United States defeat Kazakhstan in the singles at the Davis Cup in Glasgow and strengthen their bid to reach the Final 8

Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul helped the United States see off Kazakhstan and top Group D in the singles at the Davis Cup in Glasgow on Thursday. Fritz edged out Alexander Bublik in three sets, while Paul made light work of Mikhail Kukushkin with a straight-sets victory. However, Bublik returned with partner Aleksandr Nedovyesov to down Jack Sock and Rajeev Ram in the doubles and reduce the overall score to 2-1.

Ad History has proven Bublik to be a tricky opponent for Fritz, but it was an early break in the deciding set which swung momentum in Fritz's favour as he went on to claim victory in one hour and 36 minutes. Davis CupDjokovic 'so motivated' for Davis Cup but who will win semi-finals?03/12/2021 AT 09:55 Paul needed one hour and 25 minutes to get past Kukushkin in a match that was tighter than the score line suggests, making it consecutive wins for the American who saw off Great Britain's Dan Evans on Wednesday. Back-to-back victories for the USA puts them in a strong position to advance to the knockout phase ahead of their final match with the Netherlands on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Kazakhstan know they have to beat Great Britain on Sunday to stand any chance of progressing. Speaking after the match, Paul was pleased with his individual display in the first set but admitted he had to dig deep in the second: «I felt pretty comfortable, even though the games were close,» Paul said. «The first set I felt like I was in full control.