ITF

DAVIS CUP One of the best clashes of the Qualifiers sees Austria, boosted by the return of 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem, take on Croatia in Rijeka. Although Marin Cilic is missing through injury, Thiem will need to rediscover some of his best form if he's to challenge Borna Coric and the reliable duo of Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic. The tie between Kazakhstan and Chile also has potential to be thrilling. The Kazakhs are five-time quarter-finalists and they tend to punch above their weight in this competition, but going away to play on clay against a full-strength Chilean side will test a line-up which includes Alexander Bublik and Mikhail Kukushkin. n Follow all the action at www.daviscup.com C L I C K H E R E FO R M O R E The Qualifiers also see a number of big names selected for their countries, not least Alexander Zverev who returns from his long injury lay-off to help Germany in their home tie against Switzerland. After tearing multiple ligaments in his right ankle during his semi-final against Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros, the German No. 1 had been hoping to return in his country's colours at the 2022 Davis Cup Finals Group Stage last September, but another injury meant he needed more time on the sidelines. But now he's back and he joins Oscar Otte, Jan-Lennard Struff and Tim Puetz in Trier. "Alexander declared early on his willingness to support us again this year in the Davis Cup," said German captain Michael Kohlmann. "It shows that he, like the whole team, has big goals in this competition. We have proven that we can compete with the best teams in the world. With Alexander in the team, we are improving our chances even further." Germany will be favourites against Switzerland but Swiss captain Severin Luthi has named the same five players that defeated Ecuador in September. It's a youthful set-up, with Marc-Andrea Huesler leading 20-year-olds Dominic Stricker and Leandro Riedi. Elsewhere, Finland, Norway and Portugal all have home ties as they look to break new ground and reach the Davis Cup Finals for the first time. They all promise to be incredible occasions. In 2022, Finland fell to an agonising 3-2 defeat against Belgium in a Qualifier that went right down to the wire. With the same five players in the same venue in Espoo, Finnish captain Jarkko Nieminen will be hoping his team can go one better this time against 2016 champions Argentina, with Emil Ruusuvouri's form likely to be crucial for the hosts as they look to capitalise on an Argentinian team without two of their top singles players. Portugal against Czech Republic looks like a fairly even tie, with Nuno Borges and Joao Sousa providing Portugal with both youth and experience, while Jiri Lehecka and Thomas Machac have both started the season strongly for Czech Republic. ITF World Winter 2022/23 9

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