NEW YORK — Ben Shelton and Tommy Paul have officially withdrawn from next weekend’s U.S. Davis Cup matches due to injuries. In light of this, the American team announced three new additions on Thursday.
Reilly Opelka, Rajeev Ram, and Austin Krajicek have been brought into the lineup for the second-round clashes against the Czech Republic, set to take place on September 12-13 in Delray Beach, Florida. They will join forces with Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe.
Ranked sixth, Shelton was forced to retire from his third-round match at the U.S. Open due to discomfort in his left shoulder. Meanwhile, Paul, currently sitting at the 14th spot, was ousted in a hard-fought five-set match against Alexander Bublik and appeared to be battling an abdominal issue.
Opelka faced Carlos Alcaraz in the first round of the U.S. Open. Both Ram and Krajicek have previously held the No. 1 rank in doubles.
This best-of-five match format includes two singles matches on the first day, followed by a doubles match and possibly two more singles on the second day. The first team to secure three victories will advance to the exhilarating Davis Cup Final 8 scheduled for November 18-23 in Bologna, Italy.
