Kooyong to host Davis Cup quarterfinal

It was announced on Monday that Australia will stage its home Davis Cup quarterfinal meeting with Belarus at the former home of Australian tennis in Kooyong.

It was well publicised that Kooyong and Melbourne Park were the leading contenders for the right to host the upcoming tie, as of the four Australian players who were part of their first round win over Switzerland – Peter Luczak, Chris Guccione, Wayne Arthurs and Paul Hanley – only Hanley is not based in Melbourne.

Adelaide’s memorial drive was also an option if Australia’s highest-ranked player, Lleyton Hewitt, was a certainty to return to the team, while Canberra was another bidder.

The centre court at Kooyong, constructed in 1927, has a capacity of 8000, meaning players will be performing in front of a small yet intimate crowd.

While the venue last hosted a Cup tie when Australia defeated the USA 4-1 in the first round in 1993, the first of nine Cup ties Kooyong was hosted back in 1946.

Kooyong was the home of the Australian Open from 1972-1987 and also has a rich tradition with the Davis Cup, hosting successful Cup finals in 1983 and 1986.

“It is great to be able to return to Kooyong for a Davis Cup tie as the venue holds so many great memories for tennis fans,” said current Australian captain John Fitzgerald, a player in the 1983 and 1986 victories over Sweden, on the Tennis Australia website.

“This promises to be a hard fought quarterfinal battle which I’m sure will be a fitting addition to the rich history of Davis Cup matches at Kooyong.”

Formal approval of the choice of venue will be pending a site visit by the governing body of the famous men’s team event, the International Tennis Federation.

Australia and Belarus square-off for a Davis Cup semi-final birth from Friday April 7 to Sunday April 9.

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