LOS ANGELES, Sept. 14, 2017 – Tennis Channel and Tennis Channel Plus will provide complete coverage of both Davis Cup semifinals this weekend: Belgium-Australia in Brussels and France-Serbia in Lille, France. The matches will be live on Tennis Channel Plus before running on Tennis Channel beginning at 3 p.m. ET each day.
Tennis Channel Plus’ coverage between Belgium and Australia will get underway Friday, Sept. 15, at 8 a.m. ET. The Australians hold 28 titles and are second on the all-time list of Davis Cup champions, behind only the United States (32). Highlighting the matchup, top-ranked Australian Nick Kyrgios will face Belgium’s David Goffin after defeating him at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati, last month. Although Kyrgios holds a 3-0 record against Goffin, the pair have never faced each other in Davis Cup play.
Beginning, Friday, Sept. 15, at 7 a.m. ET Tennis Channel Plus will offer live coverage of France and Serbia in Lille, France. France is tied for third on the all-time list of Davis Cup champions, most recently winning its ninth title in 2001. Among the stars set to play this weekend include France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Nicolas Mahut and Lucas Pouille.
Both Davis Cup semifinals will consist of two singles matches on Friday, followed by the doubles match Saturday, Sept. 16. Tennis Channel’s coverage concludes with the remaining singles play Sunday, Sept. 17. Each match is worth one point, with three victories enough to secure a trip to the November championship.
In addition to live Davis Cup coverage this weekend, Tennis Channel Plus will make all matches available on-demand. The platform (www.tennischanneleverywhere.com) is available to everyone in the United States regardless of whether they subscribe to Tennis Channel (complete weekend schedule below).
Tennis Channel’s Davis Cup coverage is as follows (all time ET):
Friday, Sept. 15:
7 a.m. – Singles France v. Serbia (Live on Tennis Channel Plus)
8 a.m. – Singles Belgium v. Australia (Live on Tennis Channel Plus)
3 p.m. – Singles France v. Serbia followed by Belgium v. Australia
Saturday, Sept. 16:
8 a.m. – Doubles France v. Serbia (Live on Tennis Channel Plus)
9 a.m. – Doubles Belgium v. Australia (Live on Tennis Channel Plus)
3 p.m. – Doubles France v. Serbia followed by Belgium v. Australia
Sunday, Sept. 17:
7 a.m. – Singles France v. Serbia (Live on Tennis Channel Plus)
8 a.m. – Singles Belgium v. Australia (Live on Tennis Channel Plus)
3 p.m. – Singles France v. Serbia followed by Belgium v. Australia
Belgium and Australia have faced each other four times in Davis Cup play, with the countries tied at two wins apiece. However, Belgium won the two most recent meetings in 2007 and 2010. The Australians last defeated Belgium in 1991.
Australia enters this weekend’s match after defeating the United States 3-2 in the quarterfinals. Leading the Australian team is Captain Lleyton Hewitt, who as a player was on both the 2007 and 2010 teams that lost to Belgium. Australia’s Kyrgios joins Jordan Thompson, Thanasi Kokkinakis and John Peers in this weekend’s battle.
Serbia holds the upper hand against France in Davis Cup competition, winning its sole Davis Cup title against France in the 2010 final at Belgrade Arena. The team won its first quarterfinal victory since 2012 by defeating Spain 4-1 in Belgrade in April.
France eliminated Britain in the April quarterfinals and is bidding to win its 10th Davis Cup title. France’s captain Yannick Noah will lead Tsonga, Mahut, Pouille and Pierre-Hugues Herbert this weekend.
Tennis Channel (www.tennischannel.com), which is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, is the only 24-hour, television-based multimedia destination dedicated to both the professional sport and tennis lifestyle. A hybrid of comprehensive sports, health, fitness, pop culture, entertainment, lifestyle and travel programming, the network is home to every aspect of the wide-ranging, worldwide tennis community. It also has the most concentrated single-sport coverage in television, with telecast rights at the US Open, Wimbledon, Roland Garros (French Open), Australian Open, ATP World Tour events, top-tier WTA competitions, Davis Cup, Fed Cup and Hopman Cup. Tennis Channel is carried by nine of the top 10 video providers.
