# 1956 Davis Cup

The 1956 Davis Cup was the 45th edition of the Davis Cup, the most important tournament between national teams in men's tennis. 24 teams entered the Europe Zone, 5 teams entered the America Zone, and 3 teams entered the Eastern Zone.
The United States defeated Mexico in the America Zone final, India defeated Japan in the Eastern Zone final, and Italy defeated Sweden in the Europe Zone final. In the Inter-Zonal Zone, the United States defeated Italy in the semifinal, and then defeated India in the final. In the Challenge Round the United States were defeated by defending champions Australia. The final was played at Memorial Drive in Adelaide, Australia on 26–28 December.

## America Zone
### Draw

| Quarterfinals 2–4 May | Quarterfinals 2–4 May | Quarterfinals 2–4 May | Semifinals 6–29 July | Semifinals 6–29 July | Semifinals 6–29 July | Final 3–5 August | Final 3–5 August | Final 3–5 August |
| United States | United States | | | | | | | |
| United States | United States | | Victoria, Canada (grass) | Victoria, Canada (grass) | Victoria, Canada (grass) | | | |
| bye | bye | | Victoria, Canada (grass) | Victoria, Canada (grass) | Victoria, Canada (grass) | | | |
| bye | bye | | United States | United States | 4 | | | |
| Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago (clay) | Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago (clay) | Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago (clay) | United States | United States | 4 | | | |
| Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago (clay) | Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago (clay) | Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago (clay) | Canada | Canada | 1 | | | |
| Canada | Canada | 5 | Canada | Canada | 1 | | | |
| Canada | Canada | 5 | | | | Rye, NY, United States (grass) | Rye, NY, United States (grass) | Rye, NY, United States (grass) |
| Caribbean/West Indies | Caribbean/West Indies | 0 | | | | Rye, NY, United States (grass) | Rye, NY, United States (grass) | Rye, NY, United States (grass) |
| Caribbean/West Indies | Caribbean/West Indies | 0 | | | | United States | United States | 4 |
| | | | | | | Mexico | Mexico | 1 |
| bye | bye | | | | | Mexico | Mexico | 1 |
| bye | bye | | Mexico City, Mexico (clay) | Mexico City, Mexico (clay) | Mexico City, Mexico (clay) | | | |
| Mexico | Mexico | | Mexico City, Mexico (clay) | Mexico City, Mexico (clay) | Mexico City, Mexico (clay) | | | |
| Mexico | Mexico | | Mexico | Mexico | 4 | | | |
| | | | Brazil | Brazil | 1 | | | |
| bye | bye | | Brazil | Brazil | 1 | | | |
| Brazil | Brazil | | | | | | | |

### Final

United States vs. Mexico
| United States 4 | Westchester Country Club, Rye, NY, United States 3–5 August 1956 Grass | Westchester Country Club, Rye, NY, United States 3–5 August 1956 Grass | Mexico 1 |
| 1 2 3 4 5 1 Vic Seixas Mario Llamas 6 4 6 2 6 4       2 Ham Richardson Francisco Contreras 6 3 6 4 6 4       3 Sam Giammalva / Barry MacKay (tennis) Francisco Contreras / Mario Llamas 13 11 4 6 6 1 6 8 3 6   4 Ham Richardson Mario Llamas 6 3 6 3 6 1       5 Sam Giammalva Esteban Reyes Jr. 6 4 6 1 6 3 ||||

## Eastern Zone
### Draw

| Semifinals 22–24 March | Semifinals 22–24 March | Semifinals 22–24 March | Final 18–20 May | Final 18–20 May | Final 18–20 May |
| Japan | Japan | | | | |
| Japan | Japan | | Tokyo, Japan | Tokyo, Japan | Tokyo, Japan |
| bye | bye | | Tokyo, Japan | Tokyo, Japan | Tokyo, Japan |
| bye | bye | | Japan | Japan | 2 |
| Colombo, Ceylon (clay) | Colombo, Ceylon (clay) | Colombo, Ceylon (clay) | Japan | Japan | 2 |
| Colombo, Ceylon (clay) | Colombo, Ceylon (clay) | Colombo, Ceylon (clay) | India | India | 3 |
| Ceylon | Ceylon | 0 | India | India | 3 |
| India | India | 5 | | | |

