U.S. to Face Mexico in ’91 Davis Cup Opening Round

The United States, which faces Australia in the final of this year’s Davis Cup in late November, will begin its 1991 Davis Cup play against Mexico.

The U.S. team, which defeated Mexico in the first round this year to run its record to 26-3 against that nation, will travel to Mexico for the competition Feb. 1-3.

The U.S. team, which needed victories in Prague and Vienna to reach the final of this year’s competition, could advance to the 1991 final without leaving North America.

Today’s draw determined that U.S.-Mexico winner will face either Spain or Canada in the second round on March 29-31. The United States would host Spain, while Canada would be the host team in the second round if it wins in Spain.

Spain, which has an 0-2 record against the United States, hosted the last meeting between the nations in 1972 in Barcelona.

Australia, whose 26 Davis Cup titles is second only to the 28 of the United States, will host Belgium in the first round next year. Belgium, like Canada, will be making its debut in the World Group of the annual men’s tennis competition.

Gordon Jorgensen, chairman of the Davis Cup committee for the International Tennis Federation and a former head of the U.S. Tennis Assn., said the Americans will be ready for Mexico.

“We have some clay-court players now, so we should have a good chance against them,” he said.

Officials managed to avoid a politically embarrassing matchup as they conducted the draw of 88 nations by picking pieces of paper out of the silver Davis Cup.

Iraq and Kuwait were assigned to different halves of the draw in the AsiaOceania Zone Group II, but the Iraqis still could have been chosen to play Saudi Arabia or Syria, two countries whose troops are facing off against the Iraqis.

Instead, Iraq was drawn to play its first-round series at Jordan, which has steered a middle course in response to Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait.