Category Archives: Tennis

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Tennis Tuesday: News Roundup

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This Week’s Tournament:
Davis Cup

Last Week’s Winner:
Miami Open – Roger Federer

Roger Federer Wins Sunshine Double
Roger Federer’s incredible comeback continues!  He pulled off the “sunshine double” (aka winning both Indian Wells and Miami) for just the 3rd time in his career, defeating Rafael Nadal in the Miami Open final 6-3, 6-4.   It’s Federer’s 3rd title of the 2017, and the 3rd time he’s played and defeated Nadal this year.  2017 has been a fun year for tennis, hasn’t it?   Federer did say on court that he’d be sitting out most of the clay season and his next tournament would be Roland Garros.

Davis Cup Quarterfinals This Weekend
The Davis Cup is back April 7-9!  The World Group Quarterfinals are taking place in venues across Europe and Australia.  We’re looking forward to the tie between the US and Australia as John Isner, Jack Sock, Sam Querrey & Stevie Johnson take on Nick Kyrgios, Jordan Thompson, Sam Groth & John Peers.

Australia (host) vs USA
France (host) vs Great Britain
Belgium (host) vs Italy
Serbia (host) vs Spain

The #NextGen is Coming
#NextGen ATP stars Sascha Zverev and Jared Donaldson were both impressive in Miami.  Sascha defeated John Isner (saving 3 match points) and Stan Wawrinka en route to the Quarterfinals, where he fell to Nick Kyrgios in one of the best matches of the Miami Open.  Jared Donaldson played his way through qualifying and made it to the 4th round.  He eventually lost to Jack Sock, but his run in Miami brings him to a career high of 75 in the ATP rankings.

Tennis Watching Etiquette
We’ve covered concert etiquette before, and after watching the match between Nick Kyrgios and Roger Federer last week, we feel the need to address tennis watching etiquette as well.  If you’re lucky enough to be watching a professional tennis match in person, here are some things to keep in mind.
1. Cheering in support of your favorite player is fine, but show some respect for the other player.  Calling out against them, cheering negative things, or playing linesman and calling close balls “out” is rude and distracting to both players.
2. Learn when to cheer and when to be quiet.  Generally speaking, if the ball is in play, that’s your cue to sit and watch.   Between points, cheering is welcome and encouraged!   But please do not applaud double faults and do not call out in between 1st and 2nd serves.
3. Wait for the changeovers to enter or leave your seats.  It’s distracting to both the players and the other fans in the stadium to have people constantly going in and out.
4. Enjoy points like this!

Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: News Roundup

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This Week’s Tournament:
Miami Open – Miami, FL USA

Rafael Nadal Plays 1000th Career ATP Match
Nadal played the 1000th match of his career at the ATP World Tour Level at the Miami Open over the weekend.   He defeated Phillip Kohlschreiber 0-6, 6-2, 6-3 to gain his 822nd victory on tour.  The match was just the 3rd time in Rafa’s career that he’s come back to win the match after getting “bageled” in the first.  Nadal takes on Nicolas Mahut in the 4th round in Miami today.   Vamos!

Shania Twain Meets Stan The Man
Our fangirl worlds collided over the weekend when one of our favorite artists, Shania Twain, posted a photo with one of our favorite players, Stan Wawrinka!

Iggy The Iguana Takes Over Miami
Tommy Haas also posted a photo with the now famous “Iggy” the Iguana at the Miami Open.  Haas captured the selfie mid-match, after a giant iguana came onto the court, halting play as linesmen scrambled to catch him.  (He’s a fast one!)

Linesman Frankie Melendez, who eventually caught the iguana, is the real hero.

Jo-Wilfred Tsonga Welcomes First Child
Tsonga announced the birth of his son on social media.  We hope he gets his dad’s amazing hair (and tennis skills!)

Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: News Roundup

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This Week’s Tournament:
Miami Open – Miami, FL USA

Last Week’s Winner:
BNP Paribas Open – Roger Federer

Introducing the (One-Handed) Backhand Boys
Roger Federer may have won the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells over the weekend, but he also won the internet and the hearts of fangirls around the world with the return of the Backhand Boys.  Federer joined fellow one-handed backhanders Grigor Dimitrov and Tommy Haas for a singalong of Chicago’s “Hard to Say I’m Sorry.”  You might recall the trio singing  together back at the Australian Open, and this new video shows they’ve been working on their moves and their vocals.  Tour soon?

As much as we love the Backhand Boys, we think they could use a couple of extra members to make up the classic 5 member boyband!   We’d love to see Stan Wawrinka, Dominic Thiem, Richard Gasquet or Feliciano Lopez join the lineup.  Auditions in Miami?

The Backhand Boys could use a rival boyband just to keep things fresh.  May we present *NSYDE OUT led by some of the best forehands on the ATP Tour: Juan Martin del Potro, Jack Sock, and Rafael Nadal with Vasek Pospisil (he so needs/wants to be in a boyband) and Pierre-Hugues Herbert.

Denis Shapovalov Wins 1st Challenger Title
#NextGenATP player Denis Shapovalov won his first challenger title over the weekend in his native Canada at the Challenger Banque Nationale Drummondville.  At 17-years-old, Denis is the youngest ATP Challenger winner so far this year and now the youngest player in the top 200.  Denis defeated his friend and countryman Felix Auger-Aliassme in the semi-finals en route to the title.

Gael Monfils Out With Injury
Gael Monfils is one of the most entertaining players in tennis, with an explosive game and incredible athleticism.   Unfortunately, his big game has led to quite a few injuries over the years, and Gael’s latest setback is a tear in his Achilles’ heel and chondropathy Patella.  He is out of the Miami Open and will start rehab.  We hope to see Gael back on court soon!  (so we can see more shots like this)

https://twitter.com/Gael_Monfils/status/843931017866067970

ATP University Class of 2017 Graduate in Miami
Every year in Miami, the ATP World Tour hosts “ATP University” for the youngest players on tour.  The 3-day program teaches the players about life on tour including player relations, social media, nutrition, and finance.  It also gives the new players a chance to get to know each other and adjust to their hectic new schedule.  This year’s class included young Americans Reilly Opelka, Noah Rubin, Michael Mmoh, and Stefan Kozlov.

Roger Federer Covers GQ‘s April Issue
Things can be rough for a tennis fan in the off-season.  It’s hard to fill the time normally spent with following scores and matches across the globe with some non-tennis related activities.  Which is how back in December, with no brackets to fill out, tennis fans made it their priority to vote Roger Federer as the Best Dressed Man in GQ‘s Most Stylish Man poll.   Federer won the poll in a landslide, taking out Kanye West, Ryan Gosling, and more in the process.  With his new honor, Federer is on the cover of GQ‘s April issue.  Read the story here!

Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: News Roundup

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This Week’s Tournament:
BNP Paribas Open – Indian Wells, CA

Indian Wells Brings The Heat
While we’re having a blizzard/icy mess in the Northeast, the tennis world is in blazing hot Indian Wells for the BNP Paribas Open, one of the best tournaments of the year.  We’d gladly take 97 degrees over this snow!   Although the best part of having a snowday is we get to watch the incredible matches on the schedule for today!  The tournament has been getting lots of buzz for the so called “quarter of death” that includes Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Juan Martin del Potro, Nick Kyrgios and more, who are all in action today.  We can’t wait for Zverev vs Kyrgios, Sock vs Dimitrov, Nadal vs Verdasco, Del Potro vs Djokovic..

Vasek Pospisil Shocks Andy Murray
Canadian Vasek Pospisil has had a rough year.  He dropped out of the top 100 in the rankings, and has had to play through Qualifying and Challengers to keep up.  Vasek made it through the qualifying draw in Indian Wells before facing Andy Murray in the 2nd round.  He ended up beating Murray, whom he had never taken a set off of, in 2 straight sets: 6-4, 7-6(7).  It was the biggest win of Vasek’s career so far and we hope it will help give him the confidence to go back to the high level we all know he’s capable of!  After all, Anything is Pospisil.

