Davis Cup 2025: US win over Czechs in doubles puts Americans on brink of advancing
DELRAY BEACH – Czech captain Tomas Berdych made a doubles lineup change but veteran American doubles specialists Rajeev Ram and Austin Kracijek remained undeterred before 4,334 red-white-and-blue-clad fans at the Delray Beach Tennis Center.
Ram and Kracijek, combined age of 72, toppled the young Czech Republic duo of Jakub Mensik and Tomas Machak in a thrilling 7-6 (8-6), 5-7, 6-4 victory on Sept. 13 to put USA on the brink of advancing to the Davis Cup finals in Italy in November.
The Americans lead 2-1 with Taylor Fritz facing Jiri Lehecka in a singles match Saturday night, ready to clinch. Though Fritz has suffered through flu-like symptoms, the top-ranked American who made the U.S. Open finals last year still is favored over the surging Lehecka.
The doubles match, which started at 2 p.m., ended at 7:10 p.m. and gave USA a 2-1 lead. Officially the match was logged in at 2 hours, 30 minutes but it was delayed two-plus hours by lightning and then rain in the middle of the second set.
All the fans came back to the premises to cheer on the Americans. It was a wild setting with almost everyone in red, white and blue as they are also the colors of the Czech Republic, which had several hundred fans cheering in Delray Beach both days.
“It took every single person sitting here to get this done,’’ Ram told the crowd.
The delays strengthened Berdych’s argument the South Florida venue was a stretch during the height of hurricane season.
But when the teams returned from the delay, it was the Czech Republic that squeaked out the second set. But youth did not prevail in the third as doubles took center stage.
Mensik, 20, and Machak, 24, are 28 years younger than the two American doubles stalwarts.
“It was an absolutely insane atmosphere,’’ said Krajicek, the lefthander who served out the match. The Americans broke at 4-4 on a blistering return-of-serve winner on break point by Krajieck.
The 41-year-old Ram once was the No. 1 doubles player in the world and has four Grand Slam men’s doubles titles.
“It’s so special to represent our country and be able to exhibit what doubles can be and how entertaining it can be,’’ Ram said in the post-match press conference.
“It’s about as fun as it gets,’’ Krajicek added. “Crowd behind us on every point. Everyone raised their level.’’
Captain Bob Bryan, the Hall-of-Fame doubles player, added doubles guys Ram and Krajicek after the injury pullouts of singles stars Ben Shelton and Tommy Paul
Asked if it’s vital to have doubles specialists on the Davis Cup roster, Ram said, “I do think it’s important, especially with five players now on the roster where you used to have four.”
Czech captain Tomas Berdych makes lineup change for doubles
Captain Berdych inserted his 6-foot-4 wundekind, Mensik, into doubles for Adam Pavlasek. It seemed a wise decision as Ram-Kracijek routed Machak-Pavlasek 6-2, 6-2 in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
However, Mensik, the reigning Miami Open singles champion, is a solid doubles player, teaming with Machak to win the ATP Acapulco event in February over Ram-Kracijek.
And it looked like a genius move in razor-close first set with neither side posting a break of serve and Czech Republic holding a set point in the tiebreaker.
At 6-5 in games with Czech Republic serving, the American duo had three set points, with the crowd whipped into a frenzy, but couldn’t close it out. On the set points, Machak came up with two aces and a service winner to escape into a tiebreaker.
Two straight aces by the 20-year-old Mensik gave Czech Republic a set point at 6-5, but the American duo showed resolve and forced Mensik-Mahack into a series of mistakes. On U.S.’s fourth set point, at 7-6 in the tiebreak, Mensik buried a forehand into the bottom of the net, ending the 61-minute set as the fans erupted again.
Early in the first set, the match was halted for a few minutes as a drizzle sprinkeld the hot hardcourt. Soon after, Mahack needed a medical timeout to address cramping. The temperatures were 85 degrees with 63-percent humidity.
At 4-3 on serve in the second set, the siren for a lightning warning rang, forcing evacuation of the stadium and the grounds at 3:50 p.m.
If Fritz can’t close it out, Frances Tiafoe will get the chance as he faces Mensik if necessary late Saturday night. Tiafoe, who stumbled in the U.S. Open, losing in the third round, was beaten on Day 1 soundly by Lehecka while Fritz beat Mensik, putting the score at 1-1 entering the second day.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: US ready to advance in Davis Cup after Rajeev Ram-Austin Kracijek win doubles
