Pakistan Today

Isner opener for Djokovic in Davis Cup

John Isner will go up against Novak Djokovic in the opening rubber when USA and Davis Cup favourites Serbia go head to head in the quarter-finals.

The big-serving Isner has been drawn to face the world number one first in Boise, Idaho, for a tie which is being played at altitude in a bid to boost the hosts’ chances of reaching the last four.

However, despite Isner’s serve being aided by the conditions he will still start a big underdog.

Sam Querrey will follow his team-mate onto court to take on Serb Viktor Troicki, who in the absence of Janko Tipsarevic, is the Serbs’ number two for the tie.

Saturday’s doubles rubber is due to see twins Bob and Mike Bryan face Ilija Bozoljac and doubles specialist Nenad Zimonjic

Meanwhile, France, Canada and Italy suffered injury blows on the eve of their respective quarter-finals.

Richard Gasquet was forced to withdraw from the French line-up due to a blister. He has been replaced in the French quartet by Gilles Simon.

Simon comes straight into the singles line-up and will face Argentina’s Juan Monaco on day one in Buenos Aires.

That match will follow the opener between the hosts’ Carlos Berlocq and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Simon’s inclusion in the singles means captain Arnaud Clement can keep Julien Benneteau and Michael Llodra fresh for Saturday’s doubles. They are due to meet David Nalbandian and Horacio Zeballos, with the reverse singles to follow on Sunday.

Canada, and Italy meet in Vancouver with Frank Dancevic having been replaced by Jesse Levine for the hosts and Simone Bolelli dropping out for Italy and Daniele Bracciali coming in.

Neither new man was nominated for Friday’s singles though. They will see Vasek Pospisil face Andreas Sepppi before Milos Raonic takes on Fabio Fognini.

Bracciali is named for the doubles, alongisde Paolo Lorenzi. They are due to meet Pospisil and Canadian veteran Daniel Nestor.

In the other quarter-final, CzechRepublic will field an inexperienced line-up on Friday as they continue the defence of the cup in Kazakhstan.

Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek, the players who led the Czechs to glory in last season’s competition, will both be absent for the opening singles rubbers in Astana.

Berdych is out of the tie due to shoulder problem, while Stepanek has only been named for Saturday’s doubles as he is only just back following neck surgery in January.

Instead, the Czechs turn to Jan Hajek and Lukas Rosol. The pair have won just one live Davis Cup singles rubber between them.

Hajek opens against Mikhail Kukushkin before Rosol, famous for his Wimbledon upset of Rafael Nadal last summer, faces Andrey Golubev.

Ivo Minar is named alongside Stepanek for Saturday’s doubles rubber. They are due to face Evgeny Korolev and Yuriy Schukin.

The Czechs have won their last six ties with their last Davis Cup defeat coming against the Kazakhs in the first round in 2011.

Exit mobile version