Tennis News

Lehecka upsets Fritz, Mensik seals Czechia's Davis Cup comeback vs United States

When Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram triumphed in a tightly contested doubles rubber Saturday in Delray Beach, it seemed the United States was in control of its Davis Cup Qualifiers Second Round tie against Czechia. But Jiri Lehecka and Jakub Mensik had a plan of their own.

Lehecka upset Taylor Fritz, the No. 5 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, to keep Czechia’s hopes alive. Mensik then sealed the tie for his country, 3-2, with a late-night win against Frances Tiafoe.

During a long day in Florida that featured a lengthy lightning delay, Lehecka walked on court at the home of the Delray Beach Open knowing he needed to overcome an 0-4 Lexus ATP Head2Head record against Fritz. The recent US Open quarter-finalist did exactly that, upsetting the American 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.

Fritz fought hard against the Czech, whom he beat in a final-set tie-break in Toronto less than two months ago. But Lehecka put consistent pressure on the top-ranked player in the tie, earning 17 break points and converting three of them to level at 2-2.

That allowed Mensik the opportunity to play the hero in the same state where he claimed ATP Masters 1000 glory earlier this year at the Miami Open presented by Itau. The 23-year-old eased past Tiafoe 6-1, 6-4 around the stroke of midnight to send his country to Bologna.

Krajicek and Ram, the Paris Olympics silver medalists, had given the United States a 2-1 advantage with a battling 7-6(6), 5-7, 6-4 victory against Tomas Machac and Mensik.

The countries that have already qualified for the Davis Cup Final 8 are defending champion Italy, Czechia, Argentina, Austria, Germany and France. 

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GB's Cash & Glasspool beaten in Davis Cup doubles

Great Britain’s place in next year’s Davis Cup qualifiers remains uncertain after Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool were beaten in the doubles by Poland’s Karol Drzewiecki and Jan Zielinski.

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Watch Wawrinka on free Challenger TV

Stan Wawrinka will play for a spot in the Rennes Challenger final on Saturday, when he faces German Patrick Zahraj not before 4:30 p.m. CEST / 10:30 a.m. ET. Fans can tune into Challenger TV to stream all ATP Challenger Tour matches live and on demand at no cost.

A former No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Wawrinka’s best result so far this season was a run to the final at the Aix-en-Provence Challenger, where he fell to former No. 12 Borna Coric in a three-hour, 11-minute final. Aiming for his eighth Challenger trophy, the 40-year-old is 15-7 at that level in 2025.

Watch Stan Wawrinka vs. Patrick Zahraj (not before 4:30 p.m. local time)

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

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Collignon stuns De Minaur, Belgium leads Australia 2-0 in Davis Cup

Belgium stands on the brink of an impressive away win in the Davis Cup Qualifiers second round after Raphael Collignon and Zizou Bergs delivered standout performances on Saturday in Sydney.

The No. 91 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Collignon upset World No. 8 and hometown favourite Alex de Minaur 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 inside Ken Rosewall Arena to give his country a perfect start in its bid for a spot at November’s Davis Cup Final 8. The 23-year-old Collignon appeared to have lost momentum after a bright opening set in his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash with De Minaur, but he dug deep and battled through cramps to earn the first Top 10 win of his career.

A herculean effort from Belgium’s Raphael Collignon beating Australia’s Alex de Minaur to give his nation a 1-0 lead 🇧🇪#DavisCup pic.twitter.com/EZ9GUumUY2

— Davis Cup (@DavisCup) September 13, 2025

“I think when you play for your country there is no pain,” said Collignon, who also defeated Casper Ruud last month at the US Open, in his on-court interview. “We always have great players, and this is unbelievable I think for a small country like ours.”

Bergs later sank Jordan Thompson 7-6(4), 6-4 to cap a perfect day for Belgium. A three-time Davis Cup finalist, including in 2015 and 2017, Belgium will now look to Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen to wrap up victory on Saturday, when the experienced doubles duo takes on John Peers and Rinky Hijikata.

