The red clay of Marbella baked under an October sky, its surface a gritty canvas for Spain's desperate stand against Denmark. Absent their top player, the hosts absorbed early blows, the crowd's tension coiling like a spring as the scoreline tilted to 2-0. Yet in this pressure cooker of national pride, resolve ignited, transforming potential rout into a pulse-racing reversal that echoed through the stands.
Absence fuels Spanish defiance
Without top-ranked
Carlos Alcaraz, Spain's lineup leaned on depth and grit, the void sharpening their focus amid a season's worth of scars. The opening rubbers fell, but
Jaume Munar and Pedro Martinez refused surrender in doubles, dropping a lopsided first set 1-6 to
August Holmgren and
Johannes Ingildsen before rallying with crosscourt lobs and net charges to take the next frames 6-3, 6-2. Their one–two rhythm—deep returns pulling opponents wide, followed by angled volleys—exploited the clay's drag, turning the match into a testament of adaptation as the home roar swelled, pulling the tie back to 2-1.
Martinez carried that fire into the reverse singles, staring down
Holger Rune in a clash that tested every nerve. The Dane surged to a 6-1 opener with blistering inside-in forehands, but Martinez countered in the second set 6-4, weaving underspin slices to disrupt rhythm and force errors. Facing match point at 6-5 in the decider, he fired a down-the-line backhand to force a tiebreak, then sealed 7-6 (3) with unyielding serves, his save a spark that reignited Spanish hopes after a year of individual battles.
The pressure was immense, but we found our footing by varying the pace and keeping them moving.
clinched the historic 3-2 victory, dismantling Elmer Møller 6-2, 6-3 with a blend of slice backhands and inside-out winners that pinned the Dane deep. For the first time, Spain overturned a 2-0 deficit, their tactical poise on this slower surface a balm for weary souls, propelling them toward Bologna's Final 8 where deeper runs await.
United States stumbles on home soil
Across the Atlantic, Delray Beach's hard courts offered no mercy to the United States, where the tie hung level at 1-1 entering the second day.
Rajeev Ram and
Austin Krajicek delivered a lifeline in doubles, outlasting
Tomas Machac and
Jakub Mensik 7-6 (6), 5-7, 6-4 through pinpoint serves and aggressive poaching that turned rallies into quick points on the bouncy surface. The American pair's adjustments—shortening angles to counter the Czechs' power—kept the crowd buzzing, injecting momentum into a team strained by the season's toll.
Jiri Lehecka then evened matters at 2-2, toppling fifth-ranked
Taylor Fritz 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 with masterful counters that neutralized the American's booming serves. Lehecka varied pace, dipping underspin to pull Fritz forward before unleashing crosscourt lasers that exploited any hesitation, his mid-match shift amplifying the frustration of a player who'd carried heavy expectations. The decider's tension mirrored the tie's stakes, Fritz's unforced errors a sign of mental fatigue after months of grinding tours.
Jakub Mensik sealed Czechia's 3-2 triumph, overwhelming
Frances Tiafoe 6-1, 6-4 with flat groundstrokes and aces that raced off the hard court. Tiafoe's retrievals faltered under the onslaught, the young Czech's aggression exposing vulnerabilities honed over a rollercoaster year. The U.S. exit extended their drought, the silent stands a stark reminder of how team glory eludes even the mightiest, leaving Fritz and company to regroup for individual pursuits.
Australia's rally meets Belgian steel
Australia mirrored Spain's early peril, trailing 2-0 against Belgium before Alex de Minaur sparked life with a 6-2, 7-5 dissection of
Zizou Bergs, his lightning retrieves turning defense into down-the-line daggers on the hard courts. The eighth-ranked speedster's win forced a decider, his energy a counter to the previous day's upset loss. Yet the momentum built on
Rinky Hijikata and
Jordan Thompson's doubles grind, a 6-7 (7), 6-3, 6-4 escape against
Sander Gille and
Joran Vliegen, where their one–two lobs and overheads wore down the Belgians amid rising exhaustion.
World No. 91
Raphael Collignon dashed those hopes, backing his prior de Minaur upset by outdueling
Aleksandar Vukic 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-3. The Belgian absorbed flat shots with high topspin, then countered inside-out to stretch the court, his tactical depth flipping the script on a faster surface that favored Australia's pace. Vukic's power waned in the later sets, Collignon's resolve embodying underdog fire that shattered the Aussies' comeback bid.
Belgium's 3-2 victory eliminated the favorites, a poignant end to a season of near-misses that tested mental limits. Elsewhere, Argentina vanquished the Netherlands, Austria topped Hungary, and France bested both Croatia and Japan, joining Germany and host Italy—two-time defending champions—in Bologna. These qualifiers, forged in tactical fires and emotional crucibles, promise November clashes where comebacks like Spain's could redefine legacies under the arena lights.