### Final

Japan vs. India
| Japan 2 | Tokyo, Japan 18–20 May 1956 | Tokyo, Japan 18–20 May 1956 | India 3 |
| 1 2 3 4 5 1 Atsushi Miyagi Ramanathan Krishnan 3 6 0 6 3 6       2 Kosei Kamo Naresh Kumar 6 2 4 6 2 6 6 4 6 0   3 Kosei Kamo / Atsushi Miyagi Ramanathan Krishnan / Naresh Kumar 4 6 3 6 1 6       4 Atsushi Miyagi Naresh Kumar 6 4 6 1 6 1       5 Kosei Kamo Ramanathan Krishnan 8 6 3 6 4 6 5 7 ||||

## Europe Zone
### Draw

| First Round 27 April–1 May | First Round 27 April–1 May | First Round 27 April–1 May | Second Round 10–15 May | Second Round 10–15 May | Second Round 10–15 May | Quarterfinals 31 May-4 June | Quarterfinals 31 May-4 June | Quarterfinals 31 May-4 June | Semifinals 15–17 July | Semifinals 15–17 July | Semifinals 15–17 July | Final 20–22 July | Final 20–22 July | Final 20–22 July |
| Italy | Italy | | Warsaw, Poland | Warsaw, Poland | Warsaw, Poland | | | | | | | | | |
| bye | bye | | Italy | Italy | 5 | | | | | | | |
| Poland | Poland | 3 | Poland | Poland | 0 | Bologna, Italy (clay) | Bologna, Italy (clay) | Bologna, Italy (clay) | | | | | | |
| Austria | Austria | 2 | | | | Italy | Italy | 4 | | | | |
| Denmark | Denmark | | Prague, Czechoslovakia (clay) | Prague, Czechoslovakia (clay) | Prague, Czechoslovakia (clay) | Denmark | Denmark | 1 | | | | |
| bye | bye | | Denmark | Denmark | 4 | | | | | | | | | |
| Czechoslovakia | Czechoslovakia | 5 | Czechoslovakia | Czechoslovakia | 1 | | | | Paris, France (clay) | Paris, France (clay) | Paris, France (clay) | | | |
| Pakistan | Pakistan | 0 | | | | | | | Italy | Italy | 3 | |
| France | France | | Lausanne, Switzerland | Lausanne, Switzerland | Lausanne, Switzerland | | | | France | France | 2 | |
| bye | bye | | France | France | 5 | | | | | | | | | |
| Luxembourg | Luxembourg | 2 | Switzerland | Switzerland | 0 | Duisburg, West Germany (clay) | Duisburg, West Germany (clay) | Duisburg, West Germany (clay) | | | | | | |
| Switzerland | Switzerland | 3 | | | | France | France | 4 | | | | |
| West Germany | West Germany | | Dublin, Ireland | Dublin, Ireland | Dublin, Ireland | West Germany | West Germany | 1 | | | | |
| bye | bye | | West Germany | West Germany | 4 | | | | | | | | | |
| Ireland | Ireland | 4 | Ireland | Ireland | 1 | | | | | | | Båstad, Sweden (clay) | Båstad, Sweden (clay) | Båstad, Sweden (clay) |
| Finland | Finland | 1 | | | | | | | | | | Italy | Italy | 5 |
| Turkey | Turkey | 0 | Scheveningen, Netherlands (clay) | Scheveningen, Netherlands (clay) | Scheveningen, Netherlands (clay) | | | | | | | Sweden | Sweden | 0 |
| Netherlands | Netherlands | 5 | Netherlands | Netherlands | 0 | | | | | | | | | |
| bye | bye | | Chile | Chile | 5 | Bristol, England (grass) | Bristol, England (grass) | Bristol, England (grass) | | | | | | |
| Chile | Chile | | | | | Chile | Chile | 2 | | | | | | |
| Yugoslavia | Yugoslavia | 4 | Belgrade, Yugoslavia (clay) | Belgrade, Yugoslavia (clay) | Belgrade, Yugoslavia (clay) | Great Britain | Great Britain | 3 | | | | | | |
| Egypt | Egypt | 1 | Yugoslavia | Yugoslavia | 0 | | | | | | | | | |
| bye | bye | | Great Britain | Great Britain | 5 | | | | Solna, Sweden (clay) | Solna, Sweden (clay) | Solna, Sweden (clay) | | | |
| Great Britain | Great Britain | | | | | | | | Great Britain | Great Britain | 1 | | | |
| Monaco | Monaco | 2 | Barcelona, Spain (clay) | Barcelona, Spain (clay) | Barcelona, Spain (clay) | | | | Sweden | Sweden | 4 | | | |
| Spain | Spain | 3 | Spain | Spain | 1 | | | | | | | | | |
| bye | bye | | Belgium | Belgium | 4 | Brussels, Belgium (clay) | Brussels, Belgium (clay) | Brussels, Belgium (clay) | | | | | | |
| Belgium | Belgium | | | | | Belgium | Belgium | 1 | | | | | | |
| Norway | Norway | 4 | Oslo, Norway (clay) | Oslo, Norway (clay) | Oslo, Norway (clay) | Sweden | Sweden | 4 | | | | | | |
| Israel | Israel | 1 | Norway | Norway | 0 | | | | | | | | | |
| bye | bye | | Sweden | Sweden | 5 | | | | | | | | | |
| Sweden | Sweden | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

