Issue link: http://itf.uberflip.com/i/703971
ITF CIRCUITS AND PROFESSIONAL TENNIS EVENTS • DAVIS CUP BY BNP PARIBAS I 7 Ward's win was one of many stand-out moments that made for a terrifi c Davis Cup year. Runner-up Belgium surprised everybody by reaching its fi rst Final in 111 years, defeating defending champion Switzerland, Canada and four-time fi nalist Argentina en route. Australia reached the semifi nals for the fi rst time since 2006 while fellow semifi nalist Argentina also made its mark, not least when Leonardo Mayer defeated Brazil's Joao Souza in the longest singles match in Davis Cup history at six hours and 43 minutes in the fi rst round in Buenos Aires. Other highlights saw Poland win a place in the World Group for the fi rst time, while Dominican Republic became just the third Caribbean nation to reach the World Group play-offs. One hundred and nineteen nations competed in the event in total, either in the elite 16-nation World Group or in one of 11 groups in the three regional zones: Americas, Asia/Oceania and Europe/Africa. In all, 535 players took part, including 22 of the world's Top 30 players. Off the court, over 530,000 spectators watched Davis Cup ties in 50 countries, with 39,000 fans attending the Final in Ghent. It was another successful year for Davis Cup on television, with 58 broadcasters showing the competition in 161 territories. The Davis Cup websites in English and Spanish enjoyed a six per cent growth in 2015, with a record 6.9 million visits and over 30 million page views achieved by the end of the Final. The competition's social media properties in English, Spanish and Chinese saw a 23 per cent increase in users, with a total social media audience of 640,000, including 234,000 Twitter followers and 358,000 Facebook likes. It has been a strong year commercially for Davis Cup, with title sponsor BNP Paribas extending its current agreement for a further fi ve years through 2021. The ITF signed a new international sponsorship agreement with Betway, and extended existing agreements with Rolex and Adecco. In addition beIN SPORTS became the Offi cial Global Media Rights Partner for Davis Cup and Fed Cup in a seven-year agreement.