Shelton going straight from US Open final to Davis and Laver Cup

By the Editorial Team · Wednesday, September 16, 2026

Ben Shelton has been named to the U.S. Davis Cup team to compete against the Czech Republic this weekend in Prague, followed by participation in the Laver Cup in London next weekend. This tight schedule comes after Shelton reached his first Grand Slam final and achieved a career-high No. 4 ranking, highlighting his rising prominence in men's tennis.

Ben Shelton is set to maintain a demanding schedule following his appearance in the US Open final last weekend. On Monday, Shelton was officially named to the United States Davis Cup team that will face the Czech Republic in Prague this Friday and Saturday. Immediately after, he is slated to join Team World for the Laver Cup in London the following weekend.

Shelton, who reached his first Grand Slam final before falling to Alexander Zverev on Sunday, rose to a career-high ranking of No. 4 as of Monday. His upcoming Davis Cup match will mark his second appearance for the US team and first since the 2024 Davis Cup Finals.

The US squad for the second round of qualifying also includes newcomers Learner Tien and Martin Damm, alongside Christian Harrison and Austin Krajicek. Both Tien and Damm received their first Davis Cup call-ups, with Tien reaching the fourth round of the US Open and Damm pushing eventual semi-finalist Frances Tiafoe to five sets in the tournament’s opening round. Notably, Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul withdrew from the team.

The US will take on the Czech Republic in a best-of-five tie on indoor hard courts at the O2 Arena. The Czech roster features Jakub Mensik, Jiri Lehecka, Tomas Machac, and Vit Kopriva. The winner will advance to the Davis Cup Finals scheduled for November in Bologna, Italy.

Other qualifying confrontations this weekend include Germany hosting Croatia in Halle, Chile versus Spain, Britain against Ecuador, Austria facing Belgium, South Korea taking on India, and Canada playing France. Alexander Zverev, who defeated Shelton in the US Open final, is part of both the German Davis Cup team and Team Europe at the Laver Cup.

A total of 52 nations will compete across different tiers of the Davis Cup over the weekend. Among the prominent players participating are Alex de Minaur of Australia, Stefanos Tsitsipas representing Greece, and Casper Ruud for Norway.

Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka, a 2014 Davis Cup champion, will make his final appearance for his country in a World Group I tie against Brazil. Wawrinka has announced plans to retire from professional tennis by the end of this year.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.