9 things you’d have hated to miss on Davis Cup weekend: a first for Asia, a double defeat for Shelton, Rune is back !
South Korea became the first Asian nation to reach the Davis Cup Final 8 since the 2019 reform, Ben Shelton lost both his singles in Prague as the United States went out, Holger Rune won twice in his first week back 11 months after tearing his Achilles, and Monaco climbed to a level they had not reached since 1929. Nine things to take away from a Davis Cup weekend.
Jiri Lehecka, Davis Cup 2026 | © CTK Photobank / Psnewz
1. The Bologna Final 8 is set, and it has a new name on it
Eight nations will contest the Davis Cup by Generali Final 8 in Bologna from November 24-29: defending champions and hosts Italy, plus Spain, Germany, Great Britain, Austria, the Czech Republic, Canada and South Korea.
Seven of those eight came through the Qualifiers 2nd Round over the weekend, and one of them had never been there before.
The list of who is not going is just as striking. The United States, France, Argentina, Australia, Serbia and Belgium all missed out, which strips the field of two of the most decorated nations in the competition’s history and of the three most recent Davis Cup finalists’ usual suspects.
Davis Cup Qualifiers, Round 2 – results
- Spain bt Chile 4-0
- Germany bt Croatia 3-1
- Great Britain bt Ecuador 4-0
- Austria bt Belgium 3-1
- Korea, Rep. bt India 3-1
- Czechia bt USA 3-2
- Canada bt France 3-1
2. South Korea reach the Final 8 for the first time, and they did it by sweeping the singles
South Korea wrote their own history at the Olympic Tennis Court in Seoul on Saturday, beating India 3-1 to reach the quarterfinals of the competition for the first time. They are the first Asian nation to make the Final 8 in the reformed format.
Captained by Jong-Sam Chung, Korea swept the singles. Soonwoo Kwon and Hyeon Chung both mounted comebacks on Friday, Kwon handing Dhakshineswar Suresh his first Davis Cup defeat after being broken in his opening service game. The Korean stepped inside the baseline on return in the second set, drew four double faults from the Indian, and closed it out in the tenth game of the decider.
Kwon then sealed the tie on Saturday afternoon with a 6-1, 6-2 win over a tiring Sumit Nagal that took 68 minutes. He collapsed to the ground when Nagal’s return sailed wide and was mobbed by his teammates.
“It means a lot to qualify for the Final 8 in Bologna,” Kwon said. “I feel very prideful for my country. When I play in a team, I know that I can’t let my teammates down. The fans in Seoul brought that momentum in my favour.”
3. Zverev is still rolling, and Germany look like a problem for everybody
Alexander Zverev went from the US Open final to Halle without losing his rhythm. He beat world No. 171 Matej Dodig 6-4, 7-6 (3) in the opening rubber on Friday, then closed the tie out on Saturday with a backhand volley to beat Dino Prizmic 6-2, 6-4 and end Croatia’s hopes of a first Finals appearance since 2023. Germany won 3-1.
Between those two wins came the point that mattered most. Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz beat Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic 7-5, 6-2 to put Germany 2-1 ahead, a pairing now 18-2 together in Davis Cup. “That was probably the best doubles match we’ve ever played in Davis Cup,” Krawietz said.
Germany have not won the competition since 1993 and have reached the semifinals in each of the past two seasons. Zverev, who was not born when Germany last lifted the trophy, said before the tie that he wanted to “seize the opportunity to win the Davis Cup with this group.”
“The Davis Cup here at home in front of the home fans was incredible,” he said. “That is exactly what the Davis Cup is all about for me.”
4. Ben Shelton lost twice, and the United States are out again
Czechia beat the United States 3-2 in Prague, eliminating them at this stage for the second year running and booking a fourth consecutive appearance at the Finals, their fifth overall.
Ben Shelton lost both his singles. Jiri Lehecka beat him on Friday, then Jakub Mensik came back to win 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 on Saturday to level the tie at 2-2 and hand Lehecka the decider, which the Czech won against Learner Tien 6-3, 7-5. Shelton refused to look for excuses: “He outplayed me today. He served great, returned great.”
