The Davis Cup World Group for 2015 will get underway with the eight round 1 matches that start on Friday and run through Sunday. The two marquee matchups of the weekend will be a rematch of last year’s World Group action between the USA and Great Britain, this time on indoor hardcourts in Glasgow, Scotland, and a battle on indoor hard in Ostrava, Czech Republic between Australia and the Czech Republic, both of whom are traditional Davis Cup powers.

When it comes to the tie our American and British readers will be most focused on, the doubles rubber is likely be what decides which team advances to the quarterfinals. Last year, Team Great Britain beat the USA on clay, and Andy Murray returns to lead their team, joined by his brother Jamie, doubles specialist Dominic Inglot, and James Ward, a challenger journeyman, as the second singles player. The USA counters with Bob and Mike Bryan for doubles, and John Isner and Donald Young for singles.

With Isner in poor form this season, and currently carrying a two-match losing streak, he may be the biggest liability on either team. A shock loss to Ward would almost assuredly doom the USA to defeat. Meanwhile, Murray remains the most talented player on either team, but has shown signs of weakness in two losses to Gilles Simon indoors in Rotterdam, and Borna Coric on outdoor hard in Dubai, since reaching the Australian Open final.

While Murray should be expected to go 2-0 in his singles rubbers, Donald Young may be the dark horse who could change that. Young had the best month of his professional career in February, reaching the semifinals in Memphis and the final in Delray Beach with wins over the likes of Bernard Tomic and Alex Dolgopolov. Young also has a previous hard-court win over Murray (2011 Indian Wells), although he failed to take a set in their other three meetings. At any rate, Murray-Young, the opening rubber, will be a highly anticipated contest this weekend in Glasgow.

Given Murray’s favorable head to head against the American team, you’d have to expect it to be 1-1 (with Ward losing his singles rubber) going into Saturday doubles. It’ll be a big decision for British captain Leon Smith as to whether to pair the Murray brothers together for doubles, or insert Inglot with one of the Murray brothers, be it Andy or Jamie.

If I had to make a prediction, unless Andy Murray is pushed into a physically demanding opening rubber match, Smith will choose to pair him with his in-form brother Jamie in a matchup with the Bryan brothers in a battle of brothers. That will be a toss-up rubber, and as mentioned, should decide the tie, assuming the Sunday rubbers are also split with Murray winning and Ward losing in singles. Given home soil, and the result last year, I’ll pick Great Britain to advance 3-2.

Australia are an upstart team bidding to pull off a road upset in the World Group, and the absence of the normal Czech core of Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek from the tie will aid their chances. Lleyton Hewitt, one of the most dedicated Davis Cup players of all time, is taking part in his final Davis Cup this season as a player, and he will take over coaching duties for the green and gold next season. Even though his level of play has declined with time, he is still the leader of the Aussie team, joined by his younger compatriots Bernard Tomic, Sam Groth, and Thanasi Kokkinakis. The Czechs have Lukas Rosol as their top singles player, joined by the young Jiri Vesely and Adam Pavlasek, and Challenger-level player Jan Mertl.

Most likely, Tomic, who has an excellent 14-6 record on the season, will beat both Vesely and Rosol in singles, given that both players are on four-match losing streaks. The Aussies have an excellent chance to win either the doubles or one of the other two singles rubbers, with Hewitt/Groth as the doubles pairing, and Kokkinakis and Groth both excellent options for singles. Kokkinakis was selected to play Rosol and Vesely. Groth with his big serve may have been a better choice indoors, but still Kokkinakis has a good chance to win at least one of those rubbers and secure the tie for his nation. This tie is simply a case of it being a good time for the road team to grab the upset, given that the Czechs are in such poor form and missing their top players. Australia should advance 3-0 or 3-1.

Other Ties This Weekend

The best of the other six ties this weekend is Germany vs. France in Frankfurt, Germany on indoor hard. France, who reached the Davis Cup final last year, should be favored to advance just as they did last season in this matchup. Gilles Simon, Gael Monfils, Julian Benneteau, and Nicolas Mahut represent the French side, with Mahut expected to play doubles. Germany has Philipp Kohlschreiber, Benjamin Becker, and Jan-Lennard Struff available for singles, with Andre Begemann as their doubles specialist. Simon and Monfils are both in superior form compared to any of the German players, and barring an upset, the tie will likely end 3-0 or 3-1 barring a shock win from Struff in singles.

Serbia-Croatia was supposed to be a marquee tie, but Marin Cilic not being able to play for the Croats (who also do not have Ivo Karlovic or Ivan Dodig) severely handicapped them on the road against a Serbian team that has Novak Djokovic and Viktor Troicki, along with Nenad Zimonjic as a doubles specialist. A possible fourth singles rubber between Borna Coric and Novak Djokovic should be an enjoyable match to watch, but the more experienced Serbian team should dominate on indoor hard and likely blank their Balkan rivals. It could mean that Coric-Djokovic wouldn’t even take place, although Troicki-Coric will on Friday with Coric needing a win to make Sunday matter. 

Look for Team Canada to get revenge against Japan for their loss in the Davis Cup last season. This time, Milos Raonic, Vasek Pospisil, and doubles specialist Daniel Nestor will have home court advantage on indoor hard in Vancouver against Kei Nishikori and his far less accomplished teammates. Even if Nishikori wins both his singles rubbers, including his sixth meeting in two and a half years with Raonic, Pospisil and Nestor give team Canada a decisive advantage over the other Japanese players. Look for Canada to advance 3-1 or 3-2.

Belgium-Switzerland would be quite the marquee matchup on indoor hard in Liege, Belgium, but Stan Wawrinka and Roger Federer are not repping the defending champion Swiss team for this tie. The Swiss don’t have a player ranked in the top 250, so the steady veteran hand of Steve Darcis and company should advance to round 2, likely 3-0. David Goffin is unlikely to play for Belgium unless it’s essential, since he has a niggling injury.

The most even tie of the week, one that truly could go either way, is Argentina vs. Brazil on clay in Buenos Aires. Both teams are full of battlers, and multiple five -setters should expected. Argentina has Leonardo Mayer, Carlos Berlocq, Diego Sebastian Schwartzman, and Federico Delbonis, while Brazil has Joao Souza and veterans Thomaz Bellucci, Marcelo Melo, and Bruno Soares, with the latter two players functioning as doubles specialists. Brazil should win the doubles, and the rest of the players in the tie are known to have unpredictable form. With that said, Argentina is a bit stronger in singles, and on home soil they are most likely to advance, most likely 3-1 or 3-2. Bellucci or Souza will need to rise to the occasion to change the result.

Last but not least, Italy, led by Fabio Fognini and Andreas Seppi, should win on the road against Kazahkstan on indoor hard. Both Seppi and one of the other Italian players, Simone Bolelli, have been in quality form this season. Since the Kazakhs don’t have anyone ranked higher than Mikhail Kukushkin (No. 58), Italy could well blank them or win 3-1. Bolelli and Seppi were selected to play singles in a wise choice by the Italian coach.