Czech tennis players beat the USA to reach the Davis Cup final

On Saturday at Prague's O2 arena, the Czech national tennis team beat the United States 3:2 in a Davis Cup tie, securing a spot in the finals, which will take place in Bologna, Italy, in November. The decisive fifth match was won by Jiří Lehečka, who defeated American Learner Tien.

"In a good way, I didn't recognise myself," Czech tennis player Adam Pavlásek admitted after the match. He said he's not usually the type to fire up a crowd, but the atmosphere in the arena swept him up too.

A five-match drama

The tie proved to be a nerve-wracking one: in Saturday's opening doubles, Patrik Rikl and Adam Pavlásek blew four match points and failed to close out the win. Then Jakub Menšík delivered a brilliant performance, winning over the crowd — more than 13,000 spectators chanted his name. After his victory, it was Menšík himself who urged the fans to rally even harder behind Jiří Lehečka, who still had to play the decisive fifth match.

Lehečka held his nerve and sealed the win for the team, converting match point to a deafening roar from the stands. "When I saw the arena packed to the rafters, my heart was pounding. With all due respect to other cities, we wouldn't have felt anything like this anywhere else," the player said after his Friday win.

O2 arena as a symbol of Czech tennis

Team captain Tomáš Berdych admitted he clenched his fists in tension throughout the match and embraced Lehečka after the victory. In the stands, Czech fans waved flags bearing the names of their hometowns — Prostějov, Opařany, Strugarov, Bludov.

Czech tennis legend Jan Kodeš noted that over the years, Czech audiences have "learned to appreciate" the sport, and said the current atmosphere at the O2 arena even surpasses that of the US Open. The comparison wasn't made lightly: the New York tournament had recently come under fire for crowd behaviour, including complaints from tennis player Aryna Sabalenka about the smell of marijuana during matches.

Before the tie began, a small dispute broke out between Berdych and his former teammate from Czech's title-winning squads, Radek Štěpánek, who questioned why the Czechs hadn't chosen a clay court for the match. Lehečka explained that preparing a clay surface at the O2 arena wasn't feasible, and that playing against the US in Ostrava or Jihlava was never on the table.

The American players also praised the atmosphere in the Prague arena. "Honestly, the people here are amazing, the vibe is really friendly," said Grand Slam champion Christian Harrison. His partner Austin Krajicek, a former world No. 1 in doubles, added that the arena was packed, but the fans still supported both teams with respect.

David Haggerty, president of the International Tennis Federation, named Prague as one of the potential candidates to host the Davis Cup finals in the future, noting that the atmosphere in the Czech capital has always been outstanding.

Source: seznamzpravy.cz