United States will be hosting Czechia on the hard courts in Delray Beach for the Davis Cup qualifiers, at a venue we know so well from the ATP Tour event held in February. Both teams have brought in extremely strong lineups, but only one can advance and reach the Davis Cup Finals. We predict all five ties scheduled for Friday and Saturday; who do you think will prevail?
Davis Cup Predictions – United States vs Czechia
Frances Tiafoe vs Jiri Lehecka
Head-to-head: Tiafoe 2-0
Frances Tiafoe won the tournament in Delray Beach in 2018, so he should be very familiar with these courts and likely to perform a bit better than usual. But the US Open ended up with a bit of a disappointing result for him, considering how strong he had been in New York over the years. Meanwhile, Jiri Lehecka should be feeling good about himself right now with the Top 20 debut and a quarterfinal run at Flushing Meadows. Tiafoe is so hot and cold throughout the year and Lehecka seems like the more hungry player on an upswing at the moment.
Prediction: Lehecka in 3
Taylor Fritz vs Jakub Mensik
Head-to-head: 1-1
Jakub Mensik posted one of the most important wins of his career over Taylor Fritz this year, outserving him in an extremely tight semifinal in Miami. The Czech hasn’t reached those heights since that tournament, but is still developing at a great pace for his age. He can definitely keep things close against Taylor Fritz, it just doesn’t feel like the mental toughness is there at the moment. The same can’t be said about the American, who’s one of the most efficient and consistent players on the tour.
Prediction: Fritz in 2
Austin Krajicek/Rajeev Ram vs Tomas Machac/Adam Pavlasek
Head-to-head: Krajicek/Ram 1-0
Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram were the Olympic finalists last year and tried playing with each other long-term this season, but weren’t getting the kind of results they were expecting. Tomas Machac and Adam Pavlasek got fourth place in Paris after losing to Krajicek/Ram 2-6 2-6. That was a defeat heavier than anticipated as the Czechs have a lot of doubles potential with their return-oriented styles and good read on the game. Maybe this time they can actually pull it off, Krajicek isn’t doing well at the moment.
Prediction: Machac/Pavlasek in 3
Taylor Fritz vs Jiri Lehecka
Head-to-head: Fritz 4-0
Jiri Lehecka recently took on Taylor Fritz in an extremely tight three-setter in Cincinnati and while he came so close to a win, he’s still got a very poor record against the American No. 1. It’s likely that he can get him into another serve-based encounter, but Fritz will have a bit more margin to show his superior mental toughness and steadier baseline game on the slower courts in Delray Beach. If this top-ranked duel comes to fruition, he’ll be the favorite to guide his team to glory.
Prediction: Fritz in 3
Frances Tiafoe vs Jakub Mensik
Head-to-head: First meeting
It’s been a while since Jakub Mensik showed his true potential to the tennis world, but the 20-year-old still has to be proud about his progress this season. If the tie comes down to the battle of the No. 2 ranked players, the pressure on both here will be immense. Frances Tiafoe typically performs a bit better on the big stage and maybe he would relish an opportunity to use the home crowd support and seal the deal for Team United States.
Prediction: Tiafoe in 3
Main Photo Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images
