Davis Cup | A quick review of the second day’s play

In Hamburg Australia won the deciding doubles rubber to beat France 2-1 on the second day of the Davis Cup Group C stage while in Group D in Glasgow, the United States saw off Kazakhstan by a similar result having established a winning 2-0 lead with victories in the opening singles.

Last night was a tough one, and after getting that win it was important to build on that and hopefully not be here again at 1am, Taylor Fritz

French veteran Richard Gasquet gave his team the lead when he beat Aussie Jason Kubler 6-4 6-2 in the opening singles.

Alex de Minuar then levelled for Australia, beating Benjamin Bonzi 6-3 1-6 6-4, before Max Purcell and Matthew Edben clinched the tie in the deciding rubber by defeating Nicolas Mahut and Arthur Rinderknech 6-4 6-4.

Australia now top their group with two wins out of two, though hosts Germany can draw level if they beat Belgium.

France have now lost both their ties and fill the bottom place in their group standings.

Taylor Fritz recovers to give the US an unassailable lead

Meanwhile in Glasgow, the late finish by the US in their opening tie when the defeated Britain, didn’t affect their performance against Kazakhstan.

Tommy Paul swept past Mikhail Kukushkin 6-1 6-4 to put the US ahead, before Taylor Fritz, world ranked 12, clinched their second straight win by edging a dramatic clash with Alexander Bublik, the world No.39, by saving four sets points in the opening set and then recovering in the third to clinch a 7-6(6) 1-6 6-3 victory.

“Last night was a tough one, and after getting that win it was important to build on that and hopefully not be here again at 1am,” Fritz said after the tie.

“Any time I play Alex it is really tough. He’s just awkward to play against.

“I rebounded in the third, changed my strategy a bit, and got the win.”

Bublik and Aleksandr Nedovyesov gave the Kazakhs a consolation doubles success by beating Rajeev Ram and Jack Sock 6-2 7-6(6), no doubt taking advantage of the Americans were still feeling the effects of their late-night, 1.00 am triumph which dashed British hopes in the opening tie.

Elsewhere, in Valencia, Serbia bounced back from their opening loss to Spain in Group B by beating South Korea, with wins for Dusan Lajovic and Miomir Kecmanovic giving them an unassailable 2-0 lead ahead of the doubles.

Nam Ji-sung and Song Min-kyu cruised past Nikola Cacic and Filip Krajinovic in the doubles to give the Koreans a consolation point.

Lajovic played the opening singles rubber having played the doubles against Spain the previous day, which had also produced a late, past midnight, finish.

“It definitely wasn’t easy. We didn’t know who was going to play the singles,” he said.

“I went to bed at 4am and I didn’t sleep well.”

Croatia also managed to put a defeat behind them with a tense success against Sweden in Group A being played in Bologna.

Eilas Ymer beat Borna Gojo in straight sets to put Sweden, who had beaten Argentina in the first tie, ahead.

But Cincinnati Masters champion Borna Coric beat Elias’ brother Mikael Ymer in three sets and Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic completed the comeback by seeing off the Ymers 7-5 6-3.