“It feels great for the team,” said Bergs after his win against Thompson. “We did a great job today but we’re far from the end still.”

Germany Books Its Spot In Bologna
Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz added the finishing touches to a dominant display from Germany in Tokyo, where the doubles stars defeated Yosuke Watanuki and Takeru Yuzuki 6-3, 7-6(4) to seal victory against Japan and their country’s spot in the Final 8.

After Jan-Lennard Struff and Yannick Hanfmann had earned singles victories on Friday, Krawietz and Puetz notched their 18th win in 19 Davis Cup rubbers as a team to ensure Germany will compete in Bologna, where Final 8 action takes place from 18-23 November. Justin Engel then celebrated his Davis Cup debut by prevailing in a clash of #NextGenATP stars. The 17-year-old Engel defeated 19-year-old Rei Sakamoto 6-3, 6-7(2), 10-7 to wrap a 4-0 triumph for Germany.

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Junior No. 1 Ivanov, 16-year-old Nadal Academy standout, 'fired up for tennis'

Rafael Nadal reached the pinnacle of the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time in August 2008, shortly after beating Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final that is widely considered one of the best matches in tennis history.

Ivan Ivanov was not born until October that year. But fast-forward 16 years and the Bulgarian trains at the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar and is the No. 1 player in the ITF Junior Rankings, fresh off victories at Wimbledon and the US Open.

There was plenty of pressure on the teen to perform in New York as the junior World No. 1 and reigning Wimbledon champion, but he showed few nerves in capturing another Slam title at Flushing Meadows.

“[It was] very tough, that’s for sure. [There were] expectations about that and all the eyes on you,” Ivanov told ATPTour.com. “It’s something that you have to take very specifically. But I managed it very well as we can see, and I’m very happy with that result.”

Ivanov does not come from a family of tennis players. But his father gave him his first racquet and he has not looked back.

“I just started playing. I met my first coach and like this [there was] just a connection and the people that were close to me, they made me fired up for tennis,” Ivanov said.

“I really loved the racquet sports at the beginning. I enjoyed watching with my mom some of the old-school tennis, like Roger and Stan. I mean, they’re not so old school, but I just loved watching them and I just wanted to try it. I tried it and I really loved it, which made me very happy about the sport.”

Stan Wawrinka, now 40, is 24 years the Bulgarian’s elder and still competing. The Bulgarian also looked up to the likes of countryman Grigor Dimitrov and 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic, who claimed his first Slam title the year Ivanov was born. Four years ago, the Bulgarian moved to Spain to train at Nadal’s eponymous academy.

“Of course, it was very difficult because I was away from my parents and away from my mom,” Ivanov said. “But the thing [is] that I managed to come through that and they are able to come as much as possible, [so] this gave me a bit more confidence in my decision and gave me a little bit more a particular reason why should I do that.”

The 16-year-old explained that he has particularly enjoyed working with the staff at the academy. Nadal also follows Ivanov’s growth, congratulating him after his US Open win.

“They’re all super nice to me, and nice to everyone,” said Ivanov, whose main coach is Jeremy Paisan. “I love that about them. I enjoy being in the academy, and I’m so grateful to be there.”

Congratulations Ivan on winning <a href=”https://twitter.com/Wimbledon?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@Wimbledon & @usopen Junior 🏆!

Congrats also to all the @rnadalacademy team! 👏🏻👏🏻 https://t.co/gqzkgK3Lw2

— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) September 6, 2025

Ivanov became the third boy this century to lift the Wimbledon and the US Open trophies in the same year, joining Dimitrov and Filip Peliwo. The Bulgarian believes he first met Dimitrov at a young age in Sofia.

“He gave me some good compliments about my game. He gave me some advice,” Ivanov said. “I was very motivated to keep going.”

That has worked for a player who also enjoys golf, reading books by the likes of Jules Verne and watching movies, “I like to be more calm,” he said.

