By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports
Shreveport native Christian Harrison and his doubles teammate, Austin Krajieck, did their part Saturday for the United States in Davis Cup tennis competition against the Czech Republic in Prague.
They saved four match points and won 10-8 in an incredible third-set tiebreaker to give the U.S. a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five match, but the Czech team won the final two singles pairings and eliminated the Americans in the second round, short of the eight-team final round.
Harrison, who teamed with Neal Skupski a week earlier to win the U.S. Open men’s doubles for his second Grand Slam crown, was a steady hand for the Americans in the weekend competition.
He and Krajieck teamed for a 5-7, 6-3, 7-6(8) victory that lasted nearly three hours.
Afterward, the 32-year-old said the triumph was extraordinary for several reasons.
“It’s different playing Davis Cup. It’s one of the most special wins, for sure … the way the match happened and also just the stadium, being in such a special place, one of my favorite cities,” he said. “Then the (four) match points down (in the decisive tiebreaker), you’re just trying to keep it simple and see what happens and compete, and that’s what we did.”
U.S. Open singles finalist Ben Shelton was upset in three sets to settle the match outcome.
Harrison was on a high after capturing the U.S. Open doubles title.
It was his second Grand Slam win of the year, which began with a victory in the Australian Open, nine years after watching his brother Ryan, who retired in 2025, hoist the Roland Garros 2017 French Open doubles crown.
The Harrisons are considered Louisiana tennis royalty. Each of the five siblings, nurtured by their iconic patriarch Jimmy Harrison, achieved top junior status, some with national rankings, and all played on the collegiate level. They all became coaches, and have made major impact at the recreational, high school, college and even professional levels.
One, Pat Harrison, is the father to Ryan and Christian. A former conference champion in singles and doubles at Oklahoma State, Pat Harrison is the former pro at the Pierremont Oaks Tennis Club and Shreveport Country Club.
Christian calls Bradenton, Fla., home when he is not globetrotting on the courts. Prior to his breakthrough 2026, his career high points came when he reached the men’s doubles semifinals of the 2025 French Open, and the U.S. Open mixed doubles semis in 2018 and 2025.
He made his Davis Cup debut in February as the U.S. won at Hungary in a first-round match.
He is the top-ranked American man in doubles at No. 4 in world rankings.
Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com