1976 Davis Cup

1976 Davis Cup

Details
Duration	22 August 1975 – 19 December 1976
Edition	65th
Teams	53
Champion
Winning nation	Italy
← 1975 1977 →

The 1976 Davis Cup was the 65th edition of the Davis Cup, the most important tournament between national teams in men's tennis. 58 teams would enter the competition, 32 in the Europe Zone, 14 in the Americas Zone, and 12 in the Eastern Zone. This year's tournament saw all teams in the Americas Zone competing in one single bracket, with the previous North & Central America and South America sub-zones, and subsequently the Americas Inter-Zonal final, being eliminated. This brought the Americas Zone in line with the outline of the other zones, with the previous year's Americas sub-zone champions progressing to the new Americas main draw semifinals.

Chile defeated South Africa in the Americas Zone final, Australia defeated New Zealand in the Eastern Zone final, and the Soviet Union and Italy were the winners of the two Europe Zones, defeating Hungary and Great Britain, respectively.

In the Inter-Zonal Zone, Italy defeated Australia in their semifinal; the second semifinal was scratched and Chile advanced to the Final as the Soviet Union refused to travel to Chile due to their opposition to the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.^[1] In the final, held in the Estadio Nacional in Santiago, Chile, on 17–19 December, Italy defeated Chile to win their first title and become the seventh nation to win the Davis Cup.^[2][3]

	First Round					Qualifying Round
	United States
						Tucson, AZ, United States (hard)
	bye
						United States		5
						Venezuela		0
	Venezuela
	bye
	Mexico City, Mexico (clay)
	Mexico		5
						Mexico City, Mexico (clay)
	Caribbean/West Indies		0
						Mexico		3
	Montreal, Canada (indoor carpet)
						Canada		2
	Canada		5
	Colombia		0
	Brazil		w/o
						Brasilia, Brazil (clay)
	Bolivia
						Brazil		5
	Lima, Peru
						Peru		0
	Peru		3
	Uruguay		2
	bye
						Guayaquil, Ecuador (clay)
	Ecuador
						Ecuador		0
						Argentina		5
	bye
	Argentina

Quarterfinals 19–28 December 1975

Semifinals 5–7 March

Final 26–28 April

South Africa

bye

South Africa

w/o

Mexico City, Mexico (clay)

Mexico

United States

2

Santiago, Chile

Mexico

3

South Africa

2

Buenos Aires, Argentina (clay)

Chile

3

Brazil

0

Santiago, Chile (clay)

Argentina

5

Argentina

2

Chile

3

bye

Chile

Chile vs. South Africa

Chile 3	Santiago, Chile[4] 26–28 April 1976		South Africa 2
1 2 3 4 5 1 Patricio Cornejo Bernard Mitton 4 6 6 3 5 7 5 7     2 Jaime Fillol Raymond Moore 7 5 8 6 6 3       3 Patricio Cornejo / Jaime Fillol Byron Bertram / Frew McMillan 6 3 10 8 2 6 4 6 3 6   4 Patricio Cornejo Raymond Moore 5 7 6 2 10 8 7 5     5 Jaime Fillol Bernard Mitton 7 5 6 3 4 6 6 2

	First Round					Qualifying Round
	Indonesia
						Jakarta, Indonesia
	bye
						Indonesia		3
						South Korea		2
	South Korea
	bye
	Sri Lanka
						Colombo, Sri Lanka (clay)
	bye
						Sri Lanka		0
	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
						Pakistan		4
	Malaysia		0
	Pakistan		5
	Amritsar, India
	India		5
						Tokyo, Japan
	Thailand		0
						India		3
						Japan		2
	bye
	Japan
	bye
						Taipei, Taiwan (hard)
	Philippines
						Philippines		4
						Chinese Taipei		0
	bye
	Chinese Taipei

Quarterfinals 28 November–21 December 1975

Semifinals 9–18 January

Final 27 February–1 March

Australia

Hobart, Australia (grass)

bye

Australia

5

Karachi, Pakistan

Indonesia

0

Indonesia

4

Brisbane, Australia (grass)

Pakistan

1

Australia

3

Manila, Philippines

New Zealand

1

India

4

Auckland, New Zealand (grass)

Philippines

0

India

2

New Zealand

3

bye

New Zealand

Australia vs. New Zealand

Australia 3	Milton Courts, Brisbane, Australia[5] 27 February–1 March 1976 Grass		New Zealand 1
1 2 3 4 5 1 Ross Case Brian Fairlie 6 3 8 10 1 6 6 2 4 6   2 John Newcombe Onny Parun 8 6 6 3 7 5       3 John Newcombe / Tony Roche Brian Fairlie / Onny Parun 6 1 3 6 6 3 7 5     4 John Newcombe Brian Fairlie 8 6 5 7 11 9 6 3     5 Ross Case Onny Parun           not played

	Pre-qualifying round
	Turkey
	Israel		w/o

	First Round					Qualifying Round
	Copenhagen, Denmark (indoor carpet)
	Finland		1
						Freiburg, West Germany (clay)
	Denmark		4
						Denmark		0
						West Germany		5
	bye
	West Germany
	Monte Carlo, Monaco
	Monaco		4
						Tbilisi, Soviet Union
	Israel		1
						Monaco		0
						Soviet Union		5
	bye
	Soviet Union
	Brussels, Belgium
	Belgium		4
						Brussels, Belgium
	Netherlands		1
						Belgium		0
						Hungary		5
	bye
	Hungary
	Ireland		w/o
						Cairo, Egypt
	Rhodesia
						Ireland		1
						Egypt		4
	bye
	Egypt

