Davis Cup: US, Spain, Italy and Britain win their opening group matches

VALENCIA, Spain (AP) — Less than two weeks after his shocking second-round exit at the U.S. Open, Carlos Alcaraz was staring at another upset when a set down in his opening group-stage match for Spain in the Davis Cup Finals on Wednesday.

This time, Alcaraz turned things around — though he needed some help from his opponent.

The No. 3-ranked Alcaraz clinched victory for Spain against the Czech Republic in Group B on Wednesday when Tomas Machac retired injured with the score at 6-7 (3), 6-1 in Valencia. It gave Spain an unassailable 2-0 lead, with Roberto Bautista Agut having already defeated Jiri Lehecka 7-6 (1), 6-4, and Alcaraz then partnered with Marcel Granollers-Pujol to win the doubles in three sets and wrap up a 3-0 victory.

They were Alcaraz's first matches since losing in straight sets to Botic van de Zandschulp — who was ranked 74th — at Flushing Meadows.

Spain joined the United States, defending champion Italy and Britain in gaining victories on Wednesday.

Brandon Nakashima beat Alejandro Tabilo 7-6 (5), 2-6, 7-6 (3) after Reilly Opelka defeated Cristian Garin 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (3) to give the Americans a winning 2-0 lead over Chile in Group C in Zhuhai, China.

Those two singles matches lasted in excess of five hours and the U.S. brought in Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram for the doubles, which they won 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3) against Tomas Barrios Vera and Matias Soto to seal a 3-0 sweep.

“It was truly an epic day of tennis for both teams, everyone showed a lot of heart, a lot of guts," U.S. captain and retired doubles great Bob Bryan said. "I don’t think it’s ever happened in Davis Cup that all matches went to the third-set breaker . . . historic day. Just feeling very, very proud of the players.”

The U.S., which has a leading 32 Davis Cup titles but none since 2007, is bidding to reach the quarterfinals for the second time since the Davis Cup Finals were introduced in 2019. In the qualifiers this year, the Americans defeated Ukraine 4-0 on neutral ground in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Italy didn't need top-ranked Jannik Sinner, the newly crowned U.S. Open champion, to begin its title defense with a 2-1 win over Brazil in Group A in Bologna.

Matteo Berrettini beat Joao Fonseca 6-1, 7-6 (5) before Matteo Arnaldi gave Italy an unassailable 2-0 lead by beating Thiago Monteiro 7-5, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (5). Rafael Matos and Marcelo Melo won the doubles for Brazil, beating Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori in three sets.

“It was a great, great feeling. I’ve been missing this kind of feeling for so long for so many reasons," Berrettini said. “The Davis Cup, the tournament in Rome, it felt like almost a first time.”

Britain also established a 2-0 advantage over Finland in Manchester, England, in Group D thanks to wins by Dan Evans and Billy Harris.

Evans beat Eero Vasa 7-6 (3), 6-2 and Harris, the guy who once lived out of a van while playing tennis tournaments around Europe, defeated Otto Virtanen 6-4, 7-6 (4).

“He (Vasa) was playing so freely in the first set and I did well to weather the storm and find a way to win," Evans said. “That’s what you have to do in the Davis Cup.”

It finished 2-1 for Britain after Virtanen teamed with Harri Heliovaara to beat Evans and Neal Skupski 7-6 (4), 7-5 in doubles.

The four groups are playing in four cities this week to qualify for the Final 8 knockout stage to be held in Malaga, Spain, in November. The top two countries in each four-team group will advance.

In opening play on Tuesday, Belgium beat the Netherlands 2-1, Australia defeated France 2-1, Germany — playing without No. 2-ranked Alexander Zverev — beat Slovakia 3-0 and Canada defeated Argentina 2-1.

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Finland's Otto Virtanen and Harri Heliovaara celebrate winning the Davis Cup group stage finals match against Britain's Dan Evans and Neal Skupski in Manchester, England, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (Martin Rickett/PA via AP)

Italy's Andrea Vavassori and Simone Bolelli celebrate during a Davis Cup tennis match against Brazil's Rafael Matos and Marcelo Melo at Unipol Arena in Casalecchio di Reno, near Bologna, Italy, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (Massimo Paolonei/LaPresse via AP)

Matteo Arnaldi, of Italy, celebrates winning a Davis Cup tennis match against Thiago Monteiro, of Brazil, at Unipol Arena in Casalecchio di Reno, near Bologna, Italy, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (Michele Nucci/LaPresse via AP)

Great Britain's Dan Evans and Neal Skupski celebrate a point during the Davis Cup group stage finals match against Finland's Harri Heliovaara and Otto Virtanen at the AO Arena, in Manchester, England, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (Martin Rickett/PA via AP)