But on the court, Ivanov is a fiery competitor who has climbed as high as No. 795 in the PIF ATP Rankings. This week, he is representing Bulgaria in Davis Cup for the first time.

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Matteo Arnaldi & Mia Savio announce engagement

Matteo Arnaldi is engaged to his girlfriend Mia Savio. The pair announced the news on social media Friday.

“Io e te per sempre 🤍,” Savio wrote in an Instagram post featuring three pictures of the couple celebrating. The post is Italian for “You and me forever.”

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A post shared by Mia (@miasavio)

Arnaldi and Savio have been together since 2022.

No. 73 in the PIF ATP Rankings Arnaldi last competed at the US Open in August, where he lost a tough five-set opening match to Francisco Cerundolo. The 24-year-old holds an 18-20 record on the season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.

Earlier this year, the Italian earned upset wins over Andrey Rublev and Novak Djokovic at the ATP Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells and Madrid, respectively.

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Norrie & Fery put GB in control in Davis Cup tie

Cameron Norrie and Arthur Fery won their Davis Cup matches to give Great Britain a 2-0 lead over Poland and a strong chance of reaching next year’s qualifiers.

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In sea of orange, Cerundolo & Etcheverry put last year's Davis Cup finalists on alert

Argentina is on the brink of a second consecutive appearance in the Davis Cup Final 8 after Francisco Cerundolo and Tomas Martin Etcheverry secured singles victories against last year’s finalists, The Netherlands, on Friday.

Etcheverry set the tone with a 6-4, 6-4 triumph over Dutchman Jesper de Jong, converting his fourth match point to clinch the victory. Then, Argentina’s top-ranked player, World No. 21 Cerundolo, followed with a 7-6(4), 6-1 win against Botic van de Zandschulp.

Vamos Francisco! 💪@FranCerundolo clinches it to give Argentina a 2–0 lead over last year’s finalists 👀@DavisCup | #DavisCup | @AATenis pic.twitter.com/2QVe6TN3u3

— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 12, 2025

In front of an enthusiastic crowd in Groningen, Cerundolo overcame a nervy start to capture his 33rd tour-level win of the season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. The first set alone featured six breaks of serve, but the Argentine jumped to a 4/0 lead in the tie-break, which ultimately helped him gain a one-set advantage on the home favourite.

Argentina, 2016 Davis Cup champions, will look to apply the finishing touches on Saturday.

“It feels incredible,” Etcheverry said after his win, according to DavisCup.com. “I played very well. Getting the first point is really important.

“I’m very proud because I know what I did the past few weeks and how I have been training for this. It feels amazing. I love it. Davis Cup is really fun and I love to play here.”

The Netherlands reached the Davis Cup final in 2024, but Italy triumphed 2-0.

Germany pulls ahead of Japan
In other Davis Cup Qualifiers 2nd Round action, Germany took a 2-0 lead on the road at Japan, led by Jan-Lennard Struff and Yannick Hanfmann. Struff, former No. 21 in the PIF ATP Rankings, battled past Yoshihito Nishioka 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-4 in a hard-fought clash, during which the German saved all 10 of the break points he faced. Hanfmann closed the day with a 6-3, 6-3 victory against Shintaro Mochizuki.

France, Austria have early lead
France leads Croatia 1-0 after Corentin Moutet defeated #NextGenATP Dino Prizmic 6-4, 5-7, 6-1 to earn his maiden Davis Cup match win. Marin Cilic and Arthur Rinderknech will meet in the second rubber. Jurij Rodionov outlasted Fabian Marozsan 6-2, 6-7(5), 7-5 to give Austria a 1-0 advantage over Hungary. Marton Fucsovics will look to level the tie for his home country when he faces Lukas Neumayer.

<img alt=”Corentin Moutet earns his first Davis Cup match win.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/09/12/18/24/moutet-davis-cup-2025-september.jpg” />
^{Corentin Moutet earns his first Davis Cup match win. Credit: Srdjan Stevanovic/Getty Images for ITF}

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De Minaur replaces Tiafoe in Laver Cup

Alex de Minaur has joined Team World’s lineup for this year’s Laver Cup, replacing American Frances Tiafoe. The Laver Cup takes place 19-21 September at the Chase Center in San Francisco.

