Davis Cup: U.S. beats Slovakia, books trip to Final 8

Field Level Media|published: Fri 13th September, 18:47 2024

Sep 1, 2024; Flushing, NY, USA; Brandon Nakashima (USA) serves against Alexander Zverev (GER)(not pictured) in a men's singles match on day seven of the 2024 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The United States swept Slovakia 3-0 in Group C action at the Davis Cup Finals group stage Friday in Zhuhai, China.

The U.S. have gone 6-0 against Chile and Slovakia and set up a Saturday showdown with Germany -- the only other team in any group yet to drop a match -- to decide first place in Group C. Both countries are guaranteed to reach the Final 8 in Malaga, Spain, in November.

Mackenzie McDonald topped Slovakia's Lukas Klein 6-4, 6-3 and Brandon Nakashima handled Jozef Kovalik 6-3, 6-3 in the Americans' two singles matches Friday. Nakashima fired eight aces, won 28 of 35 first-service points (80 percent) and never faced break point.

Then, in doubles, Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram rallied to force a tiebreaker and went on to defeat Klein and Norbert Gombos 6-7 (4), 7-6 (4), 10-1.

In Group A in Bologna, Italy, the host Italians edged Belgium 2-1 to improve to 2-0 (4-2) in the stage.

Italy's Matteo Berrettini rallied past Alexander Blockx 3-6, 6-2, 7-5, but Belgium's Zizou Bergs struck back by beating Flavio Cobolli 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-0. Italy prevailed in doubles, where Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori topped Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen 7-6 (2), 7-5.

In Group B in Valencia, Spain, the host Spaniards got by France 2-1, which means their Sunday match against Australia will decide the group's winner. Both Spain and Australia are 2-0 (5-1).

Spain's Roberto Bautista-Agut outlasted Arthur Fils 2-6, 7-5, 6-3, before World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz made it a Spanish sweep of the singles by beating Ugo Humbert 6-3, 6-3. France got a point back during doubles, where Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Edouard Roger-Vasselin beat Pablo Carreno Busta and Marcel Granollers in a tight affair, 7-6 (7), 6-7 (12), 10-8.

In Group D in Manchester, England, Argentina defeated Great Britain 2-1 for the country's first win of the stage.

The Argentines clinched it in singles, when Tomas Martin Etcheverry beat Daniel Evans 6-2, 7-5, and Francisco Cerundolo edged U.S. Open semifinalist Jack Draper 7-6 (4), 7-5. The British pair of Evans and Neal Skupski defeated Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni 6-3, 7-5.

--Field Level Media

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