By Ashley Marshall, USTA.com
The last time Team USA played Davis Cup tennis in Portland, Ore., the U.S. captured the biggest prize in the game. Nine years on from its 2007 finals victory, the red, white and blue will descend on Oregon with its eye on the trophy once again.
The Davis Cup will return to the Portland area this summer for the first time since America’s 2007 title triumph over Russia as the U.S. hosts Croatia in the World Group quarterfinals, July 15-17. The U.S.-Croatia winner advances to the World Group semifinals, held Sept. 16-18.
Matches will be played at the Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District (THPRD) Tennis Center, subject to final approval by the International Tennis Federation.
This is the fourth time that the greater Portland area has hosted Davis Cup. Portland’s Memorial Coliseum played host to the last three ties, including the 2007 Davis Cup Final, where Andy Roddick, James Blake and Bob and Mike Bryan won the U.S.'s 32nd Davis Cup title. The Memorial Coliseum also hosted Davis Cup in 1981 and 1984; on both occasions, the U.S. defeated Australia.
“Portland holds a special place in U.S. Davis Cup history, when we won the title here in 2007,” said USTA Chairman, CEO and President Katrina Adams. “We are thrilled to bring world-class tennis back to the area with Beaverton as our host and to help grow the game in this community. We look forward to fans filling the stands and coming out to cheer on Team USA as we try to move one step closer to the Davis Cup trophy once again.”
The USTA, which partnered with the Oregon Sports Authority to bring the event to Beaverton, will construct a 6,000-seat stadium around the current main court at the THPRD Tennis Center. This will be the United States’ first home tie since 2014; the U.S. team competed on the road against Great Britain and Uzbekistan last year and defeated Australia in Melbourne in this year's first round.
The best-of-five match series begins on Friday, July 15, with two singles matches featuring each country’s No. 1 player against the other country’s No. 2 player. Saturday’s schedule features the doubles match. And the final day of play on Sunday features the two “reverse singles” matches, when the No. 1 players square off, followed by the No. 2 players meeting each other in the final match.
All matches are best-of-five sets until one nation clinches the tie. A revised schedule for Sunday may take place if a team clinches in the third or fourth match.
U.S. Davis Cup Team Captain Jim Courier will select the four players to represent the United States no later than 10 days prior to the event, with top-ranked American John Isner, Jack Sock, Sam Querrey and the Bryan brothers among the potential players. Croatia is likely to be led by 2014 US Open singles champion Marin Cilic, who is currently ranked No. 11 in the world.
Croatia holds a 3-0 record over the United States in Davis Cup, one of only three countries to hold a winning record over the U.S. The U.S. last faced Croatia in the 2009 World Group quarterfinal in Porec, Croatia, which Croatia won, 3-2, behind Cilic and Ivo Karlovic.
“We are absolutely delighted to welcome the return of the Davis Cup back to the Portland area following the U.S. Davis Cup championship match hosted here nine years ago,” said Drew Mahalic, CEO, Oregon Sports Authority. “We look forward to hosting the most prestigious tennis event in the world this coming July and we know all tennis fans in Oregon and the Northwest will be ecstatic about the opportunity to witness the best in tennis once again.”
Ticket Information
Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Friday, June 3, at 10 a.m. PT.
An exclusive presale for USTA members will take place on Wednesday, June 1, starting at 10 a.m. PT, and running through Thursday, June 2.
From Friday, June 3, through Thursday, June 23, only three-day ticket packages will be sold at prices ranging from $90 to $500 ($30 to $166 per day), representing the greatest initial ticket value.
Beginning on Friday, June 24, at 10 a.m. PT and pending availability, fans will then have access to single-day tickets for Friday, Saturday or Sunday, with prices ranging from $40 to $175 per day. Fans are encouraged to purchase three-day ticket packages to take advantage of the best prices and to ensure availability.
Tickets may be purchased by visiting www.usta.com/daviscup or by calling 888-484-USTA (8782).
Tennis Channel will present live daily coverage of the World Group quarterfinal.