Ben Shelton Falls to Jiri Lehecka as U.S. and Czech Republic Tie 1-1

Jiri Lehecka defeated world No. 4 Ben Shelton 6-4, 6-4 on Friday to level the Davis Cup qualifying series in Prague.

Jiri Lehecka defeated Ben Shelton 6-4, 6-4 on Friday at Prague's O2 Arena, leveling the Davis Cup Final 8 qualifying round between the Czech Republic and the United States at 1-1. The 24th-ranked Lehecka secured breaks of serve early in both sets on the indoor hard court. The result dropped Shelton, the recent US Open finalist, to a 0-3 career record in Davis Cup play following his first match since losing the Grand Slam final to Alexander Zverev.

Earlier in the day, Learner Tien gave the Americans an initial 1-0 lead by defeating Jakub Mensik 6-2, 6-4. In his tournament debut, Tien recorded 15 unforced errors compared to 34 from Mensik. The best-of-five series continues Saturday with doubles and reverse singles matches to determine which nation advances to the Final 8 in Bologna, Italy, this November.

In other international action, South Korea holds a 2-0 lead over India at Seoul's Olympic tennis center. SoonWoo Kwon overcame Dhakshineswar Suresh 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, while Hyeon Chung beat Sumit Nagal 2-6, 6-4, 7-5. Additionally, the series between Austria and Belgium is currently tied 1-1 as teams compete to join defending champion Italy in the finals.