Davis Cup: USA improve to 2-0 with victory over Kazakhstan


Tommy Paul and Taylor Fritz delivered singles wins on Thursday to lead the United States to a 2-1 win over Kazakhstan in Davis Cup group action in Glasgow, Scotland.

The Americans improved to 2-0 after beating Great Britain a day earlier. Sitting in first place in Group D with one game remaining, they are more than likely to reach the knockout rounds. Great Britain meets the Netherlands on Friday (1-0).

The group stage takes place in four cities across Europe from Tuesday to Sunday. The top two teams in each round-robin group advance to the knockout stages in Malaga, Spain, November 22-27.

Paul beat Mikhail Kukushkin 6-1, 6-4 and Fritz defeated Alexander Bublik 7-6(6), 1-6, 6-3. However, Kazakhstan won the doubles as Bublik and Aleksandr Nedovyesov defeated Rajeev Ram and Jack Sock 6-2, 7-6 (6).

In Group A, Croatia celebrated their first stage win by beating Sweden 2-1 in Bologna, Italy.

Sweden’s Elias Ymer defeated Borna Gojo 6-2, 7-6 (2), but Croatia’s Borna Coric responded with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 against Mikael Ymer. It came down to the doubles where Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic defeated the Ymer brothers 7-5, 6-3.

Croatia and Sweden are now both 1-1. Italy (1-0) meets Argentina (0-1) on Friday.

Serbia also made it into the Group B Victory Column by beating South Korea 2-1 in Valencia, Spain.

Dusan Lajovic defeated Seong-chan Hong 6-4, 6-0 and Miomir Kecmanovic defeated Soonwoo Kwon 6-3, 6-4 to secure the result. In doubles, the Koreans avoided a shutout as Ji Sung Nam and Min-Kyu Song defeated Nikola Cacic and Filip Krajinovic 6-4, 6-2.

Serbia improved to 1-1 while South Korea fell back to 0-2. Spain and Canada meet on Friday, with both sides leading 1-0.

Australia advanced to 2-0 in Group C by beating France 2-1 in Hamburg, Germany.

Their match also ended in doubles after France’s Richard Gasquet defeated Jason Kubler 6-2, 6-4 and Australia’s Alex de Minaur responded with a 6-3, 1-6, 6-4 defeat of Benjamin Bonzi. Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell were Australia’s heroes, beating Nicolas Mahut and Arthur Rinderknech 6-4, 6-4 in just 82 minutes.

Germany (1-0) meets Belgium (0-1) on Friday.

-Field level media