FRANCE LEADS CANADA 2-0 AFTER FIRST DAY OF DAVIS CUP BY BNP PARIBAS WORLD GROUP ACTION
Tennis Canada – Dancevic and Pospisil drop opening singles rubbers to Monfils and Simon; France just one point away from clinching tie
Guadeloupe, March 4, 2016 – The Canadian Davis Cup team is down 2-0 to France following the first day of play in their Davis Cup by BNP Paribas World Group first-round tie at Vélodrome Amédée Detraux in Guadeloupe on Friday. Davis Cup veteran Frank Dancevic (Niagara Falls, Ontario) was defeated in the opening match by Gael Monfils 6-3, 6-1, 6-3 and Vasek Pospisil (Vancouver) was then unable to even the score, falling in the second rubber to Gilles Simon 7-5, 6-3, 6-3.
Dancevic, ranked No. 245, put up a good fight but was outmatched from the start by world No. 17 Monfils. He got broken twice in the first set, despite the valiant effort, and Monfils won seven straight games and eight of nine to take the first and second set in 56 minutes. Dancevic, who is playing in his 23rd tie for Canada and his 33rd singles match, has produced Davis Cup magic in the past. However, he just wasn’t able to match the level of his favoured French opponent today.
It was up to No. 44 Pospisil to even the tie for Canada and he came out firing on all cylinders. He jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead as Simon couldn’t get his game together and looked very out of sorts. However, the world No. 19 player settled down and it was then Pospisil who lost his rhythm. Simon stormed back to take a 6-5 lead and then saved three break points to take his seventh straight game and the first set from a stunned Pospisil. The Canadian struggled physically for the rest of the match but kept fighting, both the conditions and his opponent. Simon continued to roll though, breaking Pospisil in the first and last games of the second set and, finally, at 3-all in the third set to give his team the win and put Canada in a stranglehold.
Canada is now in a must-win situation for Saturday’s doubles match as France needs just one more victory in the three remaining matches to clinch the tie. The winner of this tie will move on to the quarter-finals to face either Germany or the Czech Republic in July. The losing nation will be forced to play a World Group playoff in September to keep their spot in the upper echelon of the competition.
Davis Cup by BNP Paribas is the largest annual international team competition in sport. A total of 135 nations are participating in 2016 and only the top 16 countries each year qualify for the World Group and play for the prestigious Davis Cup trophy.
“I didn’t really feel nervous out there but I gave him an early break which really loosened him up and shifted the momentum. He just really outplayed me today. My game plan going in was all or nothing because his game style is to rally a lot of balls and I’m not going to beat him by doing that. So I needed to really go for it and take chances, but from the first point it was really tough. Shots that would normally have been winners he would get back. He was getting to everything out there. He was just better than me today.”
- Frank Dancevic commenting on his match
“I felt a little nervous going into the match but I usually respond well under pressure, whether it’s during a Davis Cup tie or at Roland-Garros. I knew he was trying to keep the points short so on my side I kept things simple. I moved well and my balls were heavy. The crowd also helped me and gave me the energy I needed.”
- Gael Monfils commenting on his match
“I don’t feel like he was the better player today and I feel like I was playing well. It was just the way I was feeling physically that made the difference. The conditions were tough and I felt really depleted. It becomes tough to stay sharp and make decisions quickly. But overall, it is very hard to look at the match and say that tactically I could have done anything differently. He was just more fit for these conditions.”
- Vasek Pospisil on his performance on Friday
“Today is over with and we are down 2-0 which is a very big hole against this French team, away and on clay. But we believe we have a good chance to win the doubles tomorrow and often the last point is the hardest to clinch for the other team. Vasek is our leader here. He loves to play tennis and be on the court. He is a warrior and a fighter so we are going to see how he recovers tonight and make a decision tomorrow.”
- Martin Laurendeau commenting on the results of day one and the possibility of Pospisil playing doubles
- Yannick Noah commenting on the results of day one
Play will resume on Saturday at 2 p.m. AST with the doubles match scheduled to pit Pospisil and Philip Bester against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Richard Gasquet. The team captains have until one hour before the match to change their nominations.
This will be the first meeting between these two teams. This will also be the first time Pospisil and Bester have teamed up for Davis Cup doubles.
Bester will be making his Davis Cup return, having not played on the team since capturing a deciding fifth set rubber versus Ecuador in the Americas Zone Group I semifinal in 2011.
| BESTER | POSPISIL | GASQUET | TSONGA | |
| Doubles Ranking | No. 160 | No. 16 | No. 602 | No. 254 |
| Davis Cup doubles record | 0-0 |
6-3 |
2-2 |
5-1 |
Davis Cup by BNP Paribas – First Round
Canada vs. France
March 4-6, 2016
Vélodrome Amédée Detraux
Guadeloupe, France
France Leads 2-0
| Date | Event | Match/Result |
| Friday March 4 | First Singles Rubber | Monfils d. Dancevic 6-3, 6-1, 6-3 |
| Friday March 4 | Second Singles Rubber | Simon d. Pospisil 7-5, 6-3, 6-3 |
| Saturday March 5 | Doubles Rubber | Bester/Pospisil vs. Gasquet/Tsonga |
| Sunday March 6 | Third Singles Rubber | Pospisil vs. Monfils |
| Sunday March 6 | Fourth Singles Rubber | Dancevic vs. Simon |
About Davis Cup
Davis Cup by BNP Paribas is the World Cup of Tennis. It is the largest annual international team competition in sport, with 135 teams entered in 2016. The competition is 116 years old having been founded in 1900. The title sponsor is BNP Paribas, the Official Bank of Davis Cup. International sponsors are Rolex (Official Timekeeper), Adecco (Official HR Sponsor) and Betway (Official Betting Sponsor). beIN SPORTS is the Official Global Media Rights Partner. Follow all the action on www.daviscup.com, www.copadavis.com, www.twitter.com/daviscup, www.facebook.com/DavisCupTennis, www.Weibo.com/daviscupofficial and www.DavisCup.tv.
About Tennis Canada
Founded in 1890, Tennis Canada is a non-profit, national sport association with a mission to lead the growth of tennis in Canada and a vision to become a world-leading tennis nation. We value teamwork, passion, integrity, innovation and excellence. Tennis Canada owns and operates the premier Rogers Cup presented by National Bank WTA and ATP World Tour events, eight professional ITF-sanctioned events and financially supports 15 other professional tournaments in Canada. Tennis Canada operates national junior training centres/programs in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Tennis Canada is a proud member of the International Tennis Federation, the Canadian Olympic Committee, the Canadian Paralympic Committee and the International Wheelchair Tennis Association, and serves to administer, sponsor and select the teams for Davis Cup, Fed Cup, the Olympic and Paralympic Games and all wheelchair, junior and senior 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 Facebook and Twitter.
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