By Richard Pagliaro | @TennisNow | Monday, January 6, 2025
Picture credit score: Mark Howard
A pair of Prime 50-ranked singles gamers and a veteran doubles duo will lead the USA Davis Cup group.
Captain Bob Bryan right this moment named Alex Michelsen, Marcos Giron, Mackenzie McDonald, Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram to the U.S. group in its 2025 Davis Cup Qualifying First Spherical tie vs. Chinese language Taipei.
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The tie is about for January 31-February 1st on an indoor laborious court docket on the Taipei Tennis Heart in Taipei Metropolis.
The truth that this Qualifier begins days after the Australian Open ends on January twenty sixth could be one motive why Prime 40-ranked American stars together with Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Frances Tiafoe, Ben Shelton, Sebastian Korda and Brandon Nakashima aren’t enjoying the Davis Cup opener.
The USA-Chinese language Taipei tie – one among 13 home-and-away ties being performed around the globe as a part of the primary spherical of Qualifying – is a best-of-five match sequence.
The tie begins with two singles matches on Friday, January thirty first. A doubles match and two reverse singles matches will comply with on Saturday, February 1st, with the primary nation to win three matches advancing to the second spherical of Qualifying – a format change new this 12 months.
The USA-Chinese language Taipei winner will play the winner of Korea and Czechia within the Qualifying Second Spherical, held September 12-14, additionally within the home-and-away format. The Qualifying Second Spherical winners then advance to the eight-nation Davis Cup Ultimate 8 that can crown this 12 months’s Davis Cup champion in November in Bologna, Italy.
Italy is two-time defending Davis Cup champion.
This would be the first assembly between the USA and Chinese language Taipei in Davis Cup. Chinese language Taipei was chosen because the host nation by random drawing. Each nations competed within the Qualifying pool in 2024. The U.S. group superior by way of to the Group Stage of the Finals and November’s Ultimate 8, falling to Australia within the quarterfinals. Chinese language Taipei misplaced in Qualifying however received a World Group I tie vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina in September to rise again into Qualifying this 12 months.
Listed here are the USTA’s participant bios for Group USA:
Alex Michelsen, 20, is at present ranked No. 41 in singles and can be making his Davis Cup debut. A local of Laguna Hills, Calif., he’s reached three ATP event singles finals within the final two years and broke into the Prime 50 for the primary time this summer season, changing into the youngest American to take action since Sam Querrey in 2007.
Marcos Giron, 31, is at present ranked No. 45 in singles and also will be making his Davis Cup debut. A two-time Olympian from Thousand Oaks, Calif., Giron received his first ATP singles title this previous summer season in Newport and reached his career-high singles rating of No. 37 in August.
Mackenzie McDonald, 29, is ranked No. 130 in singles however has been ranked as excessive as No. 37, within the fall of 2023. McDonald, from Piedmont, Calif., made his Davis Cup debut in 2023 and has gone 3-1 in singles throughout 4 completely different ties, most just lately the 2024 Finals Group Stage.
Rajeev Ram, 40, is a former world doubles No. 1 at present ranked No. 28. He’s gone 10-3 in Davis Cup doubles since debuting in 2021. Ram, from Carmel, Ind., is a four-time Grand Slam males’s doubles champion and a two-time ATP Finals doubles champion and earned his second Olympic medal on the Paris Olympics this previous summer season, incomes silver with Krajicek.
Austin Krajicek, 34, can be a former world doubles No. 1, at present ranked No. 42. He’s 6-2 in Davis Cup doubles since debuting in 2023. A Tampa native, Krajicek received the lads’s doubles title on the 2023 French Open and earned his first Olympic medal on the Paris Olympics this previous summer season, incomes silver with Ram.
