaburi, THA (hard – outdoor)
Thailand
Pruchya Isarow
Kittiphong Wachiramanowong
Sonchat Ratiwatana
Sanchai Ratiwatana
Captain: Paradorn Srichaphan
China, P.R.
Zhang Ze
Wu Di
Li Zhe
Gong Mao-Xin
Captain: Jiang Hong-Wei
EUROPE/AFRICA ZONE GROUP I 1ST ROUND PLAY-OFF
DENMARK v SPAIN
Venue: Odense Idrætshal, Odense, DEN (hard – indoor)
Denmark
Frederik Nielsen
Mikael Torpegaard
Soren Hess-Olesen
Thomas Kroman
Captain: Kenneth Carlsen
Spain
David Ferrer
Rafael Nadal
Roberto Bautista Agut
Fernando Verdasco
Captain: Conchita Martinez
LITHUANIA v UKRAINE
Venue: Siemens Arena, Vilnius, LTU (hard – indoor)
Lithuania
Ricardas Berankis
Laurynas Grigelis
Lukas Mugevicius
Dovydas Sakinis
Captain: Rimvydas Mugevicius
Ukraine
Illya Marchenko
Denys Molchanov
Vladyslav Manafov
Marat Deviatiarov
Captain: Mikhail Filima
AMERICAS ZONE GROUP II 3RD ROUND
CHILE v VENEZUELA
Venue: Club Palestino, Santiago, CHI (clay – outdoor)
Chile
Hans Podlipnik-Castillo
Nicolas Jarry
Juan Carlos Saez
Christian Garin
Captain: Nicolas Massu
Venezuela
Ricardo Rodriguez
Luis David Martinez
Jordi Munoz-Abreu
Miguel Angel Este
Captain: Jose Antonio de Armas
ASIA/OCEANIA ZONE GROUP II 3RD ROUND
PAKISTAN v CHINESE TAIPEI
Venue: Ulusal Tenis Egitim Merkezi Tennis Club, Izmir, TUR (hard – outdoor)
Pakistan
Aisam Qureshi
Aqeel Khan
Mohammad Abid Ali Khan Akbar
Samir Iftikhar
Captain: Hamid ul Haq
Chinese Taipei
Jimmy Wang
Hung Jui-Chen
Yu Cheng-Yu
Peng Hsien-Yin
Captain: Tsai Chia-Yen
EUROPE/AFRICA ZONE GROUP II 3RD ROUND
PORTUGAL v BELARUS
Venue: Clube de Ténis de Viana, Viana do Castelo, POR (clay – outdoor)
Portugal
Joao Sousa
Gastao Elias
Rui Machado
Frederico Ferreira Silva
Captain: Nuno Marques
Belarus
Uladzimir Ignatik
Egor Gerasimov
Sergey Betov
Max Mirnyi
Captain: Vladimir Voltchkov
BULGARIA v HUNGARY
Venue: Bulgarian National Tennis Center, Sofia, BUL (clay – outdoor)
Bulgaria
Dimitar Kutrovsky
Dimitar Kuzmanov
Aleksandar Lazov
Tihomir Grozdanov
Captain: Todor Enev
Hungary
Marton Fucsovics
Peter Nagy
Gabor Borsos
Levente Godry
Captain: Zoltan Kuharszky
The Final Grand Slam of the year takes place at Flushing Meadows in some couple of hours away. Newfanzone.com takes a look at the chances of the big boys, possible upsets and how it will all go down at the US Open.
MEN’S PREVIEW
Novak Djokovic goes into this one as the favorite but he has lost to both Federer and Murray in the build-up to the US Open. The Serb has a very favourable draw until when he gets to the Quarter-finals where he might face Spaniard Rafael Nadal. Djokovic might not be in blazing hot form,but when it comes to the Grand Slams his mental strength takes him all the way.
World No.2 Roger Federer looks very prepared for this event as he just won the ATP competition in Cincinnati. Federer has a very tough draw where he might be facing big servers in the mode of Ivo Karlovic,John Isner,Philip Kohlschreiber,Bernard Tomic,Tomas Berdych and Richard Gasquet. Expect the Swiss to come through even though he might drop a set or two.
In the last 32 years,only Pete Sampras(2002) and Jimmy Connors (1983) have won the US Open in their 30’s. Federer(34) knows that this is another chance for him to win a Grand Slam title.
Andy Murray is also in great form going into Flushing Meadows. The Scot gets a tricky start with a game against Nick Krygios before games against the likes of Anderson, Belluci and Wawrinka. Even though he is in good form,the Scot making it to the final might be a tough one knowing he has Novak in the Semis. Murray has beaten the Serb this year but Novak just knows how to push himself in the Grand Slams and if the Serb meets Andy in the Semis, that might be end of Murray’s run at Flushing Meadows.
Rafael Nadal has has a season to forget this year but he might as well end it on a high if he wins the US Open title. The 2010,2013 Champion will Open his account against Borna Coric before meeting Novak in the Quarter-finals.
