Davis Cup 2019 Finals, Day 4: Schedule, Venue and everything you need to know
With three consecutive days of exciting tennis action, we have now come to a close of the group ties and are headed to the quarterfinals. In the 108th edition of the Davis Cup by Rakuten Madrid Finals being held at the Caja Magica in Madrid, the excitement factor will inevitably notch up as eight countries will face off against each other.
The revamped edition of the Davis Cup Finals has seen a lot of dramatic ups and downs with this one-week format being set into motion from this year. On the fourth day of the Cup, two quarter-finalists will be decided among Group A qualifiers - France and Serbia and Group E qualifiers - Great Britain and Kazakhstan.
Other than that, there is a high chance that Germany will come out on top of Group C by defeating Team Chile. The first quarter-final will be between the seasoned team from Australia and the new blooded team from Canada.
Here is the preview for the upcoming clashes on Day Four:
France vs Serbia (5-5)
This will be the 11th meeting between France and Serbia, with their oldest meeting dating back to 1936. Both the teams are perfectly at par with each other, holding a 5-5 head-to-head record on the Davis Cup turf. Moreover, the last two times they met, they have split the wins between themselves. It was Serbia who defeated France 3-2 in Belgrade to win their lone Davis Cup title in 2010. In their latest meeting, it was France who scored a 3-1 win in the 2017 World Group semi-finals that was held in Lille.
Undoubtedly, both the teams are strong and have key players to depend on. Team Serbia has been ruthless this year, as they crushed the Japanese opposition. Led by World No. 2 Novak Djokovic and Filip Krajinovic, Serbia is in strong shape to give a stiff competition to their old French foes.
Team France had a slightly difficult time with Japan in their group tie but Jo-Wilfred Tsonga, Benoit Paire and Gael Monfils hope to produce an emphatic performance on court today. The winner of this clash will head to the quarters whilst the loser will have to settle for being one of the two best-performing group runners-up to make it to the last eight.
Germany vs Chile (First meeting)
Germany ensured that they made it to the Davis Cup history books after their doubles match against Argentina. Germany took down the Argentine team 3-0 but it was the doubles spectacle that drew our attention.
The French Open champions, Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies from Germany, gave Maximo Gonzalez and Leonardo Mayer a difficult time as they had to play a 38-point deciding tie-break. This was the longest tie-break score in the history of the tournament. Meeting Chile for the first time today, Germany will hope to channel that same form and grit and hope to earn another spot in the quarterfinals.
Great Britain vs Kazakhstan (First meeting)
The Team from Netherlands gave both Great Britain and Kazakhstan a hard time even in losses. Considering the equal results that both Great Britain and Kazakhstan hold for now, it will be tough for either teams to qualify for the quarters. There is a lot of pressure on them as they set out to face each other for the first time in Davis Cup history.
Australia vs Canada (9-0)
Team Australia is being dominant as usual and it remains to be seen if Team Canada can, in any way, upset that rhythm. Having defeated USA for the first time after 16 meetings at the Davis Cup Finals, Canada is powered by the new blood of Denis Shapovalov and Vasek Pospisil. They will now meet Australia, who they have never defeated in their nine previous meetings. The Lleyton Hewitt-led squad is dangerous but Canada can also pull off a surprise win here.
Here are all the details you need to know about Davis Cup Finals 2019 Schedule:
Tournament: Davis Cup by Rakuten Finals
Date: 18 November - 24 November 2019
Number of teams: 18 (World Group)
Participants: ITF member nations
Group A- France, Serbia, Japan
Group B- Croatia, Spain, Russia
Group C- Argentina, Germany, Chile
Group D- Belgium, Australia, Colombia
Group E- Great Britain, Kazakhstan, Netherlands
Group F- United States of America, Italy, Canada
Location: Madrid, Spain
Venue: La Caja Magica Stadium or The Magic Box Stadium
Surface: Indoor hardcourt