Lehecka’s 14th Davis Cup singles win moves him level with Lukas Rosol in fourth place on the Czech all-time list, and he immediately handed the credit elsewhere.
“Without Jakub winning against Ben, I would not have the chance to play the final match,” he said. “It is a team competition and this was a team effort, and that is more important than me being called a national hero.”
5. Holger Rune played his first matches in 11 months, and won two of them
Rune had not played since tearing his left Achilles 11 months ago. He returned in Copenhagen and delivered two points as Denmark beat Bulgaria 3-2 in World Group I, beating Iliyan Radulov in straight sets on Friday and then coming through the must-win match against Grigor Dimitrov 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4).
That is a considerable first week back: a set down against a former world No. 3 in a live rubber, on the second day of a tie, with a nation’s promotion riding on it. Dimitrov was playing his first Davis Cup tie since 2015 and could not close the third set.
Denmark’s reward is a place in next year’s Qualifiers 1st Round, and Rune’s is the knowledge that the Achilles held up over two matches in two days. Brazil joined them in that draw, and their win came with a story of its own.
6. Spain keep producing players nobody was counting on
Spain swept Chile 3-0, and the headline name was a debutant. Rafael Jodar, selected for the first time, crushed Cristian Garin 6-0, 6-2 in his first appearance in national colors. Daniel Merida also delivered, and the tie was wrapped up by the doubles pairing of Pedro Martinez and Jaume Munar.
The point is not the scoreline, it is the depth. Imagine this team with both Alcaraz and Jodar.
7. France are not just out, they are becoming a stranger to this stage
Canada beat France 3-1 in Quebec City, with Felix Auger-Aliassime the driving force in front of 11,697 spectators at the Centre Videotron. The world No. 5 recovered from a set down to beat Arthur Rinderknech 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 and spare Canada a deciding singles. Benjamin Bonzi and Pierre-Hugues Herbert had kept France alive by beating Auger-Aliassime and debutant Duncan Chan 7-6 (4), 6-3 in the doubles.
One number frames the French decline better than any analysis: France have been among the world’s top eight teams once in the seven editions of the reformed Davis Cup since 2019. Between 2001 and 2018, they made that top eight 17 times out of 18.
Rinderknech, beaten and frustrated after Friday’s loss to Liam Draxl, had left a cryptic line in his press conference (“I wasn’t expecting that, it isn’t what I had heard or understood”), before defusing it on Saturday by praising the staff.
8. Monaco are back at a level they last reached… in 1929
Monaco won 3-1 away to Finland in Espoo on September 18-19, and the two kilometres squared of principality now have a place in the 2027 Davis Cup Qualifiers, their highest level and their first time at that stage since 1929.
The recipe has not changed since they beat Alexander Bublik’s Kazakhstan 3-1 in Astana earlier this year: Valentin Vacherot wins both singles, and the doubles does the rest. Hugo Nys and Romain Arneodo duly beat Harri Heliovaara and Niklas Salminen. “We don’t really have the right to make a mistake,” Nys said. “We have to win those three points, Val’s two singles and the doubles.”
Monaco currently have only one singles player ranked on the ATP computer, which is why Lucas Catarina, a former No. 341 who retired more than two years ago, came out of retirement on Friday to serve as the No. 2. Nys, No. 23 in the doubles rankings, calls his federation “a small federation but a big family, with a lot of desire and determination.”
9. Joao Fonseca cried on court, and Stan Wawrinka said goodbye to the Davis Cup
Brazil beat Switzerland 3-1 at the Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, and the tie produced the weekend’s most emotional image. Fonseca, 20, had not competed for a month after a right shoulder injury and then a left abdominal injury sustained in Cincinnati that forced him out of the US Open. Not fully fit, he came from a set down to beat Dominic Stricker 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, fell to his knees at match point and wept into his towel.
Gustavo Heide added the second point by beating Stan Wawrinka, in what was the Swiss veteran’s final Davis Cup appearance before his retirement. Orlando Luz and Rafael Matos then sealed the tie in the doubles against Jakub Paul and Stricker on Saturday afternoon.
Brazil advance to next year’s Qualifiers, one round from the 2027 Finals. Switzerland stay where they are, and their most decorated player leaves the competition for good.