Mylan WTT Roster Draft Announced
Each of the six Mylan WTT Teams rounded out their teams today, adding more players in the roster draft to the previously announced marquee players.  Check out each team!  This year’s WTT season runs from July 16 to August 2nd, with the top 2 teams advancing to the finals in San Diego on August 5th.

1. New York Empire
John Isner, Genie Bouchard, Mardy Fish, Guido Pella, Kristin Flipkens, Maria Sanchez
2. Springfield Lasers
Jack Sock, Jean-Julien Rojer, Daria Kasatkina, Benjamin Becker, Michaella Krajicek
3. Philadelphia Freedoms
Andy Roddick, Sloane Stephens, Taylor Townsend, Darian King, Donald Young, Fabrice Martin
4. Washington Kastles
Sam Querrey, Venus Williams, Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan, Martina Hingis, Bruno Soares, Madison Brengle, Anastasia Rodionova
5. Orange County Breakers
Yanina Wickmayer, Michael Venus, Andreja Klepac, Teymuraz Gabashvili
6. San Diego Aviators
Shelby Rogers, Rajeev Ram, Raven Klaasen, Darija Jurak

 

Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: News Roundup

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This Week’s Tournament:
BNP Paribas Open – Indian Wells, CA

Last Week’s Winners:
Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships – Andy Murray
Abierto Mexicano Telcel – Sam Querrey
Brasil Open – Pablo Cuevas

World Tennis Day Hits MSG
Madison Square Garden hosted the 10th Anniversary of the BNP Paribas Showdown last night, in celebration of World Tennis Day.  This year’s showdown featured Team Americas vs Team World, played in a modified World Team Tennis format.  Captain Andy Roddick led Team Americas, with Jack Sock, Venus Williams, and Juan Martin del Poetro.   Captain Lleyton Hewitt led Nick Kyrgios, Kei Nishikori, and Garbiñe Mugaruza for Team World.

The event featured 6 sets of Men’s Singles, Women’s Singles, Mixed Doubles, and Men’s Doubles, with each game counting toward the team’s overall score.   We loved the team format, especially as tennis is mostly an individual sport.  It was a fun night watching so many great competitors on court in a more relaxed setting.  There were trick shots, tweeners, and “ole, ole, ole, ole, Delpo, Delpo” cheers all night long.  In the end, Team World defeated Team Americas 29-24.

Sam Querrey Wins 9th Title in Acapulco
Sam Querrey just had one of the best weeks of his career.  He won his first ATP 500 level tournament in Acapulco in style, taking out 3 top-20 players on the way.  Sam was impressive all week, defeating David Goffin, Dominic Thiem, and Nick Kyrgios en route to the final against Rafael Nadal.   Sam defeated Rafa 6-3, 7-6(3), in a  It was Sam’s first victory over Rafa, and Rafa’s first career loss in Acapulco.  Acapulco has one of our favorite trophies of the year – and doesn’t Sam look so natural in that hat?

Brasil Open Features Ball Dogs
Ball kids are an important part of any tennis tournament – they couldn’t run without them.  The Brasil Open in São Paulo is the first to feature ball dogs!  The dogs, from 2 local non-profit shelters, chase down and retrieve balls from all over the court.  They also help promote local shelters and adoption.  We love this idea and would love to see more tournaments get involved!

Indian Wells Announces Wild Cards
Wild Cards were announced for the BNP Paribas Open, which kicks off this Wednesday in Indian Wells.  Bjorn Frantangelo, who nearly defeated Novak Djokovic in IW in 2016, received entry along with #NextGen Americans Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz, Stefan Kozlov, and Reilly Opelka.   The draw will be announced at 3pm local time today.   Fingers crossed they don’t all end up playing each other in the first round!   Make sure you tune into to the tournament, which starts on Wednesday, March 8th on ESPN.

Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: News Roundup

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This Week’s Tournaments:
Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships – Dubai, UAE
Abierto Mexicano Telcel – Acapulco, Mexico
Brasil Open – São Paulo, Brasil

Last Week’s Winners:
Rio Open – Dominic Thiem
Delray Beach Open – Jack Sock
Open 13 Marseille – Jo-Wilfred Tsonga

Grigor Dimitrov Walks Dolce & Gabbana Show
Grigor, who has the most wins on the ATP tour so far this season, is taking some time off before heading to Indian Wells next week.  He was spotted in Milan over the weekend, walking in the Dolce & Gabbana show, where Austin Mahone also performed.  We couldn’t have dreamed up a better show tbh.  Also, how does Grigor not have any modeling campaigns yet?  Watch out, Rafa!

Dominic Thiem Wins Title #8 in Rio
Thiem dominated his first clay court tournament of the season, winning the Rio Open without dropping a set.  Thiem was impressive all week, with his powerful ground strokes on full display.  Oh, and he also did this.   The title is the 8th of Thiem’s career, and we love seeing Domi back at the top of his game.    Bamos!

Jack Sock Wins Delray Beach Open
Jack won his 2nd title of the season in Delray Beach, albeit not in the way he had imagined.  He won the title after his opponent, Milos Raonic, had to withdraw before the match due to a hamstring injury sustained during his semi-final against Juan Martin del Potro.  The win puts Jack, the current #1 American player, up to a new career high of #18 in the ATP World Tour rankings.  Jack’s record so far in 2017 is 11-1, with his only loss to Jo-Wilfred Tsonga in the 3rd round of the Australian Open.   Congrats to Jack and wishing Milos a speedy recovery!

Vasek Pospisil Launches “Bounce” YouTube Channel
Vasek officially launched his YouTube channel, named “Bounce,” which promises to take a look at his life outside the tennis world.  Videos so far include Vasek trying out hockey and baseball, and singing some country songs.  Tune in every Friday for new videos!  #AnythingIsPospisil

World Tennis Day Is Next Week
Don’t forget World Tennis Day is next Monday, March 6th!  There will be festivities all over the world to celebrate, including  the BNP Paribas Showdown at Madison Square Garden.  Tickets are still available for the event, which will put Team Americas (Jack Sock, Andy Roddick, Juan Martin del Potro, Venus Williams) against Team World (Nick Kyrgios, Lleyton Hewitt, Kei Nishikori, Garbine Mugaruza).

Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: News Roundup

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This Week’s Tournaments:
Rio Open – Rio de Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Delray Beach Open – Delray Beach, FL USA
Open 13 Marseille – Marseille, France

Last Week’s Winners:
Memphis Open – Ryan Harrison
ABN Amro World Tennis Tournament – Jo-Wilfred Tsonga
Argentina Open – Alexandr Dogopolov

Ryan Harrison Wins 1st ATP Title
24-year-old American Ryan Harrison won his first ATP title at the Memphis Open!   The win puts Ryan back up to his career high ranking of #43 in the world, which he first reached in 2012.  Since his breakout, Ryan has had a tough few seasons, but he never gave up.   Ryan made it to both the singles and doubles finals in Memphis, with partner Stevie Johnson.  Even though he lost in the doubles final, it means Ryan gets the full set of Memphis trophies:  a Gibson guitar as singles champion, and a gold record as doubles runner-up.   We’re glad to see Ryan playing well and hope he can keep the momentum going!

Juan Martin Del Potro Back In Action
Delpo is back this week, playing his first tournament of 2017 at the Delray Beach Open in Florida.  Delpo decided to take a longer off season to rest, after leading Argentina to the Davis Cup title in late November of last year.    Delpo’s 2017 campaign kicks off tonight against Kevin Anderson.  Vamos!

