Valencia. Spain started the Davis Cup Finals group stage with a win over the injury-hit Czech Republic thanks to superb performances from Carlos Alcaraz in both singles and doubles. Roberto Bautista got Spain’s first point in the singles with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Jiri Lehecka. That gave Alcaraz a chance to seal the win, but Tomas Machac’s retirement in the third set gave the home team the decisive second point.
It was even more disappointing for Machac that he suffered the injury after winning the first set against Alcaraz in a tiebreak. The world number three was not at his best in the early stages. He made 21 unforced errors in the opening set, his first Davis Cup appearance since 2022. Machac was unable to capitalise on that lead. Alcaraz then won the next four games to set up the match in the deciding set, but Machac retired in the opening game. At 6-7(3) 6-1 he was struggling to move properly on the court. It was a sad end to what could have been a thrilling match. With Spain’s victory assured, Alcaraz was expected to be rested but he came on court for doubles with Marcel Granollers.
Alcaraz played brilliantly in the third set tiebreak and won 6-7 (2) 6-3 7-6 (2) over Jacob Mensi and Adam Pavlasek of the Czech Republic. This was Alcaraz’s comeback since his second round exit at the US Open. He said, “I tried to remember the positive things even in my defeat in the USA. It was really hard to find it, but that’s what I tried.” Alcaraz further said, “I am trying not to make the same mistakes regarding my level and mental side. I have come here with a lot of energy, enthusiasm and motivation, so that I can perform the best for my team Spain and win as many wins as possible as a team.”