U.S. Open finalist Ben Shelton faced a setback in his Davis Cup debut, losing 6-4, 6-4 to 24th-ranked Jiri Lehecka on Friday. This match brought the Czech Republic level with the United States at 1-1 in the last qualifying round for the Davis Cup Final 8. Lehecka managed to break Shelton's serve early in both sets on the indoor hard court at O2 Arena in Prague.
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Earlier in the day, Learner Tien provided the U.S. with a 1-0 lead after defeating Jakub Mensik 6-2, 6-4 in his Davis Cup debut. Tien recorded only 15 unforced errors compared to Mensik's 34. After his performance, Shelton stands at 0-3 in his Davis Cup career, having previously lost both singles and doubles matches during the U.S. team's defeat to Australia in the quarterfinals.
Doubles and reverse singles matches are set for Saturday, making up part of the best-of-five series. The winning team will progress to the Final 8 in Bologna, Italy, scheduled for November. Shelton's match on Friday was his first since losing to Alexander Zverev in his first Grand Slam final in New York last Sunday.
In another qualifier, South Korea is on the verge of making history as the first Asian nation to reach the Final 8 after taking a 2-0 lead over India. Kwon Soon-woo came back from a set down to defeat Dhakshineswar Suresh 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, followed by Hyeon Chung’s 2-6, 6-4, 7-5 victory over Sumit Nagal at Seoul's Olympic tennis center. Austria and Belgium are currently tied 1-1 in their matchup.
Other competing teams for spots in the finals include Chile vs. Spain, Germany vs. Croatia, Britain vs. Ecuador, and Canada vs. France. Alexander Zverev is expected to play for Germany in their matches against Croatia in Halle this weekend.