United States defeats Great Britain in first match of 2022 Davis Cup Finals: Remaining schedule, how to watch, more

After being shut out of another Grand Slam title, the United States started the 2022 Davis Cup Finals off on the right foot, beating Great Britain 2-1 in the first match of the Group D round robin.

United States vs Great Britain Match Results

Tommy Paul, USA defeats Daniel Evans, GBR, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4;
Cameron Norrie, GBR defeats Taylor Fritz, USA, 2-6, 7-6(2), 7-5
Rajeev Ram / Jack Sock, USA defeats Andy Murray / Joe Salisbury, GBR, 5-7, 6-4, 7-5

The United States and Great Britain properly turned back the clock on Wednesday in Glasgow, even as the clock kept moving forward.

On a day that turned into two days, a Davis Cup rivalry spanning 122 years lived up to its history all the way up until Jack Sock and Rajeev Ram clinched a 2-1 victory for the Americans by defeating Andy Murray and Joe Salisbury, 5-7, 6-4, 7-5, minutes before 1 a.m. Thursday in Scotland.

The victory could have been in hand sooner and been more decisive as Taylor Fritz broke Cameron Norrie to tie the third and final set at four apiece. Fritz was serving to go up 5-4 but would lose his service game. While he ultimately broke Norrie right back to even it at 5, he wasn’t able to close out the victory, losing his next two games.

It’s a disappointing result for Fritz, who was also eliminated in the first round of the US Open by American qualifier Brandon Holt.

“I’m super pumped,” said Tommy Paul after his win. “I’d love to stay undefeated. I don’t know if that’s super realistic. Any time I can win for my country, it’s a big deal for me. Hopefully for our fans, too.”

Sock and Ram’s latest doubles triumph and Tommy Paul’s first live Davis Cup victory put the U.S. tied with the Netherlands atop the Group D standings, critical positioning for the Americans’ chances to advance to the ultimate, knockout-quarterfinal round in Malaga, Spain, in November.

“There’s things I love about tennis being an individual sport,” said Paul. “But then also I step back and I look at it as a fan. If I’m a fan of tennis, I’m like I would love to watch my favorite players get on the same team or get on teams against each other and watch that. I think that’s so cool. I’m a big supporter of it.”

The U.S. has to finish in the Top 2 of the four-nation Group D in order to advance to the knockout-quarterfinal round. They have two series’ remaining, with the first one coming against Kazakhstan this Thursday morning and then the final against the Netherlands on Saturday. The Netherlands beat Kazakhstan 2-1 earlier in the Davis Cup Finals.