In the Round of 16 of the Davis Cup’s World Group, the United States easily defeated Switzerland 5-0 in Fribourg. The highlight of the tie was a fantastic performance by John Isner in his first singles match, in which he defeated Roger Federer in four sets. The USA resumes their Davis Cup campaign starting April 6, when they take on France in Roquebrune.
Davis Cup 2012, France Vs. USA: Quarterfinals, John Isner And Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Headline Tie
The United States and France begin their Davis Cup quarterfinal tie starting on Friday.
Though France lacks anyone with the star power of Federer, they have a stronger team than Switzerland from top to bottom. In the first round, they defeated Canada 4-1, with only Milos Raonic able to win a match for the losing side in Vancouver. They have made one change from that team, bringing in Gilles Simon for Gael Monfils.
The United States have also made one change. Bob Bryan sat out in the first round, but Mardy Fish is injured and unable to participate, so he will be replaced by Bryan. Fish and Mike Bryan were the United States’ doubles pair against Switzerland, but the Bryan brothers should get back together for this tie.
Isner has been improving rapidly over the last two years and proved in his match against Federer that he can play with anyone, so there will be no questions about his ability to hang with Simon or Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Isner defeated Simon earlier this season at the Indian Wells Masters, and went on to defeat Novak Djokovic in the same tournament.
Question marks linger over 19-year-old Ryan Harrison, however. He hasn’t advanced past the second round of a major and his best performance in an ATP World Tour Masters event is a run to the fourth round, twice at Indian Wells. In this year’s Indian Wells Masters, he was put out of the tournament by Simon, before the Frenchman went on to lose to Isner in the quarterfinals. Tsonga and Harrison have never met head-to-head.
Coverage of Day 1 starts at 6:00 a.m. ET on Tennis Channel. Day 2 starts at 8:00 a.m. and Day 3 at 5:00 a.m.
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