Quarterfinals 14–16 May

Semifinals 23–25 July

Final 13–15 August

Spain

Donetsk, Soviet Union

bye

Spain

1

Bad Homburg, West Germany

Soviet Union

4

West Germany

1

Tbilisi, Soviet Union

Soviet Union

4

Soviet Union

4

Budapest, Hungary

Hungary

1

Hungary

5

Budapest, Hungary (clay)

Egypt

0

Hungary

3

Czechoslovakia

1

bye

Czechoslovakia

Soviet Union vs. Hungary

Soviet Union 4	Tbilisi, Soviet Union[6] 13–15 August 1976		Hungary 1
1 2 3 4 5 1 Alex Metreveli János Benyik 6 3 7 5 6 3       2 Teimuraz Kakulia Balázs Taróczy 3 6 3 6 4 6       3 Teimuraz Kakulia / Alex Metreveli Péter Szőke / Balázs Taróczy 12 10 6 0 6 4       4 Alex Metreveli Balázs Taróczy 7 5 6 1 9 7       5 Teimuraz Kakulia János Benyik 6 4 6 8 3 6 6 3 6 1

	First Round					Qualifying Round
	Iran
	bye
						Iran		w/o
						Nigeria
	Nigeria		w/o
	Algeria
	bye
						Mondorf-les-Bains, Luxembourg (clay)
	Luxembourg
						Luxembourg		0
						Portugal		5
	bye
	Portugal

	First Round					Qualifying Round
	Tehran, Iran
	Iran		2
						Zürich, Switzerland (clay)
	Switzerland		3
						Switzerland		1
						Great Britain		4
	bye
	Great Britain
	Sofia, Bulgaria
	Bulgaria		1
						Vienna, Austria
	Austria		4
						Austria		1
						Romania		4
	bye
	Romania
	Italy
						Florence, Italy (clay)
	bye
						Italy		5
	Warsaw, Poland (clay)
						Poland		0
	Poland		5
	Norway		0
	bye
						Zagreb, Yugoslavia
	Yugoslavia
						Yugoslavia		5
	Athens, Greece (clay)
						Greece		0
	Greece		4
	Portugal		1

Quarterfinals 20–23 May

Semifinals 8–18 July

Final 5–7 August

France

Eastbourne, United Kingdom (grass)

bye

France

1

Eastbourne, United Kingdom (grass)

Great Britain

4

Great Britain

5

Wimbledon, United Kingdom (grass)

Romania

0

Great Britain

1

Bologna, Italy (clay)

Italy

4

Italy

5

Rome, Italy (clay)

Yugoslavia

0

Italy

4

Sweden

0

bye

Sweden

Great Britain vs. Italy

Great Britain 1	No. 1 Court, All England Club, Wimbledon, United Kingdom[7] 5–7 August 1976 Grass		Italy 4
1 2 3 4 5 1 Roger Taylor Tonino Zugarelli 1 6 5 7 6 3 1 6     2 John Lloyd Adriano Panatta 7 5 3 6 3 6 6 2 4 6   3 David Lloyd / John Lloyd Paolo Bertolucci / Adriano Panatta 6 8 3 6 6 3 18 16 6 2   4 Roger Taylor Adriano Panatta 6 3 2 6 4 6 4 6     5 John Lloyd Tonino Zugarelli 6 4 8 6 1 6 1 6 1 6

	Semifinals 24–27 September					Final 17–19 December
	Rome, Italy (clay)
	EUR-B	Italy	3
						Santiago, Chile (clay)
	EAS	Australia	2
						EUR-B	Italy	4
						AME	Chile	1
	AME	Chile	w/o
	EUR-A	Soviet Union

Italy vs. Australia

Italy 3	Foro Italico, Rome, Italy[8] 24–27 September 1976 Clay		Australia 2
1 2 3 4 5 1 Corrado Barazzutti John Newcombe 7 5 6 1 6 4       2 Adriano Panatta John Alexander 5 7 3 6 4 6       3 Paolo Bertolucci / Adriano Panatta John Newcombe / Tony Roche 6 3 6 4 6 3       4 Corrado Barazzutti John Alexander 2 6 2 6 7 5 6 4 2 6   5 Adriano Panatta John Newcombe 5 7 8 6 6 4 6 2

Chile vs. Soviet Union

The tie was scheduled to be completed by September 27, but the Soviet Union refused to travel to Chile due to their opposition to the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet: therefore, the tie was scratched and Chile advanced to the Final.^[1][9] The Soviet team were subsequently banned from entering the Davis Cup for two years.

Chile vs. Italy

Chile 1	Estadio Nacional, Santiago, Chile[3] 17–19 December 1976 Clay		Italy 4
1 2 3 4 5 1 Jaime Fillol Corrado Barazzutti 5 7 6 4 5 7 1 6     2 Patricio Cornejo Adriano Panatta 3 6 1 6 3 6       3 Patricio Cornejo / Jaime Fillol Paolo Bertolucci / Adriano Panatta 6 3 2 6 7 9 3 6     4 Jaime Fillol Adriano Panatta 6 8 4 6 6 3 8 10     5 Belus Prajoux Tonino Zugarelli 6 4 6 3 6 2

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