Key Takeaways
- Jiri Lehecka defeated Ben Shelton 6-4, 6-4 to pull Czechia level at 1-1 against the United States in their Davis Cup qualifier.
- Shelton praised his opponent’s complete performance, saying “he outplayed me today” and noting “there was no real holes in his game today”.
- Holger Rune made a successful return from an Achilles tear suffered last October, beating Iliyan Radulov in Denmark’s tie against Bulgaria.
Lehecka levels qualifying tie against United States
Just five days after battling in the US Open final, Ben Shelton found himself back in competitive action on Friday, representing the United States in the Davis Cup second-round qualifiers. The quick turnaround yielded a tough outcome for the American, who was defeated 6-4, 6-4 by Czechia’s Jiri Lehecka.
Lehecka’s victory brought Czechia level at 1-1 in the tie, after Learner Tien had initially given the United States the upper hand by beating Jakub Mensik 6-2, 6-4. Following the loss, Shelton gave full credit to his opponent’s flawless display across every area of the court.
“I thought he played a great match. A lot of credit to him. He outplayed me today,” Shelton said. “He served great. Returned great. Volleyed really well. Played well from the baseline. There was no real holes in his game today, and he definitely deserved to win that match.”
The tie between the United States and Czechia is one of seven second-round qualifying encounters taking place this weekend, with each victor advancing to join defending champion Italy in November’s Davis Cup Final 8.
Rune makes winning return as Canada and South Korea take control
Elsewhere, Holger Rune made an encouraging return to international team competition. Having torn his Achilles last October, the Dane competed in his first action since the injury and defeated Bulgaria’s Iliyan Radulov 6-3, 6-3. That result leveled Denmark’s World Group I tie at 1-1 in Copenhagen after 2017 Nitto ATP Finals champion Grigor Dimitrov had put Bulgaria ahead with a 6-7(2), 6-3, 6-4 comeback against Elmer Moeller.
In other Davis Cup action, Canada established a commanding 2-0 lead against France. Liam Draxl kicked off the tie with a 6-2, 7-5 win over Arthur Rinderknech before Felix Auger-Aliassime fought past Quentin Halys 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-3. In Seoul, South Korea also took a 2-0 advantage over India, as Soonwoo Kwon defeated Dhakshineswar Suresh 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 and former world No. 19 Hyeon Chung rallied past Sumit Nagal 2-6, 6-4, 7-5. Meanwhile, Austria and Belgium sit locked at 1-1 in Vienna after Jurij Rodionov’s 6-4, 6-1 win for the hosts against Gauthier Onclin was answered by Zizou Bergs, who came from behind to defeat Lukas Neumayer 2-6, 6-4, 6-2.
PIF ATP serve leaderboard
Shelton’s strong serving foundation remains among the best on tour this season, with the American sitting among the tour’s top performers in overall serve metrics.
| Rank | Player | Serve rating |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jannik Sinner | 305.3 |
| 2 | Ben Shelton | 299.4 |
| 3 | Alexander Zverev | 299.3 |
| 4 | Taylor Fritz | 298.9 |
| 5 | Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard | 297.0 |
Jiri Lehecka in 2026
Now ranked no.24, Jiri played his last match on the 19th of September when he beat world no.13 Learner Tien 6-3 7-5 in the Rubber 5 of the Davis Cup (draw).
Until now, during this year the Czech has achieved a composed 30-17 record. Jiri Lehecka’s best achievement of the current year was getting to the semifinal in Miami.