De Minaur made his debut for Team World at the 2022 Laver Cup. Team World won its first title that year in London, followed by another victory in Vancouver in 2023. This year, Team World will be led by Andre Agassi, who is replacing John McEnroe as the new captain.

“It’s an honour to join Captain Agassi and Team World in San Francisco next week,” said De Minaur, who holds a 1-0 record at the competition. “My first Laver Cup back in 2022 in London was an incredible experience and I will be ready to give it everything I’ve got to help the team lift the Laver Cup at Chase Center.”

Team World’s roster will now feature three Americans: Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton, and Tommy Paul, alongside Australian De Minaur, #NextGenATP Brazilian Joao Fonseca, and Argentine Francisco Cerundolo.

“We will miss Frances’ energy and game in San Francisco,” said Agassi. “However, we couldn’t be more thrilled to add one of the best and most in-form players in the world to our team. I’ve admired the way Alex plays and competes from afar and now look forward to having a front row seat to watching him perform.”

De Minaur, No. 8 in the PIF ATP Rankings, holds a 41-16 season record, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. He has reached the quarter-finals at six of the last eight Grand Slams, including this year’s Australian Open and US Open. He clinched his first title of the season at the ATP 500 event in Washington in July.

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On This Day: Alcaraz makes historic No. 1 debut in 2022

Carlos Alcaraz began the second week of 2022 as the World No. 33, but in just nine astonishing months he surged past the sport’s elite to become the youngest No. 1 in the history of the PIF ATP Rankings on September 12.

By bursting onto the scene in 2021 as an 18-year-old prodigy, the Spaniard immediately captured attention with his electric talent. With his first tour-level title in Umag, Alcaraz ensured that he would begin 2022 — his first full season on the ATP Tour — ranked inside the World’s Top 50. From the outset, his varied shotmaking and ability to adapt across surfaces was unmistakable.

View The ATP No. 1 Club Hub

Alcaraz announced himself with early brilliance in 2022, dazzling en route to the ATP 500 crown in Rio before reaching the semi-finals in Indian Wells — where he pushed his idol, Rafael Nadal, to three sets. He then claimed his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Miami. Although Alcaraz suffered a disappointing first-round exit in Monte-Carlo, the teen entered the Top 10 for the first time, and did not stop there.

On home soil, the then-19-year-old soared to consecutive titles in Barcelona and in Madrid, where he became the youngest player to defeat Nadal and Novak Djokovic in the same tournament. Heading into the North American hard-court swing, Alcaraz had racked up 4,270 PIF ATP Rankings points to not only cement his status among the favourites for the US Open, but to put him in strong contention to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals.

At Flushing Meadows, the third-seeded Alcaraz was put through his paces in an exhausting second week. His epic five-hour, 15-minute victory over Jannik Sinner in the quarter-finals — the third-longest match in US Open history — was followed by another five-setter against Frances Tiafoe to set up a final with Casper Ruud. The championship match against the Norwegian doubled as a straight shootout to ascend to World No. 1.

The tension was palpable inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, but Alcaraz held his nerve over four thrilling sets to secure the top spot, becoming the youngest player to reach the pinnacle in the history of the PIF ATP Rankings at 19 years and four months.

“It’s crazy for me. I never thought that I was going to achieve something like that at 19 years old,” Alcaraz said after the final. “Everything came so fast. For me, it’s unbelievable. It’s something I’ve dreamed of since I was a kid, since I started playing tennis. Of course, lifting this trophy today is amazing for me.”

Although Alcaraz suffered an abdominal tear that kept him out of the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, where he qualified in pole position, he was still present to receive ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours. The Spaniard, who went on to spend an initial 20 weeks at the summit, became the youngest player in history to receive the award.

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