Kokkinakis Triumphs Over Shelton as Australia Takes 1-0 Lead Against USA in Davis Cup

MALAGA, Spain (AP) — Thanasi Kokkinakis emerged from a tight-as-can-be tiebreaker by saving four match points and eventually converting his seventh to get past Ben Shelton 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (14) and give Australia a 1-0 lead over the United States in the Davis Cup quarterfinals on Thursday. On an indoor hard court at the Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martina Carpena in southern Spain, the 77th-ranked Kokkinakis withstood 21 aces from Shelton, a big-serving left-hander who is ranked 21st and reached the U.S. Open semifinals in 2023. The second singles was scheduled to be U.S. Open runner-up Taylor Fritz of the U.S. against No. 9 Alex de Minaur of Australia. If Fritz were to win that one, the matchup would be decided by doubles, with Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram of the U.S. taking on Matthew Ebden and Jordan Thompson of Australia. When the opening match finally ended, on a backhand by Shelton that landed long, Kokkinakis dropped onto his back and pounded his chest. After he rose, he threw a ball into the stands, then walked over to Australia’s sideline, spiked his racket and yelled, before hugging captain Lleyton Hewitt.