Britain's Daniel Evans celebrates victory over Finland's Eero Vasa during the Davis Cup group stage finals match at the AO Arena, in Manchester, England, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (Martin Rickett/PA via AP)

Matteo Berrettini, of Italy, celebrates defeating Joao Fonseca, of Brazil, in a Davis Cup tennis match at Unipol Arena in Casalecchio di Reno, near Bologna, Italy, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (Michele Nucci/LaPresse via AP)

Britain's Billy Harris returns the ball to Finland's Otto Virtanen during the Davis Cup group stage finals match at the AO Arena, in Manchester, England, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (Martin Rickett/PA via AP)

Netherlands' Botic Van De Zandschulp plays Belgium's Raphael Collignon during their Davis Cup tennis match at the Unipol Arena in Casalecchio di Reno, near Bologna, Italy, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (Michele Nucci/LaPresse via AP)

United States takes winning 2-0 lead over Chile at Davis Cup in China

Canada's Felix Auger Aliassime returns the ball to Argentina's Sebastian Baez during the Davis Cup group stage finals match in Manchester, England, Tuesday Sept. 10, 2024. (Martin Rickett/PA via AP)

United States takes winning 2-0 lead over Chile at Davis Cup in China

DEER PARK, Texas (AP) — A towering flame gradually subsided Tuesday morning in the aftermath of a massive pipeline explosion after a vehicle drove through a fence and struck an above-ground valve, officials said.

Deer Park officials said police and local FBI agents initiated investigations and found no preliminary reports that would suggest a coordinated or “terrorist” attack and that “this appears to be an isolated incident.”

The investigation included efforts to learn more about the driver of a vehicle that was incinerated by the pipeline explosion as flames scorched the ground across a wide radius, severed adjacent power transmission lines and ignited homes at a distance. Police did not provide any information about the person's condition.

An evacuation area included nearly 1,000 homes and initial shelter orders included schools.

Operators shut off the flow of natural gas liquids in the pipeline, but so much remained in the miles of tubing that firefighters could do nothing but watch and hose down adjacent homes.

Deer Park Mayor Jerry Mouton Jr. described intense heat from a fire that endured for more than 12 hours as ladder trucks showered houses from above.

"A lot of the house structures that are adjacent to that are still catching on fire even though we’re putting a lot of water on them,” Mouton said at an afternoon news conference. A spewing flame still lit up the sky at sunset Monday.

Firefighters initially were dispatched at 9:55 a.m., after an explosion at a valve station in Deer Park, adjacent to La Porte, rattled homes and businesses, including a Walmart. Deer Park officials said an SUV drove into the valve after going through a fence on the side of the Walmart parking lot.

At the news conference, officials said only one person, a firefighter, sustained a minor injury. Later, Deer Park spokesperson Kaitlyn Bluejacket said four people were injured. She didn’t provide details about the severity of the injuries.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said in a statement that 20 miles (32 kilometers) of pipeline between the two closed valves had to burn off before the fire would stop.

Anna Lewis, who was walking into the nearby Walmart when the explosion happened, said it sounded “like a bomb went off.” She said everyone inside was rushed to the back of the store and then taken across the street to a grocery store before being bussed to a community center.

“It scared me,” she said. “You really don’t know what to do when it’s happening.”

Geselle Melina Guerra said she and her boyfriend heard the explosion as they were having breakfast in their mobile home.

“All of a sudden we hear this loud bang and then I see something bright, like orange, coming from our back door that’s outside,” said Guerra, who lives within the evacuation area.

Guerra’s boyfriend, Jairo Sanchez, said they’re used to evacuations because they live close to other plants near the highway, but he hadn’t seen an explosion before in his 10 years living there.

“We just drove as far as we could because we didn’t know what was happening,” Sanchez said.

Houston, Texas’ largest city, is the nation’s petrochemical heartland and is home to a cluster of refineries and plants and thousands of miles of pipelines. Explosions and fires are a familiar sight in the area, including some that have been deadly, raising recurring questions about the adequacy of industry efforts to protect the public and the environment.

Letting the fire burn out is better, from an environmental perspective, than trying to attack the flames with some kind of suppressing foam or liquid, said Ramanan Krishnamoorti, a petroleum engineering professor at the University of Houston.

“Otherwise it’s going to release a lot of volatile organics into the environment,” he said.

Still, there will undoubtedly be negative environmental consequences, including a release of soot, carbons and organic material, he said.

The pipeline’s owner, Dallas-based Energy Transfer, said air monitoring equipment was being set up near the plume of fire and smoke, which could be seen from at least 10 miles (16 kilometers) away at one point.

