Doubles Take: Top teams get set for Davis Cup action

Doubles Take previews what’s in store in the week ahead.

It’s the opening week of Davis Cup World Group play, and doubles will be critical as always. Here's a rundown of some key match-ups.

Japan and its top doubles player, Australian Open semifinalist Ben McLachlan, go up against a deep Italy squad, which will probably call on 2015 Australian Open champs Fabio Fognini and Simone Bolelli for the doubles rubber.

Spain, with Feliciano Lopez, faces Great Britain, which has two top doubles players in Jamie Murray and Dominic Inglot. Australia will host Germany: The Aussies can choose from a range of players to team up with world No. 4 John Peers, while Germany’s top doubles player for the tie is Alexander Zverev, ranked No. 101.

Doubles could be particularly crucial in the Kazakhstan-Switzerland tie: With no favorites in the singles match-ups, the middle rubber will be key, featuring players with rankings well in the triple digits. That’s nearly the opposite of the tie between defending champion France and the Netherlands. The French squad features two top players in Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut to complement its singles stars, while the Dutch team is comprised primarily of doubles specialists, led by Jean-Julien Rojer.

In the Croatia-Canada tie, both nations feature two of the game’s best. Ivan Dodig will anchor the host team, while Daniel Nestor—who’s retiring this year—will more than likely be on the court for Canada as he tries to win the one big title missing from his collection.

Despite no longer having the Bryan brothers to call upon, the U.S. will still be the heavy favorites against Serbia as all of its players have had successful runs in doubles. Sam Querrey and John Isner have won Masters 1000 titles, Ryan Harrison captured the French Open last year and Steve Johnson took home the bronze medal in doubles in Rio.

It’s surprising Serb captain Nenad Zimonjic didn’t sneak himself into a lineup that's missing Novak Djokovic.

On paper, two-time Davis Cup finalists Belgium are the overall favorites against Hungary. However, this tie could be a tricky one if the two nations split the singles matches the first day. Neither team has a standout doubles pairing, and the results here have the potential to push the tie to the distance.

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