[MONTREAL, QC] September 15, 2024 – On Sunday, Team Canada secured its place in the Davis Cup Final 8 after defeating Great Britain 2-1 in its third and final tie of the Davis Cup Group Stage in Manchester, UK. With victories over Argentina, Finland and now the Brits, the Canadian team finished first in Group D and will take part in the final phase of the competition to be held in Malaga, Spain, from November 19 to 24, 2024.
Heading into today’s tie, Team Canada needed to win just one match to qualify for the Final 8, and they certainly wasted no time with a dominant 6-0, 7-5 win by Denis Shapovalov over Dan Evans right out of the gate, in front of a sold-out crowd of 15,700. Shapovalov, who was yet to drop a set this week in singles, played a near-perfect opening set, winning 100 per cent of his first-serve points, limiting his unforced errors to just five, and didn’t face a single break point. He kept this momentum going into the second set, where he eventually won the match in the 12th game after an Evans volley sailed long.
“Yeah, I’m definitely very happy to get the win. Obviously, Daniel [Evans] is an extremely tough player, he’s a tricky opponent, he fights so well. You saw that in the second set, he was clawing his way back,” said Shapovalov during his on-court interview. “But I don’t think I’ve ever played a cleaner first set in my life, so I’m definitely happy with the level I was able to bring, and I’m super happy to be able to get this win.”
In the day’s second match, Félix Auger-Aliassime, ranked 21st in the world, faced the man who is one spot ahead of him in the world rankings, Jack Draper. The Canadian had lost his previous two bouts with Draper, but got his revenge today, defeating the Brit in a thrilling 7-6(8), 7-5 match. In the tightly contested first set, Draper showed his tenacity, saving five set points in the tie-break before AugerAliassime converted on his sixth opportunity. The two players exchanged breaks early in the second set, only for Auger-Aliassime to break Draper again in the 11th game. The match was sealed in the 12th with an Auger-Aliassime ace – his eighth of the contest.
“Obviously, you’re a bit more relaxed, you know, not as much tension,” Auger-Aliassime said when asked post match about his mindset knowing Canada had already qualified for the Final 8. “The ultimate goal of this week is done, but you still try to play a good match and win. I still felt tense in that first set tiebreak, I’m not going to lie, but for sure it was great that Denis [Shapovalov] got that win before me.”
With Canada having already claimed the tie, team captain Frank Dancevic sent out Gabriel Diallo and Alexis Galarneau as his doubles pairing to take on Henry Patten and Neal Skupski. The Quebecers were playing their first matches of the week, which also happened to be Diallo’s first Davis Cup doubles appearance. Despite a valiant effort, the young Canadians lost 7-6(4), 6-4.
Canada will now await the draw, scheduled for Thursday September 19, to find out its quarter-final opponents. Joining the Canadians in Malaga are Argentina, Australia, Germany, Italy, Spain, USA, and one of Brazil or the Netherlands.
For more information on the Davis Cup Finals, click here.
About Tennis Canada
Founded in 1890, Tennis Canada is a non-profit, national sport association with a mission to lead the growth, development and promotion of tennis in Canada and a vision to be a world-leading tennis nation. We value teamwork, passion, integrity, innovation and excellence. Tennis Canada owns and operates the premier National Bank Open presented by Rogers WTA and ATP Tour events, it financially supports 15 other professional tournaments in Canada, as well as operating more than 60 events nationally across junior, wheelchair, university and Masters tennis categories. Tennis Canada is a proud member of the International Tennis Federation, the Canadian Olympic Committee and the Canadian Paralympic Committee, and serves to administer, sponsor and select the teams for Davis Cup, Billie Jean King Cup, the Olympic and Paralympic Games and all wheelchair, junior and masters tennis national teams. Tennis Canada invests its surplus into tennis development. For more information on Tennis Canada please visit our website at: www.tenniscanada.com and follow us on LinkedIn, X, Facebook and Instagram.
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