US, Italy Lead Davis Cup Finals as Top Players Shine Despite Absences

Posted : 12 September 2024

The United States began their Davis Cup Finals group stage campaign with a strong performance, despite missing several top singles players. On Wednesday, Reilly Opelka and Brandon Nakashima secured victories in their respective three-set matches against Chile, setting the tone for the Group C opener in Zhuhai, China. Opelka, ranked 309th following wrist surgery, won 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(3) against Cristian Garin, while Nakashima, ranked 40th, defeated Alejandro Tabilo 7-6(5), 2-6, 7-6(3). Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek then completed a 3-0 win by overcoming Matias Soto and Tomas Barrios Vera in the doubles match.

Despite the absence of key players such as US Open runner-up Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe, American captain Bob Bryan’s squad demonstrated significant depth. The win against Chile positions the US alongside Germany at the top of Group C. Bryan praised his team's effort, acknowledging the challenge presented by the Chilean team and expressing his admiration for their tenacity.

In other group stage action, defending champions Italy, missing world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, started their campaign positively. In Bologna, Italy took a commanding lead against Brazil with Matteo Berrettini defeating Joao Fonseca 6-1, 7-6(5), and Matteo Arnaldi clinching victory over Thiago Monteiro 7-5, 6-7(4), 7-6(5) in a marathon match lasting over three and a half hours.

Spain, featuring world No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz, managed a decisive 2-0 lead against the Czech Republic in Valencia. Although Alcaraz faced a scare after losing a first-set tiebreaker, he bounced back to win the second set 6-1 before Tomas Machac was forced to retire. Earlier, Roberto Bautista-Agut had defeated Jiri Lehecka 7-6(1), 6-4, contributing to Spain’s strong start in Group B.

In Manchester, Britain capitalized on home advantage with debutant Billy Harris clinching victory over Finland’s Otto Virtanen after Dan Evans had won his match against Eero Vasa. Finland did secure a win in the doubles, with Harri Heliovaara and Virtanen defeating Evans and Neal Skupski. Meanwhile, other results from the group stage saw Australia beat France, Germany overcome Slovakia, Belgium edge past the Netherlands, and Canada triumph over Argentina. The top two teams from each of the four groups will advance to the knockout stage in Malaga in November.

US, Italy Lead Davis Cup Finals as Top Players Shine Despite Absences

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