### Final

Sweden vs. Italy
| Sweden 0 | Båstad Tennis Stadium, Båstad, Sweden 20–22 July 1956 Clay | Båstad Tennis Stadium, Båstad, Sweden 20–22 July 1956 Clay | Italy 5 |
| 1 2 3 4 5 1 Sven Davidson Nicola Pietrangeli 4 6 6 3 1 6 4 6     2 Ulf Schmidt Giuseppe Merlo 7 5 2 6 5 7 1 6     3 Sven Davidson / Torsten Johansson Nicola Pietrangeli / Orlando Sirola 4 6 7 5 2 6 3 6     4 Torsten Johansson Orlando Sirola 4 6 6 1 2 6 1 6     5 Ulf Schmidt Nicola Pietrangeli 5 7 3 6 6 1 3 6 ||||

## Inter-Zonal Zone
### Draw

| Semifinals 29 September–1 October | Semifinals 29 September–1 October | Semifinals 29 September–1 October | Final 14–16 December | Final 14–16 December | Final 14–16 December |
| EAS | India | | | | |
| EAS | India | | Perth, Australia (grass) | Perth, Australia (grass) | Perth, Australia (grass) |
| | bye | | Perth, Australia (grass) | Perth, Australia (grass) | Perth, Australia (grass) |
| | bye | | EAS | India | 1 |
| Forest Hills, NY, United States (grass) | Forest Hills, NY, United States (grass) | Forest Hills, NY, United States (grass) | EAS | India | 1 |
| Forest Hills, NY, United States (grass) | Forest Hills, NY, United States (grass) | Forest Hills, NY, United States (grass) | AME | United States | 4 |
| EUR | Italy | 1 | AME | United States | 4 |
| AME | United States | 4 | | | |

### Semifinals

United States vs. Italy
| United States 4 | West Side Tennis Club, Forest Hills, NY, United States 29 September–1 October 1956 Grass | West Side Tennis Club, Forest Hills, NY, United States 29 September–1 October 1956 Grass | Italy 1 |
| 1 2 3 4 5 1 Ham Richardson Nicola Pietrangeli 6 3 6 2 6 3       2 Vic Seixas Orlando Sirola 6 3 11 9 6 4       3 Ham Richardson / Vic Seixas Nicola Pietrangeli / Orlando Sirola 1 6 6 3 6 4 6 2     4 Michael Green Nicola Pietrangeli 6 3 4 6 3 6 4 6     5 Sam Giammalva Orlando Sirola 12 10 6 3 6 2 ||||
United States vs. India
| United States 4 | Royal King's Park, Perth, Australia 14–16 December 1956 Grass | Royal King's Park, Perth, Australia 14–16 December 1956 Grass | India 1 |
| 1 2 3 4 5 1 Herbie Flam Ramanathan Krishnan 7 5 4 6 10 8 2 6 6 4   2 Vic Seixas Naresh Kumar 6 4 6 1 6 2       3 Sam Giammalva / Vic Seixas Ramanathan Krishnan / Naresh Kumar 6 2 3 6 6 4 6 4     4 Michael Green Ramanathan Krishnan 5 7 4 6 4 6       5 Sam Giammalva Naresh Kumar 6 3 6 4 6 2 ||||

## Challenge Round

Australia vs. United States
| Australia 5 | Memorial Drive, Adelaide, Australia 26–28 December 1956 Grass | Memorial Drive, Adelaide, Australia 26–28 December 1956 Grass | United States 0 |
| 1 2 3 4 5 1 Lew Hoad Herbie Flam 6 2 6 3 6 3       2 Ken Rosewall Vic Seixas 6 1 6 4 4 6 6 1     3 Lew Hoad / Ken Rosewall Sam Giammalva / Vic Seixas 1 6 6 1 7 5 6 4     4 Ken Rosewall Sam Giammalva 4 6 6 1 8 6 7 5     5 Lew Hoad Vic Seixas 6 2 7 5 6 3 ||||