The United States kicked off their Davis Cup Finals group stage campaign with a victory over Chile, despite the absence of several top singles players. Reilly Opelka and Brandon Nakashima secured wins in their challenging three-set matches, leading the U.S. to a 3-0 triumph in their Group C opener held in Zhuhai, China. Olympic doubles silver-medalists Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek completed the sweep by defeating Matias Soto and Tomas Barrios Vera.
Defending champions Italy also had a successful start in Group A, winning against Brazil in Bologna, even without world number one and recent U.S. Open champion Jannik Sinner. In Group B, Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz faced a tough challenge but prevailed after Czech Republic’s Tomas Machac retired, giving Spain a 2-0 lead.
Despite missing U.S. Open runner-up Taylor Fritz and other top players, American captain Bob Bryan expressed confidence in his team’s depth. Opelka, who is currently ranked 309th following wrist surgery, edged Cristian Garin while 40th-ranked Nakashima overcame Alejandro Tabilo. Ram and Krajicek required three sets in a tightly contested doubles match to seal the victory.
Bryan praised both teams, stating, “It was truly an epic day of tennis for both teams. Everyone showed a lot of heart, a lot of guts.”
The tournament features four groups of four nations across various cities—Zhuhai, Bologna, Valencia, and Manchester—with the top two teams from each group advancing to the knockout stage in Malaga next month.
Italy’s Matteo Berrettini and Matteo Arnaldi delivered strong performances against Brazil, while Britain also fared well against Finland in Manchester. Billy Harris, making his debut in the absence of Jack Draper, clinched victory for Britain.
Meanwhile, Australia, Germany, Belgium, and Canada also enjoyed victories in their respective matches earlier in the week.