Serena Williams' ex-coach baffled with Team USA's controversial Ben Shelton-Tommy Paul decision in Davis Cup Finals loss

Following the USA's controversial decision to snub top doubles players in its loss to Australia in the Davis Cup Finals quarterfinals, Serena Williams' ex-coach Rennae Stubbs was left baffled and emphasized that Grand Slam-winning doubles specialists usually outperform singles players with little team experience.

On Thursday, November 21, two of the most decorated nations in Davis Cup history, the USA and Australia, went head-to-head for a place in the semifinals.

In the first singles match, World No. 21 Ben Shelton faced Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis. Despite a poor start and errors throughout, Shelton managed to force a deciding set after an early break in the second.

The third set culminated in a dramatic tiebreaker, with multiple match points for both players, but Kokkinakis ultimately triumphed 6-1, 4-6, 7-6(14) in two hours and 17 minutes.

Notably, both captains made surprising lineup choices, as Bob Bryan left out Tommy Paul, and Lleyton Hewitt excluded Alexei Popyrin. Hewitt’s gamble paid off.

In the second singles match, an in-form Taylor Fritz defeated Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-4 in just 69 minutes, tying the tie at 1-1.

The semifinal spot then came down to the doubles match, where Australia fielded its Olympic gold medal-winning player Matthew Ebden and doubles specialist Jordan Thompson.

Surprisingly, the USA opted for singles players Shelton and Paul instead of its accomplished doubles pair, Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram, both former World No. 1s and Olympic silver medalists.

The Aussies comfortably secured a 6-4, 6-4 victory, sparking criticism of Bob Bryan’s decision-making. Former doubles World No. 1 Rennae Stubbs weighed in, pointing out that doubles specialists with major titles often outperform even top singles players.

"Doubles specialists that are major champions, more than not, will beat great singles players that haven't played together before," Stubbs wrote on X.

---

Serena Williams' ex-coach speculates reason for USA's controversial decision in Davis Cup loss

Serena Williams and her ex-coach Rennae Stubbs (Image: Getty)

One fan on X commented under Rennae Stubbs' post, baffled about the decision. Stubbs, who has coached the likes of Serena Williams and Eugenie Bouchard, speculated the reason behind the controversial decision.

"There has to be a reason. Whether it was the fact that the doubles guys were not in form? I don't know," she wrote.

Australia, having finished as the runner-up in the past two editions of the Davis Cup, will now take on the winner of Argentina vs. Italy in the semifinals. In the other semifinal, Germany will face the Netherlands.