Shelton loses to Lehecka; US-Czech Davis Cup tied 1-1

Ben Shelton, who reached the US Open final five days earlier, fell to Czech player Jiri Lehecka 6-4, 6-4 in a Davis Cup second-round qualifier on Friday at Prague's O2 Arena. Lehecka, ranked 24th, broke Shelton's serve early in each set on the indoor hard court. Shelton acknowledged Lehecka's superior play, stating he was outplayed across all aspects. The loss leveled the US-Czech tie at 1-1 after Learner Tien had given the United States an early lead with a 6-2, 6-4 defeat of Jakub Mensik in his Davis Cup debut. Shelton, who reached a career-high ranking of World No. 4 following his US Open runner-up finish, remains winless at 0-3 in Davis Cup play, having lost both singles and doubles matches when the US fell to Australia in 2024 quarterfinals.

Doubles and reverse singles matches are scheduled for Saturday in the best-of-five tie. The winner advances to the Davis Cup Final 8 in Bologna, Italy in November. This is one of seven second-round qualifying ties taking place this weekend, with Italy automatically qualifying as defending champion and host.

Meanwhile, South Korea moved closer to a historic achievement by taking a 2-0 lead over India in Seoul. Soonwoo Kwon defeated Dhakshineswar Suresh 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 after trailing the first set, and Hyeon Chung, a former World No. 19, overcame Sumit Nagal 2-6, 6-4, 7-5. A South Korean victory would make them the first Asian nation to reach the Davis Cup Final 8. The final 8 format was introduced in 2022, with Kazakhstan previously reaching the quarterfinals under an earlier format in 2021.

Other second-round qualifying ties in progress include Austria vs. Belgium (1-1), Denmark vs. Bulgaria, and matches scheduled for Saturday: Chile vs. Spain, Germany vs. Croatia, Britain vs. Ecuador, Canada vs. France, and Austria vs. Belgium continuing.