U.S. Team Willing to Settle for a Routine Experience

This time, the Americans would prefer considerably less Davis Cup drama.

At Thursday’s draw for the U.S.-Belgium quarterfinal, which begins today at the Indianapolis Tennis Center, Jim Courier ranked his epic five-set victory over teenager Marat Safin in April to clinch a first-round win over Russia as one of the most memorable matches of his career.

This, from the winner of two French Opens and two Australian Opens.

“There are not too many other times guys come out and pile on when you win your match and you’re in the middle of a dog pile,” Courier said. “It really was a powerful experience.”

But this time, the opponent is Belgium, a country roughly a third the size of Indiana, that is making its first appearance in a World Group quarterfinal.

The European clay specialists must face an American team led by Courier and Andre Agassi on their best surface, the hard court. Besides that, the U.S. hasn’t lost a Davis Cup match on American soil since 1987, a string of 17 matches.

“I think we’re really underdogs, and on paper have almost no chance of beating the U.S.,” said Filip Dewulf, who is Belgium’s top player but is only 43rd in the world. “[But] we showed against the Dutch team that the [competition] has to be played.”

Against Belgium, the Dutch were missing two top players, Richard Krajicek and doubles specialist Paul Haarhuis.

Against the U.S.--even with No. 1-ranked Pete Sampras not playing after once again turning down Davis Cup captain Tom Gullikson’s invitation--the Belgians must face two former No. 1 players, Agassi and Courier.

They are, however, two former No. 1s who managed only one victory between them at the French Open and Wimbledon, and are decidedly happy to be away from clay and grass.

Reputations aside, Dewulf, who plays the struggling Courier in the opening match today, is actually ranked five spots ahead of No. 48 Courier, partly on the strength of reaching the French Open quarterfinals.

Agassi, ranked 19th, plays No. 159 Christophe Van Garsse, the unexpected hero of Belgium’s last two Davis Cup matches, in the other match today. After Saturday’s doubles match, the singles players switch opponents Sunday to conclude the best-of-five play.

Agassi’s recent resurgence stalled in Europe, but he hopes this Davis Cup round will jump start him leading up to the U.S. Open.

“It’s definitely something I need right now,” Agassi said. “I had a pretty good setback at the French Open [where he injured his shoulder in a first-round loss to Safin], and that didn’t allow me to play much before Wimbledon.

“I’m not really worried about my recent results. I’m looking forward to watching it all unfold.”

Belgium probably will be without Johan Van Herck, ranked 81st, who had hoped to recover from the hamstring injury that forced him to retire from his first-round match at Wimbledon. Belgian captain Keon Gonnissen passed over him in singles and announced Dewulf and Davis Cup rookie Xavier Malisse as the probable doubles opponents for the Americans’ Todd Martin and Richey Reneberg.

Martin and Reneberg earned a key point in the victory over Russia. The odds are in their favor again, and the United States has never lost a Davis Cup match when it wins the doubles point.

With the winner advancing to a September semifinal against the winner of Italy-Zimbabwe, the sole task for the U.S. is preventing the Belgians from becoming national heroes.

“It’s a real simple equation,” Courier said. “We need to go out and do what we know how to do.”

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Davis Cup at a Glance

* What: Quarterfinals, U.S. vs. Belgium.

* When: Today-Sunday at Indianapolis.

* TV: Today: Singles match A, 9 a.m., ESPN2; Singles match B, noon, ESPN. Saturday: Doubles, 11 a.m., ESPN. Sunday: Singles match C, 10 a.m., ESPN.

* Matchups: Singles match A--Jim Courier vs. Filip Dewulf; Singles match B--Andre Agassi vs. Christophe Van Garsse; Doubles--Todd Martin-Richey Reneberg vs. Dewulf-Xavier Malisse; Singles match C--Agassi vs. Dewulf; Singles match D--Courier vs. Van Garsse.