GERMANY 1, BELGIUM 4
Venue: Fraport Arena, Frankfurt, Germany (Indoor Hard)

Steve Darcis’ Davis Cup legend continues to grow, as the Belgian stalwart provided the heroics once again for the European nation. Darcis improved to an impressive 21-8 in Davis Cup singles play with a 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, 7-6(8) upset of Alexander Zverev in Sunday’s fourth rubber, sending Belgium into the quarter-finals. The 32 year old’s second straight Top 30 win comes on the heels of a five-set victory over Philipp Kohlschreiber to open the tie on Friday. Previously, Darcis was 0-9 against Top 30 opponents since stunning Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon in 2013.

“You never know in Davis Cup,” said Darcis. “They said it would an easy match for Germany. That’s why we love the Davis Cup. There are surprises and we had one today. The difference between us and them is that we are really a team. They have so many great players but we play with heart, for our country and for the people here.”

Without the services of World No. 11 David Goffin, Darcis was the clutch performer for 2015 finalist Belgium. On Sunday, he overcame a set and a break deficit against Zverev and remained poised after squandering three match points in the fourth set tie-break. Darcis would turn aside a set point at 8-7, before sealing the victory 10-8 after three hours and two minutes. Zverev struck more winners (28-20) and more aces (21-7), but it was 73 unforced errors that made the difference.

Belgium will face either defending champion Argentina or Italy in the quarter-finals. It is their third appearance in the last eight since 2007.

SERBIA 4, RUSSIA 1
Venue: Cair Sports Center, Nis, Serbia (Indoor Hard)

Serbia finished off a 4-1 victory over Russia on Sunday, as Dusan Lajovic defeated Konstantin Kravchuk 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in the lone dead rubber played. The hosts will next face either 2016 finalist Croatia or Spain in the quarter-finals.

CROATIA 2, SPAIN 3
Venue: Gradski Vrt Hall, Osijek, Croatia (hard – indoor)

No Rafael Nadal, no David Ferrer, no problem for Spain. The European nation overcame a 1-2 deficit to advance to the Davis Cup quarter-finals for the first time since 2012. Roberto Bautista Agut survived Franko Skugor 6-1, 6-7(4), 6-3, 7-6(6) in the fourth rubber, followed by a 7-6(4), 6-1, 6-4 victory for Pablo Carreno Busta over Nikola Mektic in the decider.

“I felt a lot of pressure closing out the match but I kept going,” said Bautista Agut. “It was a tough tie-break but I closed it. It’s much more difficult in the Davis Cup. The crowd is supporting them a lot, but these are good things to learn from and I’m happy to give the second point to Spain.”

Spain is looking to complete its ascent back to Davis Cup prominence after being relegated to Group I in 2014. The Conchita Martinez-led squad will face Serbia in April for a spot in the semis.

The loss for Croatia eliminates the 2016 finalists, who were without the services of Marin Cilic, Borna Coric, Ivo Karlovic and Ivan Dodig. It marks the fourth time in the last five years that the runners-up are defeated in the first round of the subsequent competition. Last year, the Croatians defeated 2015 finalists Belgium in the opening weekend. 

ARGENTINA 2, ITALY 2
Venue: Parque Sarmiento, Buenos Aires, Argentina (clay)

Defending champion Argentina is one match away from completing a historic comeback from 0-2 down after Carlos Berlocq ousted Paolo Lorenzi 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 in Sunday’s Davis Cup reverse singles. The match included a long rain delay in the fourth set, but Berlocq regrouped to take the match in four hours and 14 minutes.

The first-round tie is a rematch of a 2016 quarter-final clash, which saw the Argentines advance 3-1. They are hoping to avoid becoming the second Davis Cup champion in the past three years (Switzerland, 2015) to bow out in the first round in the subsequent edition.

Argentina’s Guido Pella and Andreas Seppi will square off in the deciding fifth rubber on Monday at 11am local time.

AUSTRALIA 4, CZECH REPUBLIC 1
Venue: Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club, Melbourne, AUS (hard – outdoor)

Australia finished off a 4-1 victory over the Czech Republic following Sunday’s reverse singles. Sam Groth was defeated by Jiri Vesely in the fourth rubber 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, followed by World No. 65 Jordan Thompson downing Jan Satral 7-6(5), 6-2 to complete the tie. The Aussies will host the United States in the quarter-finals.

JAPAN 1, FRANCE 4
Venue: Ariake Colosseum, Tokyo, JPN (hard – indoor)

France completed a dominant 4-1 victory over host Japan, surging into the Davis Cup quarter-finals where they will next face either Great Britain or Canada. Nicolas Mahut opened Sunday’s reverse singles with victory over Yoshihito Nishioka, when the Japanese star retired trailing 6-1, 1-1 due to a left wrist injury. The home nation registered their lone point of the tie when Yasutaka Uchiyama downed Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-4, 6-4.  

