USA and Croatia Top Winners and Losers at 2016 Davis Cup Quarterfinals
The 2016 Davis Cup quarterfinals was highlighted by a competitive tie between the U.S. and Croatian teams. Both teams had thrilling wins and disappointments at a packed stadium in Beaverton, Oregon, during pleasant weather and a terrific atmosphere of enthusiastic fans.
Bleacher Report was on hand to cover the event, so the first five slides of our weekly “Winners and Losers” column is formatted to capture the most important moments, players and quotes.
The final three slides briefly discuss the other three Davis Cup ties.
How did Croatia overcome a fast start by the U.S.? How did Marin Cilic turn recent disappointments into heroics? Is Borna Coric growing into the star many expect?
It’s all right here in this special Davis Cup edition.
Winner: Jack Sock vs. Marin Cilic Provides Five-Set Thriller
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It was a spirited effort that lifted American Jack Sock to the biggest victory of his career, rallying back from a two-sets deficit to defeat world No. 12 Cilic in the opening rubber of the Davis Cup tie against Croatia.
Twenty-three-year-old Sock employed his big forehand and showed the competitive fire that could propel him to be a top-20 player sooner than later.
“To do that today, in front of the home crowd for the team, it almost feels extra special today,” Sock said,
Cilic, who had come off a disappointing five-set loss a week prior at Wimbledon, said of Sock: “Just from the game, obviously he’s very dangerous. He can play very, very fast tennis. He’s got big forehand, so that was I think working well for him today.”
U.S. coach Jim Courier noted that Sock fought well to make it a physical match: “He did a lot of great things out there today that will hopefully carry him to new places in his career.”
The American's best major performance to date was the 2015 French Open when he showed that he had the footwork and power to play well on clay. He defeated Grigor Dimitrov and Coric on the way to the fourth round, where he took one set from clay legend Rafael Nadal.
Sock’s rise gives America a boost for future Davis Cup ties and marks him as one to watch in the next few years. He has a solid chance to win more big matches and evolve into a bigger winner. An epic victory over Cilic is certainly a big step forward.
Loser: Bryan Brothers Unable to Clinch on Saturday
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The U.S. doubles team of Bob and Mike Bryan might be the greatest tandem in history, but they were unable to control their match in four-set loss to Croatia’s duo of Ivan Dodig and late replacement Cilic.
It was the turning point for Croatia’s rousing comeback in winning the final three rubbers of the tie.
“We just didn’t execute,” Bob said. “Weren’t making a lot of first serves. Weren’t getting them in trouble from the start. They started returning well and gaining confidence. They just kind of outplayed us in every aspect of the game today.”
Although the Bryans maintain a sparkling 24-5 record in Davis Cup doubles matches, big-match victories have been harder to earn since their 16th and latest major victory at the 2014 U.S. Open. At age 38, can the twins still contend for major titles, and how long will they continue to represent the U.S. Davis Cup team?
Winner: Marin Cilic Powers Croatia
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Cilic might be the most underrated star in tennis, and he was the heart of Croatia’s comeback. After dropping a five-set quarterfinal match to Roger Federer at Wimbledon a week previous, Cilic fell to Sock in the opening Davis Cup rubber Friday.
Lesser players would have been shaken. Cilic responded with exceptional tennis and impressive leadership.
Cilic joined with Dodig for a doubles victory over the Bryan brothers on Saturday, and then he fought through an 11-9 first-set tiebreaker on his way to a straight-sets win over John Isner on Sunday.
“Marin played the best doubles match of his life,” Croatian captain Zeljko Krajan said on Saturday. “... Just tough when he is serving the way he is and returning and everything is coming back, and from the baseline there was no mistakes.”
Cilic gave Isner only one look at a breakpoint on Sunday’s first reverse singles match, and then he closed the door. He was particularly effective with defensive backhands, stretching himself off the court for important retrievals, all of which fed into his offense.
Through all three days, Cilic maintained his composure and good nature with fans and media. He took extra time to sign tennis balls for kids outside the stadium, minutes after his five-set loss, and he was frequently seen posing with fans for pictures.
“I really appreciate the fans coming, and especially kids,” Cilic remarked after his victory on Sunday. “For me, it's just a couple seconds; for them, it's nice memory to have.
“So it's great, if you can, to just give a little bit of your time to the fans. Yeah, absolutely I really enjoy it. I love to be in big stages, Grand Slams, events like this where a lot of fans are there and they appreciate your tennis and the game.”
Moving forward, Cilic plans to compete at the Olympics and follow up on two great years at the U.S. Open, as the 2014 champion and 2015 semifinalist.
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Loser: US Team Falls After 2-0 Lead
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The U.S. team dropped its fourth tie to Croatia in as many contests. Even after a 2-0 lead on Friday, the Americans were unable to finish off their talented, resilient foes. It was only the fourth time the team had lost in 161 ties after leading 2-0.
“These matches are won and lost on small margins,” captain Courier explained after the tie had concluded. “As Jack (Sock) pointed out, there are a couple points that go our way, we’re sitting here with a smile on our face instead of a little disappointment.”