A statement from Harris County Pollution Control on Monday afternoon said no volatile organic compounds had been detected. The statement said particulate matter from the smoke was moderate and not an immediate risk to healthy people, although “sensitive populations may want to take precautions.” The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality said it was also monitoring the air.

Natural gas liquids are used primarily in the manufacturing of plastics and basic and intermediate chemicals, Krishnamoorti said.

The fire burned through nearby power lines, and the website PowerOutage.us said several thousand customers were without power at one point in Harris County.

Krishnamoorti said the area’s extensive pipeline infrastructure will have to be closely inspected for damage beyond the explosion site, though the fire “won’t be a major disrupter of supply chains.”

The Railroad Commission of Texas, which regulates oil and gas in the state, said its safety inspectors were investigating.

Margaret Newman, who lives on the edge of the evacuation zone, said that when she heard the explosion she went out into her yard and could see the flame shooting above the trees. She lost electricity but has a generator to keep her home cool and planned to stay put.

This story has been updated to correct that the pipeline carries natural gas liquids, not liquified natural gas.

AP writers Christopher L. Keller in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Valerie Gonzalez in McAllen, Texas, Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City and Jamie Stengle in Dallas contributed to this report.

Residents watch the pipeline fire burning in La Porte, Texas, from South Meadow Drive and East Meadow Drive Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in Deer Park, Texas. (Yi-Chin Lee/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Firefighters respond to a pipeline fire Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in Deer Park, Texas. (Yi-Chin Lee/Houston Chronicle via AP)

A Clear Lake man watches the pipeline fire burning in La Porte, Texas, as he gives a ride to his friend who is a resident on E. Meadow Drive, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in Deer Park, Texas. (Yi-Chin Lee/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Meadow Way Drive residents Maddy Graham, right, and Ashley Cordova are self evacuating with cat, Mitzi, as the pipeline fire burns in the background Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in Deer Park, Texas. (Yi-Chin Lee/Houston Chronicle via AP)

A massive pipeline fire burns near Spencer Highway and Summerton on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in La Porte, Texas. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Police block off a highway as a large fire from a pipeline explosion burns near La Porte, Texas, on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Lekan Oyekanmi)

A pipeline with a giant plume of fire burns Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in La Porte, Texas. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)

A pipeline carrying natural gas liquids burns in a massive fire near La Porte, Texas, on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Lekan Oyekanmi)

A pipeline carrying natural gas liquids burns near La Porte, Texas, on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Lekan Oyekanmi)

A pipeline carrying liquified natural gas burns near Spencer Highway and Summerton on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in La Porte, Texas. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Firefighters protect a neighborhood from a fire in a pipeline carrying liquified natural gas burns near Spencer Highway and Summerton on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in La Porte, Texas. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)

A pipeline carrying liquified natural gas burns near Spencer Highway and Summerton on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in La Porte, Texas. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)

A firefighter directs a line of water around a fire on a pipeline carrying liquified natural gas near Spencer Highway and Summerton on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in La Porte, Texas. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)

A pipeline carrying liquified natural gas burns near Spencer Highway and Summerton on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in La Porte, Texas. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)

A pipeline carrying liquified natural gas burns near Spencer Highway and Summerton on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in La Porte, Texas. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)

A firefighter directs a line of water around a fire on a pipeline carrying liquified natural gas near Spencer Highway and Summerton on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in La Porte, Texas. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Firefighters take a break from battling a fire at a pipeline carrying liquified natural gas near Spencer Highway and Summerton on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in La Porte, Texas. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Firefighters battle a blaze from a pipeline carrying liquified natural gas that burns near Spencer Highway and Summerton on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in La Porte, Texas. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)

A firefighter directs a line of water around a fire on a pipeline carrying liquified natural gas near Spencer Highway and Summerton on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in La Porte, Texas. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)

A firefighter directs a line of water around a fire on a pipeline carrying liquified natural gas near Spencer Highway and Summerton on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in La Porte, Texas. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)

A firefighter directs a line of water around a fire on a pipeline carrying liquified natural gas near Spencer Highway and Summerton on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in La Porte, Texas. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)

A pipeline with a giant plume of fire burns Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in La Porte, Texas. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)

A pipeline carrying liquified natural gas burns near Spencer Highway and Summerton on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in La Porte, Texas. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)

A pipeline fire in La Porte, Texas, sparks grass fires and burns power poles on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, forcing people in the surrounding neighborhood to evacuate. (KTRK via AP)

Firefighters work on the scene of a pipeline fire in La Porte, Texas, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (KTRK via AP)

A burned vehicle sits near a pipeline fire in La Porte, Texas, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (KTRK via AP)

A pipeline fire in La Porte, Texas, sparks grass fires and burns power poles on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, forcing people in the surrounding neighborhood to evacuate. (KTRK via AP)