Elite Czech duo dominates: Macháč and Lehečka secure a two-point lead for their team

After the opening singles matches in the Davis Cup qualifiers, the Czech tennis team holds a commanding 2-0 lead over South Korea.

Jiří Lehečka secured a solid 6-3, 6-3 victory over Gerard Campana Lee on the hard courts of Ostrava-Poruba, followed by Tomáš Macháč’s dominant 6-2, 6-2 win against South Korea’s top-ranked player, Kwon Sun-woo. Under the leadership of debuting captain Tomáš Berdych, the Czech team is now just one win away from advancing.

The tie could be decided on Saturday, starting with the doubles match at noon, where Jakub Menšík and Adam Pavlásek will take on Nam Ji-sung and Jeong Jong-seong. If needed, Lehečka is set to face Kwon Sun-woo, followed by Macháč against Campana Lee, though the lineup remains subject to change.

The winner of this tie will face either the USA or Taiwan in September, with the Americans currently leading 2-0 after the first day. The losing team will enter the playoff round.

For the Czech team, this marks a return to playing in front of their home fans after a year, having last hosted a Davis Cup tie in Vendryně, where they defeated Israel in qualification. Ahead of the first singles match, a minute of silence was observed in the packed RT Torax Arena in memory of coach Jiří Fencl, who passed away last week at the age of 54.

World No. 24 and Brisbane champion Lehečka lived up to expectations, wrapping up his match in 1 hour and 29 minutes. He broke his opponent’s serve three times while saving all three break points he faced.

Lehečka quickly established control, fending off an early break point in the opening game before breaking Campana Lee to take a 3-0 lead. The 20-year-old Korean improved as the set progressed, but Lehečka remained steady on serve and closed out the opener in 47 minutes. In the second set, he broke early once again. Campana Lee took a medical timeout for a right arm injury at 1-2 but was unable to shift the momentum. Despite leading 40-15 on Lehečka’s serve after the break, the Czech saved both break points and closed out the match convincingly.

“I’m pleased with my performance today. It wasn’t as easy as it might have looked—playing against an unfamiliar opponent is always challenging. But I handled it well, and the longer the match went on, the better I felt on court. Most importantly, I brought the first point to the team,” Lehečka said at the press conference.

Following the match, the Czech team paid tribute to former captain Jaroslav Navrátil, who stepped down last year after 18 years in charge following a disappointing Davis Cup group-stage campaign.

Macháč then sealed his win over Kwon Sun-woo in just 63 minutes. The Korean, temporarily released from mandatory military service to compete in the Davis Cup, suffered his third loss in five encounters against Macháč. The Czech converted all five of his break points and fired 10 aces to complete a commanding performance.