# 1931 International Lawn Tennis Challenge

The 1931 International Lawn Tennis Challenge was the 26th edition of what is now known as the Davis Cup.
Due to an increase in South American entries, the America Zone was split into the North & Central America Zone and the South America Zone, with the winner of each sub-zone playing to determine who moved to the Inter-Zonal round. 22 teams would enter the Europe Zone, while 8 would enter the America Zone. These included first-time entries from Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, although Brazil withdrew without playing a tie, and Paraguay would not play in the Davis Cup again until 1982. This year also marked the first time that ties were played in South America.
The United States defeated Argentina in the America Inter-Zonal Final, but would then lose to Great Britain in the Inter-Zonal play-off. France defeated Great Britain in the Challenge Round, giving France their fifth straight title. The final was played at Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France on 24–26 July.

## America Zone
### North & Central America Zone

| Semifinals 1–3 May | Semifinals 1–3 May | Semifinals 1–3 May | Final 21–23 May | Final 21–23 May | Final 21–23 May |
| Mexico City, Mexico (clay) | Mexico City, Mexico (clay) | Mexico City, Mexico (clay) | | | |
| United States | United States | 5 | | | |
| United States | United States | 5 | Montreal, Canada (grass) | Montreal, Canada (grass) | Montreal, Canada (grass) |
| Mexico | Mexico | 0 | Montreal, Canada (grass) | Montreal, Canada (grass) | Montreal, Canada (grass) |
| Mexico | Mexico | 0 | United States | United States | 4 |
| | | | Canada | Canada | 1 |
| bye | bye | | Canada | Canada | 1 |
| Canada | Canada | | | | |

### South America Zone

| Quarterfinals 26–28 March | Quarterfinals 26–28 March | Quarterfinals 26–28 March | Semifinals 2–4 April | Semifinals 2–4 April | Semifinals 2–4 April | Final 24–26 April | Final 24–26 April | Final 24–26 April |
| Asunción, Paraguay (hard) | Asunción, Paraguay (hard) | Asunción, Paraguay (hard) | | | | | | |
| Paraguay | Paraguay | 0 | | | | | | |
| Paraguay | Paraguay | 0 | Buenos Aires, Argentina (clay) | Buenos Aires, Argentina (clay) | Buenos Aires, Argentina (clay) | | | |
| Argentina | Argentina | 5 | Buenos Aires, Argentina (clay) | Buenos Aires, Argentina (clay) | Buenos Aires, Argentina (clay) | | | |
| Argentina | Argentina | 5 | Argentina | Argentina | 5 | | | |
| | | | Uruguay | Uruguay | 0 | | | |
| Uruguay | Uruguay | | Uruguay | Uruguay | 0 | | | |
| Uruguay | Uruguay | | | | | Santiago, Chile | Santiago, Chile | Santiago, Chile |
| bye | bye | | | | | Santiago, Chile | Santiago, Chile | Santiago, Chile |
| bye | bye | | | | | Argentina | Argentina | 3 |
| | | | | | | Chile | Chile | 0 |
| bye | bye | | | | | Chile | Chile | 0 |
| Brazil | Brazil | | | | | | | |
| Brazil | Brazil | | Brazil | Brazil | | | | |
| | | | Chile | Chile | w/o | | | |
| bye | bye | | Chile | Chile | w/o | | | |
| Chile | Chile | | | | | | | |

### Americas Inter-Zonal Final

United States vs. Argentina
| United States 5 | Chevy Chase Lawn Tennis Club, Chevy Chase, MD, United States 28–30 May 1931 Clay | Chevy Chase Lawn Tennis Club, Chevy Chase, MD, United States 28–30 May 1931 Clay | Argentina 0 |
| 1 2 3 4 5 1 Frank Shields Guillermo Robson 3 6 6 2 6 2 6 2     2 Sidney Wood Ronaldo Boyd 6 4 6 1 6 2       3 Frank Shields / Sidney Wood Lucilo del Castillo / Adriano Zappa 6 4 8 6 2 6 4 2     4 Frank Shields Ronaldo Boyd 6 2 6 2 6 2       5 Cliff Sutter Guillermo Robson 3 6 6 4 6 3 6 3 ||||