SERBIA 3, RUSSIA 0
Venue: Cair Sports Center, Nis, Serbia (Indoor Hard)

Viktor Troicki was the hero in Serbia’s title-clinching run in 2010 and the 30 year old is once again thriving in Davis Cup play. The Serbians are back in the quarter-finals for the third straight year after Troicki and former doubles No. 1 Nenad Zimonjic defeated Russians Konstantin Kravchuk and Andrey Kuznetsov 6-3, 7-6(3), 6-7(5), 6-4. The win also gives Zimonjic his first victory as Davis Cup captain.

The home nation converted eight of 18 break chances during the three-hour and nine-minute encounter. Troicki is the marathon man of the tie after overcoming #NextGenATP star Karen Khachanov in a fifth-set tie-break on Friday afternoon in Nis. Also led by World No. 2 Novak Djokovic, eighth-seeded Serbia will face either Croatia or Serbia next.

GERMANY 1, BELGIUM 2
Venue: Fraport Arena, Frankfurt, Germany (Indoor Hard)

The Belgians are one win from snatching a road tie in Germany, after Ruben Bemelmans and Joris De Loore needed five sets to oust Alexander Zverev and Mischa Zverev 6-3, 7-6(4), 4-6, 4-6, 6-3. The 2015 runners-up are eyeing a slice of redemption after falling in the first round last year.

Bemelmans and De Loore prevailed after three hours and 13 minutes, firing 55 total winners. They are 2-0 together in Davis Cup action, with both victories coming in five sets. Last year, the Belgian duo stunned Brazilians Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares in the World Group Play-off.

“In the circumstances and with who we were playing and where, this feels better,” De Loore said. “It was hard because I thought we were the better pair but a few points changed it around. Alex’s serve is unbelievable but at the net he wasn’t as strong as his brother.”

UNITED STATES 3, SWITZERLAND 0

Venue: Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex, Birmingham, Alabama (Indoor Hard) 

Team USA continued their dominance over Switzerland as Steve Johnson/Jack Sock moved past Adrien Bossel/Henri Laaksonen 7-6(3), 6-3, 7-6(5). Johnson/Sock saved set points while returning down 3-5 in the third set. Sock came in as a last-minute substitution for Sam Querrey and Laaksonen replaced Antoine Bellier. The American Davis Cup doubles lineup has a new look due to Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan announcing last month that they were stepping down from Davis Cup competition after 14 years of play.

The Americans also defeated Switzerland 4-1 in Birmingham in 2009. That squad was led by Andy Roddick, James Blake and the Bryan brothers, while Stan Wawrinka headlined the Swiss team.

The United States will now renew one of the most decorated rivalries in Davis Cup history when they play Australia in the quarter-finals after the Aussies defeated the Czech Republic this weekend. They’ve played 46 times dating back to 1905, with the Americans currently leading the head-to-head 26-20. Team USA prevailed over Australia 3-1 in last year’s World Group first-round tie on grass in Kooyong. 

CANADA 2, GREAT BRITAIN 1

Venue: TD Place Arena, Ottawa, Canada (Indoor Hard)

Dominic Inglot/Jamie Murray took the critical doubles point with a 7-6(1), 6-7(3), 7-6(3), 6-3 win over Daniel Nestor/Vasek Pospisil. Inglot/Murray fired 17 aces and 29 winners on the day to prevail in three hours and eight minutes.

Pospisil has been dealing with knee issues throughout the weekend. He is still scheduled to play Daniel Evans in the fourth rubber, but Peter Polansky could come in as a potential substitute. Canadian teenager Denis Shapovalov will play Kyle Edmund in the fifth and final match of the tie.

AUSTRALIA 3, CZECH REPUBLIC 0
Venue: Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club, Melbourne, AUS (hard – outdoor)

Australia has taken an unassailable 3-0 lead over the Czech Republic following Saturday’s doubles victory for Sam Groth and John Peers. The Aussie duo defeated Jan Satral and Jiri Vesely 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 in one hour and 30 minutes, firing 11 aces.

The 28-time champion Aussie squad has not dropped a set through three matches, including singles routs by Jordan Thompson and Nick Kyrgios on Friday. Played at the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club, former venue of the Australian Open, Groth and Peers powered their nation into its second World Group quarter-final in three years. They will face either Switzerland or the United States next.

“It feels like I’m in a dream to be honest,” said Peers, who is coming off a title run at the Australian Open with Henri Kontinen. “Hopefully when I wake up I’m just pinching myself to believe what has happened the past few weeks.”

“We came up to do a job and I thought we played great today,” said Groth. “I played as good a match as I’ve played all year.”

JAPAN 0, FRANCE 3
Venue: Ariake Colosseum, Tokyo, JPN (hard – indoor)

France’s streak lives, as Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut sent Les Bleus into the Davis Cup quarter-finals for an eighth consecutive year, turning aside Yuichi Sugita, Yasutaka Uchiyama and Japan 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. The victory gives the visiting nation an unassailable 3-0 win at the Ariake Colosseum in Tokyo.

Herbert and Mahut, the top players in the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings, converted four of five break chances while saving eight of nine faced during the one-hour and 46-minute affair. Nine-time champion France will face either Canada or Great Britain next.

“Davis Cup matches are never easy, but we won in straight sets,” said Mahut. “It was not our best match, but we’re happy to get through in three. We are very happy to get this point for France.”