By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Thursday, September 19, 2024
Defending-champion Italy face Argentina and 32-time champion USA plays 28-time champion Australia in the Davis Cup Final 8.
Photo credit: Zhe Ji/Getty for ITF
A royal clash comes to Davis Cup.
The draw was conducted today for the Davis Cup Final 8, set for November 19-24th in Malaga, Spain.
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The United States will face Australia in a clash of the two most successful nations in Davis Cup history.
The USA is playing for a record-extending 33rd Davis Cup championship—and first Davis Cup crown since 2007 when it beat Russia in the final staged in Portland, Oregon.
The 28-time Davis Cup champion Australia was runner-up to Italy last year. Captain Lleyton Hewitt’s squad is playing for its first Davis Cup championship since 2003.
The winner of the Australia v. USA quarterfinal will face either defending-champion Italy or Argentina in the top-half semifinal.
The 2024 Davis Cup Final 8 Draw is here:
Italy vs. Argentina
Australia vs. United States
Germany vs. Canada
Netherlands vs. Spain
The United States returned to the Davis Cup Final 8 by wrapping a 3-0 week to capture Group C with victories over Chile, Slovakia and Germany last week. An unsung team of Brandon Nakashima, Reilly Opelka, Mackenzie McDonald and Olympic doubles silver medalists Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram all contributed to the Group C championship.
Captain Bob Bryan’s crew won eight of the nine matches it played in Zhuhai with world No. 40 Brandon Nakashima leading the charge with a perfect 3-0 record. Nakashima has won 12 of his last 15 matches and is delivering a sustained high performance level that makes him a "nightmare" to play, teammate Reilly Opelka said.
Team USA qualified for the Final 8 despite playing without any of its Top 20 stars—US Open finalist Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Sebastian Korda, Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton—posting pressure-packed 3-0 opening win over Chile in which all three matches were decided in dramatic third-set tiebreakers.
"It’s kind of pick your poison," Opelka said. "Australia’s a super-deep, tough team. Spain’s obviously a ridiculous team. Italy’s insane.
"So anything to try to give the A team – Tommy, Fritz and Foe, Shelton and Korda – the best shot that they can have."
Australia boasts three Top 30-ranked players in No. 11 Alex de Minaur, No. 24 Alexei Popyrin, who upset Novak Djokovic at the US Open, and No. 29 Jordan Thompson.
The Aussie doubles team of Max Purcell and Thompson won the US Open doubles championship earlier this month. That victory came after Aussies Matthew Ebden and John Peers edged Krajicek and Ram, 10-8 in the match tiebreaker, to win the Olympic doubles gold medal.
In its storied 104-year Davis Cup history, Australia made its mark as the only nation to rally from an 0-2 deficit in the final when it fought back from 0-2 down to defeat the United States in the 1939 final.