Defending Champion Marin Cilic will also see if he has able to defend his title at Flushing Meadows. Since Roger Federer no player has been able to do that and with Cilic form going into the US Open even a Semi-Final finish will be a good tournament for him.
Other players to watch include;Stan Wawrinka, Kei Nishikori, Mon-Fils & Tomas Berdych.
NOTABLE FIRST ROUND DRAWS
N. Djokovic vs J.Souza
A.Murray vs N.Krygios
R.Federer vs L.Mayer
B.Coric vs R.Nadal
F.Mayer vs M.Klizan
S.Wawrinka vs A.Ramos-Vinolas
V.Troicki vs F.Tafoe
K.Anderson vs A.Rublev
T.Berdych vs B.Fratangelo
T.Kokkinakis vs R.Gasquet
J.Isner vs M.Jaziri
P.Kohlschreiber vs A.Zverev
R.Haase vs D.Brown
S.Querrey vs N.Mahut
B.Becker vs D.Istomin
M.Ebden vs G.Dimitrov
J.Chardy vs R.Shane
Y.Lu vs M.Kukushkin
M.Cilic vs G.Pella
J.Tsonga vs J.Nieminen
I.Marchenko vs G.Mon-Fils
K.Nishikori vs B.Paire
STATISTICS (MALE)
PRIZE MONEY: $38,261,760
SURFACE: Hard
VENUE: BILLIE Jean King NTC
MOST SINGLES TITLE:
Bill Larned,Bill Tilden,Richard Sears (7)
DEFENDING CHAMPION: Marin Cilic
NEWFANZONE VERDICT
Federer and Murray go into Flushing Meadows in good form which may eventually land them the title, but Novak Djokovic has to be the Favorite.
WOMEN’S PREVIEW
The woman to beat going into any Grand Slam competition is Serena Williams. The American has won all the three Grand Slam tournament this year and she is also the defending champion of the US Open.
If Serena wins the US Open she will tie Steffi Graph in number of Grand Slam titles(22) and also be the first woman after Steffi Graph to win all the four Grand Slams in a calendar year.
The US Open women Singles final has been sold out before the Men’s for the first time in history of the tournament which means everyone wants to see Serena make history at Flushing Meadows.
After Halep broke into the Scene in 2014, she has been inconsistent with disappointing displays in Australia, Paris and at Wimbledon.
The Romanian has had a relatively good run to Flushing Meadows where she got to the Finals of Two WTA competitions but expect her to struggle again at the US Open where her best finish has been the fourth round in 2013.
Maria Sharapova has won only two WTA titles this year. The Russian had a good start to the year with an appearance in the final of the Australian Open but she couldn’t defend her title in Paris and was knocked out by her nemesis at SW-19. Sharapova is likely to meet Serena at the Semi-Finals which means that might be where she will bow out at Flushing Meadows.
Caroline Wozniacki has also been inconsistent this year especially the Grand Slams where her best finish has been the fourth round of Wimbledon where she lost to finalist Garbine Muguruza.
The former world No1 has been a 2-time finalist at Flushing Meadows and and knowing she won’t face Serena or Sharapova before the Finals might just what Wozniacki needs to win her first ever Grand Slam title.
Former Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova will still participate even with her under medical condition.
French Open Finalist Lucie Safarova might want to show that getting to the Final in Paris is not a fluke by putting her all in to this. Safarova was a Quarter-finalist at the Cincinnati masters and she may do well enough to go all the way in the competition.
Other players to watch include; Ana Ivanovic, Belinda Bencic, C.S Navarro ,Garbine Muguruza, Madison Keys, Sloane Stephens & Venus Williams.
NOTABLE FIRST ROUND DRAWS
S.Williams vs V Diatchenko
C.Vandeweghe vs S.Stephens
M.Keys vs K.Koukalova
K.Siniakova vs A.Radwanska
B.Bencic vs S.Karatantcheva
M.Puig vs V.Williams
A.Tatishvili vs Ka.Pliskova
M.Sharapova vs D.Gavrilova
E.Svitolina vs E.Kulichkova
T.Pereira vs E.Makarova
C.S.Navarro vs D.Allertova
O.Dodin vs J.Jankovic
D.Cibulkova vs A.Ivanovic
A.Petkovic vs C.Garcia
C.Witthoeft vs G.Muguruza
S.Errani vs M.Hibi
J.Loeb vs C.Wozniacki
L.Safarova vs L.Tsurenko
A.Dulgheru vs A.Kerber
T.Bacsinszky vs B.Strycova
M.Erakovic vs S.Halep
S.Rogers vs S.Vickery.
STATISTICS (Female)
PRIZE MONEY: $38,251,760
SURFACE: Hard
VENUE: Billie Jean King NTC
MOST SINGLES TITLE : M.B.Mallory(8)
DEFENDING CHAMPION: Serena Williams
NEWFANZONE VERDICT
Serena Williams is obviously the favorite as she looks forward to win her fourth Grand Slam of this year barring any injuries .
Ademola Adejuwon
newfanzone 