Swiss to host US in Davis Cup first round
Switzerland will host the United States in the first round of the 2012 Davis Cup, following the draw made in Thailand on Wednesday.
The match will take place on February 10-12, less than two weeks after the end of the Australian Open.
In 2011 Switzerland did not play in the World Group, which is made up of the world’s 16 best tennis-playing countries. They had lost their place to Kazakhstan, which went on to reach the quarterfinals.
However, in a close-fought tie against Australia which ended on Monday,
Switzerland recaptured its place in the elite group. The Swiss were represented by only two players, Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka. It was the first time Switzerland had ever beaten Australia.
The US are currently ranked sixth and Switzerland 15th.
It will be the fourth time the two sides have met in the Davis Cup: on each occasion so far the host side has won, with the US leading Switzerland 2-1.
The last time the two teams played in the opening round was in 2009, when the US beat Switzerland 4-1 in the absence of Roger Federer. Federer has not played in the first round of the Davis Cup since 2004.
The US have won the cup 32 times; Switzerland’s best performance to date was in 1992 when they were the runner up – losing to the US.
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