The USA found themselves in early trouble after Thansi Kokkinakis defeated Ben Shelton in an unforgettable three-set thriller on Thursday morning. Fortunately, Taylor Fritz won his singles battle against Alex de Minaur to level the scores at 1-1. The stage was set for an iconic doubles clash between Matthew Ebden-Jordan Thompson and Rajeev Ram-Austin Krajicek as the deciding match of the tie. However, the USA team caption Bob Bryan had other plans.
Doubles nomination changes in USA v Australia
Tommy Paul and Ben Shelton replace Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram
No changes for Australia— ITF Media (@ITFMedia) November 21, 2024
Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek are doubles specialists, both of whom have reached the World No.1 rankings. The duo also witnessed immense success during the 2024 Olympics, helping their country add a silver medal to the tally.
But Bryan, a doubles specialist himself, surprisingly didn’t show faith in the Ram-Krajicek pair. Instead, he picked an orthodox combination of Shelton and Paul.
Needless to say, social media users didn’t agree with the team captain’s decision.
Bad call for
— (@ppppyhu) November 21, 2024
Austin Krajicek & Rajeev Ram replaced with Ben Shelton and TOMMY PAUL???? Bob Bryan what is going on in these team meetings??
— dreaming of horses (@thatzebraguy_) November 21, 2024
Kinda a slap in the face for the doubles specialists Krajicek and Ram, don’t ya think?!?
— Tyson Stewart (@Bigfoot10s) November 21, 2024
There is no denying that the Aussies are in prime position to finish victoriously. The doubles World No.3 and the World No.13 pair should get past the Shelton-Paul duo in straight sets. However, not all hope is lost for American fans.
Paul also had a podium finish at the doubles event in the 2024 Summer Games. Sharing the court with Fritz, the duo finished with the bronze medal.
Whereas, Shelton has drastically improved as a doubles player, particularly impressing the tennis world with his performance in the Laver Cup 2024. The youngster paired up with Fritz and Alejandro Tabilo to defeat Carlos Alcaraz-Alexander Zverev and Casper Ruud-Stefanos Tsitsipas, respectively.
At the time of writing this report, Ebden and Thompson were leading 6-4, 2-3. Fans can catch the match LIVE on Tennis Channel and Fubo TV in the United States.
