U.S. men open 2024 World Team Cup with sweep of Morocco

The U.S. men had a dominant start to their week at the 2024 BNP Paribas World Team Cup, as Casey Ratzlaff and Conner Stroud teamed up to earn the Americans a 3-0 win against Morocco in round-robin play on the opening day of wheelchair tennis' flagship international team event at the Megasaray Tennis Academy in Antalya, Turkey.

Though Ratzlaff and Stroud, ranked in the world's Top 20 and Top 40, respectively, didn't lose a set, they were pushed by a Moroccan team that fielded the world No. 82, Fouad Boughnim, and No. 63, Said Himam.

Stroud, ranked No. 33, started the tie with a 7-6(2), 7-5 win over Boughnim, before Ratzlaff, the top-ranked American man at No. 14, clinched the tie by beating Himam, 6-2, 6-4. The pair put a bow on the sweep with a 6-3, 7-6(2) win in doubles.

The U.S. men are one of 16 teams competing in their draw in Antalya, and hope to better a seventh-place finish from a year ago after being drawn in a round-robin group that also features 2023 semifinalists Spain and Germany. Recent history suggests they could: Two years ago, Stroud and Ratzlaff, as well as Jason Keatseangsilp, helped the Americans finish in fourth place, which was the highest finish by the U.S. men since placing third in 2004.

Two of the three teams that the U.S. sent to Turkey competed on the first day. The quad team, last year's bronze medalists, started its week with a 2-1 setback against host Turkey in Group B. World No. 30 Hunter Groce, competing in his first World Team Cup since 2016, got the nine-time World Team Cup champions off to a winning start with an upset by ranking, winning 6-2, 7-6(5) over ex-Top 10 player Ugur Altinel, now ranked No. 16. But the tie was sent to doubles after 22-year-old Ahmet Kaplan, ranked No. 11, upset David Wagner, now 50 years old, 6-3, 6-3, to start the legendary champion's 22nd World Team Cup appearance.