Courier also applauded the toughness his team showed in battling through three days of gritty tennis. The team reflects his personality in many ways with its physical grinding and willingness to take risks with forehands. On Friday it worked, but by Sunday, the team came up short.
Team USA, which had defeated Australia in March as first-round underdog, will need to make decisions about 2017, a decade removed from its last Davis Cup title. Will captain Courier and his four players return next year, or will there be one or more changes?
For sure, the U.S. has a strong foundation of competitors with veteran leadership and stability from Courier. In the near future, America will rely on some of its highly touted potential stars. The cupboard is stocked.
Winner: Borna Coric Wins the Clincher
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Coric is only 19 years old, but he has the talent and perseverance to be a star on the ATP tour. After a disappointing straight-sets defeat to Isner on Friday’s second singles rubber, Coric was clean with his groundstrokes, sharp with his backhand and filled with competitive energy. For the second time this year, he clinched Croatia’s deciding rubber.
“I think I was much more relaxed,” Coric noted when comparing his victory to Friday’s loss. “You know, I was hitting the ball. I was going for the points. I just wasn’t waiting for him to miss, because I knew I cannot play like that because he’s (Sock) going to kill me with the forehand.”
Equally important, Coric showed the mental toughness that has many tennis observers believing in his future. He fended off Sock’s challenge with terrific defense and timely serves when he needed them most. And he was emotionally involved, often raising his arm to the small but boisterous contingent of Croatian fans in the center of the west bleachers.
We will publish a feature article on Coric by midweek.
Loser: Italian Davis Cup Drought
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It has now been 40 years since Italy won its only Davis Cup championship. That was a magical time when Adriano Panatta, the country's greatest star, won his famous French Open title, which included a win over legendary Bjorn Borg. The charismatic Panatta defeated Borg twice at Roland Garros, the only player to defeat the great Swede at the French Open.
Since, Italian tennis has had a lot of very good clay-court players, but it has not had a big-time superstar. It’s easy to contrast it with New World counterpart Argentina.
Argentina has some cultural ties with Italy, going back a couple centuries when farmers often traveled back and forth from the two countries to make a living during the opposite summer seasons.
In tennis, both countries pride themselves on fine clay-court players, but Argentina has been more successful with stars like Guillermo Vilas, Gabriela Sabatini, David Nalbandian and Juan Martin del Potro—at least with major titles.
In Davis Cup 2014, Italy defeated Argentina 3-1 on Argentine clay in the first round. This weekend, with the semifinals at stake, Italy was doused 3-1 on Italian clay. Italians Andreas Seppi and Fabio Fognini could not overcome two big wins by Federico Delbonis.
It’s an opportunity for Argentina to take on defending champion Great Britain, but the team will have to do it in the United Kingdom, possibly with Andy Murray coming back to help his nation try to secure a second consecutive Davis Cup championship. Meanwhile, Argentina would love to win its first Davis Cup and is inching closer for another chance.
But it’s another disappointment for Italy, which will likely never step out of the shadows of its legendary soccer tradition.
Winner: Kyle Edmund Leads Great Britain
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Last year, Andy Murray carried Great Britain to a dramatic Davis Cup championship, as the superstar won all eight of his singles matches and shared three doubles victories with brother Jamie. It needed every victory to complete a Cinderella story.
It seemed the run would end this weekend when Andy opted to sit out after winning Wimbledon. Instead, Kyle Edmund picked up the reins and guided Great Britain to a surprising win on clay courts in Serbia. He won both his singles matches and suddenly looks like the singles sidekick that Andy needs to perhaps form a mini-dynasty for Great Britain.
Never mind that Serbia did not have Novak Djokovic or Viktor Troicki to provide much stiffer competition. Great Britain will probably be a heavy favorite in September’s semifinal against Argentina, provided that Andy will be fully committed to play.
Maybe the only hindrance to Great Britain’s Davis Cup chances in 2016 could be if Andy reaches or wins the U.S. Open. Keep an eye on that one in two months.
Loser: Jiri Vesely Drops Two Rubbers Against France
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The Czech Republic looked to be in good shape after Lukas Rosol scored a dramatic marathon win over France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the first rubber. Then the Czechs could not cash in another winning deposit.
France is rich with several strong and versatile players. Following Tsonga’s loss, newcomer Lucas Pouille continued his recent strong play by defeating big lefty server Jiri Vesely. On Sunday, Vesely fell again to Tsonga, who played a stronger, more efficient match.
Vesely had been playing some of the best tennis in his young career. He defeated Novak Djokovic in Monte Carlo in April, and he had a strong run at Wimbledon, including a victory over Dominic Thiem, before losing to countryman Tomas Berdych in five tough sets.
But Vesely came up empty this weekend, and Rosol never got a chance to play the fifth rubber.
France moves on while the tennis-rich Czechs must look to 2017. If Great Britain falters, France could be the favorite, that is if it can find a way past Croatia's resilient, talented team. Just ask the U.S. how difficult it is to knock out the Croats.
Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained firsthand.
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