Jiri Lehecka gives Czechia 1-0 lead over U.S., drops Frances Tiafoe to 1-6 in Davis Cup play

On paper, Jiri Lehecka was the in-form player coming into his latest showdown with Frances Tiafoe.

Having reached his second career major quarterfinal at the US Open, Lehecka arrived for Czechia’s Davis Cup Second Qualifier against the United States with a career-high ranking of No. 16. Tiafoe, meanwhile, had fallen to No. 29—his lowest ranking since 2024.

Kicking off the tie Friday evening in Delray Beach, Fla., where play was delayed for a little over an hour due to rain, Lehecka showed that two defeats in two prior meetings with Tiafoe were nonfactors and that paper was indeed correct.

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Delivering bigger blows from the baseline and maintaining the steadier serve, Lehecka scored the first point for the visitors with a comprehensive 6-3, 6-2 victory. For Tiafoe, it marked his sixth loss in seven Davis Cup rubbers spanning five appearances dating back to his 2018 debut.

Both competitors fought off early pressure moments, with Tiafoe erasing a pair of break points in his first service game and Lehecka holding from deuce in consecutive trips to the line.

At 3-4, 40-40, the two engaged in an extended rally that ended with a set-changing misjudgment from the home favorite. Tiafoe assumed his opponent’s forehand up the line was sailing long. Lehecka instead clipped the line to earn break point, where Tiafoe double-faulted for the first time on the night.

Consistent ball-striking enabled Lehecka to put together a five-game run that carried over into the early stages of set two. Tiafoe fought off a break point to avoid falling behind 3-0, but struggled to keep pace with the powerful strikes coming across the net. He conceded the double break in his next service game by yanking a forehand wide and finished without creating a break point against the 23-year-old.

“Every Davis Cup win is something special for me. These matches are something different from what we are living on tour,” Lehecka said afterwards on court.

The pressure now shifts to Taylor Fritz, as he looks to get the U.S. back on even footing. His opponent, Jakub Mensik, notably edged the American No. 1 7-6 in the third to clinch their Miami semifinal on his way to a maiden ATP Masters 1000 title earlier this year.