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.

1976 Davis Cup
Details
Duration22 August 1975 – 19 December 1976
Edition65th
Teams53
Champion
Winning nation Italy
1975
1977

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]

Americas Zone

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Preliminary rounds

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First RoundQualifying Round
  United States
Tucson, AZ, United States (hard)
bye
  United States5
  Venezuela0
  Venezuela
bye
Mexico City, Mexico (clay)
  Mexico5
Mexico City, Mexico (clay)
  Caribbean/West Indies0
  Mexico3
Montreal, Canada (indoor carpet)
  Canada2
  Canada5
  Colombia0
  Brazilw/o
Brasilia, Brazil (clay)
  Bolivia
  Brazil5
Lima, Peru
  Peru0
  Peru3
  Uruguay2
bye
Guayaquil, Ecuador (clay)
  Ecuador
  Ecuador0
  Argentina5
bye
  Argentina

Main Draw

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Quarterfinals
19–28 December 1975
Semifinals
5–7 March
Final
26–28 April
  South Africa
bye
  South Africaw/o
Mexico City, Mexico (clay)
  Mexico
  United States2
Santiago, Chile
  Mexico3
  South Africa2
Buenos Aires, Argentina (clay)
  Chile3
  Brazil0
Santiago, Chile (clay)
  Argentina5
  Argentina2
  Chile3
bye
  Chile

Final

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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
   

Eastern Zone

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Preliminary rounds

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Main Draw

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Quarterfinals
28 November–21 December 1975
Semifinals
9–18 January
Final
27 February–1 March
  Australia
Hobart, Australia (grass)
bye
  Australia5
Karachi, Pakistan
  Indonesia0
  Indonesia4
Brisbane, Australia (grass)
  Pakistan1
  Australia3
Manila, Philippines
  New Zealand1
  India4
Auckland, New Zealand (grass)
  Philippines0
  India2
  New Zealand3
bye
  New Zealand

Final

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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

Europe Zone

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Zone A

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Pre-qualifying round

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Pre-qualifying round
  Turkey
  Israelw/o

Preliminary rounds

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Main Draw

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Quarterfinals
14–16 May
Semifinals
23–25 July
Final
13–15 August
  Spain
Donetsk, Soviet Union
bye
  Spain1
Bad Homburg, West Germany
  Soviet Union4
  West Germany1
Tbilisi, Soviet Union
  Soviet Union4
  Soviet Union4
Budapest, Hungary
  Hungary1
  Hungary5
Budapest, Hungary (clay)
  Egypt0
  Hungary3
  Czechoslovakia1
bye
  Czechoslovakia

Final

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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
 

Zone B

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Pre-qualifying rounds

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First RoundQualifying Round
  Iran
bye
  Iranw/o
  Nigeria
  Nigeriaw/o
  Algeria
bye
Mondorf-les-Bains, Luxembourg (clay)
  Luxembourg
  Luxembourg0
  Portugal5
bye
  Portugal

Preliminary rounds

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First RoundQualifying Round
Tehran, Iran
  Iran2
Zürich, Switzerland (clay)
   Switzerland3
   Switzerland1
  Great Britain4
bye
  Great Britain
Sofia, Bulgaria
  Bulgaria1
Vienna, Austria
  Austria4
  Austria1
  Romania4
bye
  Romania
  Italy
Florence, Italy (clay)
bye
  Italy5
Warsaw, Poland (clay)
  Poland0
  Poland5
  Norway0
bye
Zagreb, Yugoslavia
  Yugoslavia
  Yugoslavia5
Athens, Greece (clay)
  Greece0
  Greece4
  Portugal1

Main Draw

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Quarterfinals
20–23 May
Semifinals
8–18 July
Final
5–7 August
  France
Eastbourne, United Kingdom (grass)
bye
  France1
Eastbourne, United Kingdom (grass)
  Great Britain4
  Great Britain5
Wimbledon, United Kingdom (grass)
  Romania0
  Great Britain1
Bologna, Italy (clay)
  Italy4
  Italy5
Rome, Italy (clay)
  Yugoslavia0
  Italy4
  Sweden0
bye
  Sweden

Final

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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
 

Inter-Zonal Zone

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Draw

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Semifinals
24–27 September
Final
17–19 December
Rome, Italy (clay)
EUR-B  Italy3
Santiago, Chile (clay)
EAS  Australia2
EUR-B  Italy4
AME  Chile1
AME  Chilew/o
EUR-A  Soviet Union

Semifinals

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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.

Final

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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
     

References

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  1. ^ a b "Soviets barred from Davis Cup". The Daily Sentinel. United Press International. 8 November 1976. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  2. ^ Bud Collins (2010). The Bud Collins History of Tennis (2nd ed.). [New York]: New Chapter Press. pp. 495–496, 499. ISBN 978-0942257700.
  3. ^ a b "Chile v Italy". daviscup.com.
  4. ^ "Chile v South Africa". daviscup.com.
  5. ^ "Australia v New Zealand". daviscup.com.
  6. ^ "Soviet Union v Hungary". daviscup.com.
  7. ^ "Great Britain v Italy". daviscup.com.
  8. ^ "Italy v Australia". daviscup.com.
  9. ^ "Chile v Soviet Union". daviscup.com.
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