World Team Tennis Marquee Draft Announced
The Mylan WTT marquee player draft took place last week,   and we are already excited for what looks to be a fun season coming up this Summer!  Jack Sock was the first overall pick, tapped by the Springfield Lasers to head up their team.  Genie Bouchard, John Isner, and Mardy Fish will join the New York Empire, who are moving their home court from Forest Hills to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center and US Open fan favorite Court 17.   Venus Williams, the Bryan Brothers, and Martina Hingis will play for the Washington Kastles, while Andy Roddick and Sloane Stephens join the Philadelphia Freedoms.  Stay tuned for additional player announcements and the full schedule coming up in March.  The dates for this year’s World Team Tennis season are July 16 – August 2nd, with the finals on August 5th.

Vasek Pospisil to Launch YouTube Channel
Canadian player Vasek Pospisil announced he will launch his own YouTube Channel this Friday, February 24th.  The channel, which he has been working on for some time, will take a look at Vasek’s life off the court.  You know we’ll be tuning in!  #AnythingIsPospisil

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQvmGSIjsMR/?taken-by=vasek.pospisil&hl=en

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Tennis Tuesday: News Roundup

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This Week’s Tournaments:
Memphis Open – Memphis, TN, USA
ABN Amro World Tennis Tournament – Rotterdam, Netherlands
Argentina Open – Buenos Aires, Argentina

Last Week’s Winners:
Open Sud de France – Sascha Zverev
Garanti Koza Sofia Open – Grigor Dimitrov
Ecuador Open – Victor Estrella Burgos

Grigor Dimitrov Wins Hometown Tournament
Grigor won the Sofia Open, the first ATP World Tour tournament he’s played in his home country.  He defeated David Goffin in the final, 7-5, 6-4, in front of an enthusiastic hometown crowd.  The 12,000 capacity arena was sold out for the finals, with the Bulgarian fans out in full force to support Grigor.  The win is Grigor’s 2nd title of the season, and brings his record for the year to 14-1.  Let’s go Grisha!

 

Sasha Zverev Takes Singles & Doubles Titles In Montpellier
#NextGen star Sascha is also having a great 2017 so far.  He just won the 2nd singles title of his career at the Open Sud de France, defeating hometown favorite Richard Gasquet, 7-6 (4), 6-3, in the final.  Sascha then teamed up with his brother, Mischa Zverev, to win the doubles title, with a victory over Fabrice Martin and Daniel Nestor.  This is the first time an ATP player has won both the singles and doubles titles in the same tournament since Lleyton Hewitt in 2014.  The win also puts Sascha up to a career high ranking of #18 in the world, and at #1 in the #NextGenATP Race to Milan.

 

Toni Nadal To Step Down as Rafael Nadal’s Coach
The tennis world was shocked over the weekend when it was announced that Rafa’s uncle and longtime coach, Toni Nadal, would be stepping down at the end of 2017.  Toni has worked with Rafa for most of his life and for his entire professional career to date.   Carlos Moya joined Rafa’s coaching team before the start of this season.  Toni will no longer travel with Rafa and will instead focus on training emerging players at the recently opened Rafa Nadal Academy in Majorca.

https://twitter.com/ESPNTennis/status/831156105229119489

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Tennis Tuesday: News Roundup

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This Week’s Tournaments:
Open Sud de France – Montpellier, France
Garanti Koza Sofia Open – Sofia, Bulgaria
Ecuador Open – Quito, Ecuador

Davis Cup Quarterfinals Set
It was a dramatic weekend of Davis Cup action, that lasted well into Monday.  The Argentina – Italy tie went to a decisive 5th rubber, with the final match pushed to Monday due to rain and darkness at the outdoor clay match in Buenos Aires.  Fabio Fognini defeated Guido Pella from 2 sets down, 2-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2, in a 5 set match that won the tie for Italy and knocked out defending champions Argentina.

