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Austin Hosts Davis Cup Quarterfinals

Around 16,000 fans are attending the Davis Cup quarterfinal this weekend.
Photo by Hannah Jones for KUT News.
Around 16,000 fans are attending the Davis Cup quarterfinal this weekend.

Austin is hosting part of the Davis Cup for the first time in the tennis tournament’s history. The cup kicked off on Friday drawing thousands of tennis fans. U.S. tennis pro and Austinite Andy Roddick lobbied  for the quarterfinals between the U.S. and Spain to be in Austin. The tournament may be a trial run before Austin plays host to another international event.

Erin Rockenhaus from Temple, Texas, thinks Austin was a good choice for the tournament.

“It fits with Austin’s personality,” Rockenhaus said. “Austin’s a very international place and I think its central. ”

Lisa Murray traveled from her hometown San Antonio to watch the tennis matches. She said she was pleased to find out that the Cup would be close by.

 “I personally think Austin is the best place to have this venue. It is a very friendly environment and it is so eclectic that it really provides essentials for anyone,” Murray said. “And I would certainly come here again for other events Austin would hold. ”

The city is slowly developing more hotels around town to prepare for these types of events. Juan Carlos Melgar, originally from Spain, said he believes the F-1 races will appeal to international travelers.

 “My brother is a fan,” Melgar said.  “He knew that they are building this speedway , so he tells me ‘Maybe in the future I can go there. ”

Austin is preparing to host larger events in the future. The F-1 races are slated to begin next June. One of the questions that remains is will local fans will embrace these international sports as much as they love their Longhorn sports?

 

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