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| 12 May 2009 | |
| 2009 World Group Play-offs Draw |
There will be three new faces in the 2010 World Group after six of the nations that qualified from Group I were paired together in Tuesday’s World Group Play-offs draw.
Ukraine’s first-ever World Group play-off tie will be away to Belgium, the only one of the four nations relegated from the World Group last year to earn the chance of an immediate return. Brazil and Ecuador, which both won Group I ties in the Americas Zone last weekend will face off for a place in the 2010 World Group. Brazil, which leads the series between the two 4-2, last competed in the World Group in 2003, while Ecuador last was last among the elite in 2001.
In the third tie between two Group I qualifiers, South Africa was drawn at home to India, which it has defeated in both previous meetings. Both nations last competed in the World Group in 1998.
Tough task for Uzbekistan, Italy
Uzbekistan was given a tough task as it bids to make the World Group for the first time. The nation, which defeated Japan last weekend to reach the play-offs, was handed a trip to Serbia, which lost to Spain in this year’s first round. Italy was also handed a tough task as it bids to return to the World Group for the first time since 2000 when it was drawn against Switzerland, although it does have home advantage.
Of the ties involving nations that both lost in this year’s World Group first round, France travels to the Netherlands, Sweden hosts Romania and Chile is at home to Austria.
France has won all nine previous meetings with the Dutch and will hope to extend its current 11-year stay in the World Group against a team that returned to the World Group this year. Chile, which also won promotion last year, takes on Austria, which has survived the World Group Play-offs in each of the last five years.
Sweden, which shares the record for World Group appearances, having been absent for just one year, will look to extend that record when it takes on Romania, which is in the World Group Play-offs for the sixth time in seven years.
The full draw is as follows:
(S) AUSTRIA v CHILE (C)(*)
(S) BELGIUM (C) v UKRAINE
(S) BRAZIL(C) v ECUADOR
(S) FRANCE v NETHERLANDS (C)
(S) INDIA v SOUTH AFRICA (C)
(S) SERBIA (C)(*) v UZBEKISTAN
(S) SWEDEN (C) v ROMANIA
(S) SWITZERLAND v ITALY (C)
Key: (s) = seeded nation; (c) = choice of ground; * = choice of ground decided by lot
The ties will take place on 18-20 September, with the eight winning nations advancing to the 2010 World Group, and the eight losing nations starting next year in Group I of the zonal competition.
Seedings are based on the latest ITF Davis Cup Nations Ranking, which is published following every Davis Cup weekend. For a full list of the latest rankings, please visit the ITF Davis Cup Nations Ranking Page.
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