The Quarterfinals will take place April 7-9, so stay tuned for venue announcements!
USA vs Australia (host: AUS)
Italy vs Belgium (host: BEL)
France vs Great Britain (host: FRA)
Serbia vs Spain (host: SER)

Denis Shapovalov Defaulted In Canada-Great Britain Tie
The most dramatic moment of Davis Cup weekend happened in Ottawa, during a decisive 5th rubber between Canada and Great Britain.  17-year-old Canadian, Denis Shapovalov, playing in his first Davis Cup tie, hit a ball out of the court in frustration, accidentally hitting the umpire in the face.  The incident caused Shapovalov to lose the match, and Canada to lose the tie.  Let’s hope that ALL players learn from this – there have been way too many close calls in the past.

https://twitter.com/MRisingStar18/status/828368872592044032

USA Defeats Switzerland 5-0
It was Team USA all the way this weekend, with a brand new Davis Cup squad defeating Switzerland 5-0.  The Bryan Brothers announced their retirement from Davis Cup earlier this year, making room for some new players to step in.  Captain Jim Courier selected John Isner, Jack Sock, Stevie Johnson, and Sam Querrey for the tie.  Team USA will head back to Australia in April for the Quarterfinals.  We hope we’ll see more of this American flag waving celebration in the future!

Dimitrov, Thiem Headline Sofia Open
Dominic Thiem is the #1 seed at the Sofia Open in Bulgaria this week.  The tournament’s #3 seed, Grigor Dimitrov, is playing a tournament in his home country for the first time since the Juniors.  Grigor receives huge support from Bulgarian fans no matter what country he is playing in, so we know the crowd will be fully behind him!   Grigor has been having an outstanding 2017 so far, winning a title in Brisbane and reaching the Semifinals in Australia.  Let’s go Grisha!

https://twitter.com/GrigorDimitrov/status/828160750669676545

Ryan Harrison Wins Dallas Challenger Title
American Ryan Harrison is back into the Top 70 in the rankings for the first time since 2013.  He defeated #NextGen American Taylor Fritz in the final of the RBC Tennis Championships in Dallas, 6-3, 6-3, on Saturday.  The win puts Ryan at #62.   Ryan had won a title in Dallas before – the Little Mo tournament in 2000!   Andy Roddick was also a Little Mo champ in 1992.   Ryan took a moment to pose with this amazing banner showing he and Andy’s matching trophies and bowl cuts.

 

Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: Australian Open Recap

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This Week’s Tournaments:
Davis Cup – Round 1

Last Week’s Winners:
Australian Open:
Roger Federer
Serena Williams
Henri Kontinen & John Peers
Bethanie Mattek-Sands & Lucie Safarova
Abigail Spears & Juan Sebastian Cabal

Roger Federer Defeats Rafael Nadal To Win 18th Major Title
We got the dream final we’d all been hoping for since the draw came out:  Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal!   It was the first time they’ve played against each other in a slam final since 2011.   The 5-set match was thrilling from start to finish, with Federer winning 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.  The surprising final was especially sweet considering both players had been sidelined with injuries just months ago.  It’s wonderful seeing both players back on tour and on top of the game!  We’re looking forward to the rest of the season.

Grigor Dimitrov!
The Bulgarian fans were out in full force throughout the Australian Open, cheering on Grigor Dimitrov through the Semifinals.  Grigor was very impressive in his run to the Semis.  He pushed Nadal to 5 sets in one of the best matches of the tournament.  We’re glad to see Grigor playing at such a high level again, and can only hope this leads to a great season for him!

Mischa Zverev Reaches Career High Ranking
Zverev was a name heard frequently over the last two weeks, but it wasn’t talk of the 19-year-old #NextGen star Sascha Zverev.  His older brother, 29-year-old Mischa Zverev, reached the Quarterfinals of a slam for the first time, defeating current #1 Andy Murray in the process.  He lost to eventual champion Roger Federer in the Quarterfinals, but Mischa is now at a career high ranking of #35.


Davis Cup Round 1 Action
We’re already going through tennis withdrawl with the Australian Open ending.  Lucky for us, the 2017 Davis Cup gets underway this weekend, with first round ties happening around the world February 3-5.   Make sure you tune in and cheer for your favorite teams!
World Group Round 1: (host country in bold)
Argentina vs Italy
USA vs Switzerland
Germany vs Belgium
Australia vs Czech Republic
Japan vs France
Canada vs Great Britain
Serbia vs Russia
Croatia vs Spain