The United States made a return to the Davis Cup Final 8 after beating Slovakia 3-0 in Group C in Zuhai on Friday, while Spain also sealed their spot in the knockout stage.
Mackenzie McDonald beat Lukas Klein 6-4 6-3 in the day’s opening singles before Brandon Nakashima beat Jozef Kovalik also in straight sets to give the Americans an unassailable 2-0 lead.
Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram then fought back to a 6-7(4) 7-6(4) 10-1 win over Norbert Gombos and Klein in the doubles for an overall 3-0 triumph after the U.S. failed to progress last year following defeats to the Netherlands and Finland.
It was the second group win for Bob Bryan’s team who are missing a host of top singles players including U.S. Open runner-up Taylor Fritz. They also beat Chile 3-0.
Victory for the U.S. also meant Germany qualified for the Final 8 which will be held in Malaga in November.
Germany and the U.S. play in the final group game on Saturday with top spot at stake.
Spain also booked their Final 8 spot as they beat France in Group B in Valencia following their hard-fought victory against Czech Republic on Wednesday.
Roberto Bautista Agut came from a set down to beat Arthur Fils 2-6 7-5 6-3 before world number three Carlos Alcaraz dismantled Ugo Humbert 6-3 6-3 with one match still to play.
“I was pleased with the level I played from the beginning till the last ball. I was really focused,” Alcaraz said.
“It was a high level of tennis. I was really, really intense. Probably one of the best matches I’ve played this year.”