## Europe Zone
### Draw

| First Round 16 April–5 May | First Round 16 April–5 May | First Round 16 April–5 May | Second Round 8–17 May | Second Round 8–17 May | Second Round 8–17 May | Quarterfinals 20 May–6 June | Quarterfinals 20 May–6 June | Quarterfinals 20 May–6 June | Semifinals 12–18 June | Semifinals 12–18 June | Semifinals 12–18 June | Final 9–11 July | Final 9–11 July | Final 9–11 July |
| Finland | Finland | | Helsinki, Finland | Helsinki, Finland | Helsinki, Finland | | | | | | | | | |
| bye | bye | | Finland | Finland | 1 | | | | | | | |
| Egypt | Egypt | | Egypt | Egypt | 4 | Paris, France (clay) | Paris, France (clay) | Paris, France (clay) | | | | | | |
| bye | bye | | | | | Egypt | Egypt | 0 | | | | |
| Yugoslavia | Yugoslavia | | Zagreb, Yugoslavia | Zagreb, Yugoslavia | Zagreb, Yugoslavia | Japan | Japan | 5 | | | | |
| bye | bye | | Yugoslavia | Yugoslavia | 0 | | | | | | | | | |
| Japan | Japan | | Japan | Japan | 5 | | | | Eastbourne, England (grass) | Eastbourne, England (grass) | Eastbourne, England (grass) | | | |
| bye | bye | | | | | | | | Japan | Japan | 0 | |
| Belgium | Belgium | | Brussels, Belgium (clay) | Brussels, Belgium (clay) | Brussels, Belgium (clay) | | | | Great Britain | Great Britain | 5 | |
| bye | bye | | Belgium | Belgium | 0 | | | | | | | | | |
| Great Britain | Great Britain | 5 | Great Britain | Great Britain | 5 | Eastbourne, England (grass) | Eastbourne, England (grass) | Eastbourne, England (grass) | | | | | | |
| Monaco | Monaco | 0 | | | | Great Britain | Great Britain | 5 | | | | |
| Germany | Germany | 0 | Dublin, Ireland (grass) | Dublin, Ireland (grass) | Dublin, Ireland (grass) | South Africa | South Africa | 0 | | | | |
| South Africa | South Africa | 5 | South Africa | South Africa | 4 | | | | | | | | | |
| Switzerland | Switzerland | 0 | Ireland | Ireland | 1 | | | | | | | Prague, Czechoslovakia (clay) | Prague, Czechoslovakia (clay) | Prague, Czechoslovakia (clay) |
| Ireland | Ireland | 5 | | | | | | | | | | Great Britain | Great Britain | 4 |
| Greece | Greece | 3 | Athens, Greece | Athens, Greece | Athens, Greece | | | | | | | Czechoslovakia | Czechoslovakia | 1 |
| Austria | Austria | 2 | Greece | Greece | 1 | | | | | | | | | |
| Spain | Spain | 2 | Czechoslovakia | Czechoslovakia | 4 | Prague, Czechoslovakia | Prague, Czechoslovakia | Prague, Czechoslovakia | | | | | | |
| Czechoslovakia | Czechoslovakia | 3 | | | | Czechoslovakia | Czechoslovakia | 3 | | | | | | |
| Italy | Italy | 4 | Turin, Italy (clay) | Turin, Italy (clay) | Turin, Italy (clay) | Italy | Italy | 0 | | | | | | |
| Hungary | Hungary | 1 | Italy | Italy | 3 | | | | | | | | | |
| bye | bye | | Netherlands | Netherlands | 0 | | | | Copenhagen, Denmark | Copenhagen, Denmark | Copenhagen, Denmark | | | |
| Netherlands | Netherlands | | | | | | | | Czechoslovakia | Czechoslovakia | 5 | | | |
| bye | bye | | Oslo, Norway (clay) | Oslo, Norway (clay) | Oslo, Norway (clay) | | | | Denmark | Denmark | 0 | | | |
| Norway | Norway | | Norway | Norway | 0 | | | | | | | | | |
| bye | bye | | Poland | Poland | 3 | Copenhagen, Denmark | Copenhagen, Denmark | Copenhagen, Denmark | | | | | | |
| Poland | Poland | | | | | Poland | Poland | 2 | | | | | | |
| bye | bye | | Copenhagen, Denmark | Copenhagen, Denmark | Copenhagen, Denmark | Denmark | Denmark | 3 | | | | | | |
| Denmark | Denmark | | Denmark | Denmark | 5 | | | | | | | | | |
| bye | bye | | Romania | Romania | 0 | | | | | | | | | |
| Romania | Romania | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

### Final

Czechoslovakia vs. Great Britain
| Czechoslovakia 1 | Prague, Czechoslovakia 9–11 July 1931 Clay | Prague, Czechoslovakia 9–11 July 1931 Clay | Great Britain 4 |
| 1 2 3 4 5 1 Roderich Menzel Bunny Austin 6 3 2 6 8 6 3 6 3 6   2 Ladislav Hecht Fred Perry 1 6 6 8 3 6       3 Ferenc Maršálek / Roderich Menzel Pat Hughes / Fred Perry 4 6 6 4 4 6 2 6     4 Ladislav Hecht Bunny Austin 6 2 7 5 6 4       5 Roderich Menzel Fred Perry 5 7 3 6 5 7 ||||

## Inter-Zonal Final

Great Britain vs. United States
| Great Britain 3 | Stade Roland Garros, Paris, France 17–19 July 1931 Clay | Stade Roland Garros, Paris, France 17–19 July 1931 Clay | United States 2 |
| 1 2 3 4 5 1 Bunny Austin Sidney Wood 2 6 6 0 8 6 7 5     2 Fred Perry Frank Shields 8 10 4 6 2 6       3 Pat Hughes / Fred Perry George Lott / John Van Ryn 1 6 3 6 6 4 3 6     4 Fred Perry Sidney Wood 6 3 8 10 6 3 6 3     5 Bunny Austin Frank Shields 8 6 6 3 7 5 ||||

## Challenge Round

France vs. Great Britain
| France 3 | Stade Roland Garros, Paris, France 24–26 July 1931 Clay | Stade Roland Garros, Paris, France 24–26 July 1931 Clay | Great Britain 2 |
| 1 2 3 4 5 1 Henri Cochet Bunny Austin 3 6 11 9 6 2 6 4     2 Jean Borotra Fred Perry 6 4 8 10 0 6 6 4 4 6   3 Jacques Brugnon / Henri Cochet Pat Hughes / Charles Kingsley 6 1 5 7 6 3 8 6     4 Jean Borotra Bunny Austin 5 7 3 6 6 3 5 7     5 Henri Cochet Fred Perry 6 4 1 6 9 7 6 3 ||||