ATP ranking is just a number! The Czechs or Canadians got off to a great start in Davis Cup

The Davis Cup is first and foremost a very prestigious affair. Another advantage of this team tennis competition is that it brings an atmosphere and situations that even the Grand Slams cannot usually match. In Davis Cup matches, it is not infrequent that the position on the ranking is just a number. Which teams provided the biggest surprises in the opening encounters?

The Czechs did not travel to the matches in Spain as favourites. The competition of the home tennis players and the Serbs was awe-inspiring. However, after Alcaraz’s decision not to participate , Jiri Lehecka and Tomas Machac decided the victory of the Czech colours before the final doubles.

Machac first defeated Zapata Miralles in a tight match, winning twice 6:4. Lehečka then managed the end of the sets better in the number one singles and confirmed the Czech Republic’s great start to the tournament with a 7:6, 7:5 win.

The captain of the Czech team Jaroslav Navrátil is thinking about nominating the same pair of singles players against the opponents from South Korea. He originally considered putting Jakub Mensik on the team.

The best advertisement for American universities

Canada’s representatives took care of a big surprise. The pair of Galarneau and Diallo took on the hot favourites. They were the home Italians in Bologna. Both Canadians are proud of their history with tennis at universities in the USA.

The Canadian duo can now look to make it big in the Davis Cup. Like the Czechs, the Maple Leaf representatives decided their triumph in the opening two singles matches.

Italians Sonego and Musetti had only words of praise for their conquerors. The 18th ATP ranking player praised Diallo especially for his serve. The native of Montreal did not give his opponent a single break opportunity on his serve. “He deserved to win,” Musetti concluded for Davis Cup.

Other winners

The Brits also had a great start to the final phase of the team competition. They took the opening match against the Australians at home. They were not helped by one of the strongest players on paper at the event, Alex De Minaur.

Twenty-one-year-old Jack Draper made a great debut in British colours. He confirmed his form from the US Open, where he played in the eighth round and outplayed Kokkinakis in Wednesday’s duel. The experienced Daniel Evans also confirmed his qualities, beating the aforementioned De Minaur.

Finally..

You can hardly replace Davis Cup tennis with anything. The atmosphere of matches in front of a home crowd is unrepeatable. All the more valuable is the achievement of the Czech players, who enjoyed their first ever win at this stage of the Davis Cup. Let’s hope they add another.

Sources: Davis Cup