Nearly 75 years after the U.S. Davis Cup team and France christened Roland Garros at the 1928 Davis Cup matches, the famed location of the French Open championships will again host the United States and France in the Davis Cup by BNP semifinal, Sept. 20-22, 2002.

Stade Phillippe Chartier, which seats 15,000 fans, was constructed in 1928 for the epic Davis Cup Challenge Round tie between the Bill Tilden-led United States team and France, with its team known as ‘The Four Musketeers.’

The facility went on to become the permanent home to the French Open.

The United States advanced into its semifinal against France with a 3-1 victory over Spain in Houston. Andy Roddick led the way for the United States by winning both of his singles matches, including the match-clincher against Alberto Martin. Also representing the United States in Houston were Pete Sampras, Todd Martin and James Blake, along with Captain PatrickMcEnroe and Coach Jim Courier.

France, the defending Davis Cup champions, edged the Czech Republic 3-2 in Pau, France, as Fabrice Santoro defeated Bohdan Ulihrach in five sets in the fifth and decisive rubber. Also representing the France and Captain Guy Forget in Pau were Sebastien Grosjean, Nicolas Escude, Michael Llorda and non-playing fifth team member Arnaud Clement.

This will be the 14th meeting between France and the United States, with he United States leading the series 7-6. The last meeting between the two came in 1995 when the U.S. defeated France 4-1 in the first round in St. Petersburg, Fla. Their last meeting on French soil came in the 1991 Davis Cup Final in Lyon, when France upset the heavily-favored U.S. team led by Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, 3-1.

AIG is the official sponsor of the U.S. Davis Cup Team.

The United States Tennis Association owns and stages the US Open and selects the teams that compete in Davis Cup, Fed Cup and the Olympic Games. The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in America and is a not-for-profit organization with nearly 650,000 members. It invests all its resources to promote and develop the growth of tennis, from the grass roots to the professional levels. For more information on the USTA, log on to usta.com.

Ffor further information please contact:

Randy Walker
USTA Publicity Manager
T: +1 914-696-7289
E: Rwalker@usta.com