Staff Canada is heading again to Malaga for the third 12 months in a row after Canada defeated Nice Britain of their remaining tie of the 2024 Davis Cup Finals Group Stage on Sunday courtesy of singles victories from Denis Shapovalov and Félix Auger-Aliassime. Canada will end the group stage 3-0, profitable Group D.
They in the end gained the tie with Britain 2-1, profitable each singles however dropping the doubles.
Coming into the final day of the occasion, Canada wanted only a single match win out of three towards the host Brits to clinch prime spot in Group D and declare their place within the Davis Cup Closing 8. Shapovalov put an finish to the potential drama early, beating Evans in straight units to punch Canada’s ticket and eradicate Nice Britain.
After Finland and the Brits themselves failed to attain wins that may have assured Canada’s spot within the Closing 8 on Friday and Saturday, Shapovalov wasted no time in delivering the knockout blow. Going through each Evans and a sellout crowd of loud British followers on the AO Area, Shapovalov bought out to a fast begin and by no means seemed again, main wire to wire in a 6-0, 7-5 win.
Shapovalov performed a powerful, aggressive sport, profitable 89 per cent of his first serve factors and firing 19 winners, 10 greater than his opponent. He additionally restricted himself to only 15 unforced errors regardless of some spectacular defence from the Brit. The Canadian by no means dropped serve within the match.
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Each males have been enjoying nervy tennis within the early levels of the match nevertheless it was Shapovalov who began to settle in first. In Evan’s first service sport, the Canadian whipped out a intelligent drop shot to arrange a break level the place the Brit fired a forehand into the online to give up the early break.
With the wind at his again, Shapovalov discovered a cushty degree and started to dominate. His serve all through the opening set was virtually untouchable, as he misplaced simply two factors on serve and gained all 10 of his first-serve factors. On return, he continued to reap the benefits of a passive Evans, who sprayed a forehand to give up a second break. When he served to remain within the set at 0-5, Shapovalov fired a backhand return winner previous the Brit to open the day with a bagel.
Evans began to swing a bit extra freely within the second set, lastly getting on the board with a maintain within the second sport. He upped the depth on the forehand and did an excellent job of utilizing his selection with the slice backhand to maintain Shapovalov from unloading his highly effective pictures. Consequently, the 2 started buying and selling routine holds.
The Brit had his first true look on Shapovalov’s serve at 4-4 when a few forehand errors from the Canadian gave Evans his first and solely break factors of the day. On each events, Shapovalov discovered his finest hitting to flee the jam.
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Because the potential tiebreak approached, Evans started to tighten once more. He gritted via a tricky tenth sport however as he served to remain within the match once more at 5-6, Shapovalov pounced. The Canadian raced out to a love-30 lead and whereas the Brit fought again, some intelligent volleying bought Shapovalov to match level the place Evans punched a volley lengthy to present the Canadians the purpose they wanted.
Auger-Aliassime Denies Draper at Residence
With the results of Group D already assured, Félix Auger-Aliassime nonetheless got here to play and noticed Canada via to a 3-0 total document by defeating latest US Open semifinalist Jack Draper in straight units to assert the tie.
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It was a battle of heavyweights with the pair slugging it out in highly-physical exchanges from the baseline. Auger-Aliassime proved the marginally extra opportunistic of the 2, avenging his two earlier defeats to Draper with a 7-6(8), 7-5 win.
Like the primary match, the Canadian bought off to a faster begin though he was unable to safe an early break. In every of Draper’s first two service video games, Auger-Aliassime had a have a look at a break however was unable convert, lacking a backhand on his first probability and watching an ace zoom previous him on the second.
From there, the 2 males settled for buying and selling large serves and physique blows from the baseline because the opening set ploughed in direction of a tiebreak.
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A spectacular laser of a forehand passing shot gave Auger-Aliassime an early minibreak lead. He by no means trailed within the tiebreak though Draper continued nipping at his heels. The Brit managed to struggle again from 6-3 down and saved 5 set factors earlier than lastly at 8-9 sending a forehand lengthy and continuing to smash his racquet. The primary set was virtually so long as each full singles match performed by the Canadians thus far in your complete group stage.
Auger-Aliassime appeared properly positioned to run away with the match when he scored the primary break of the day within the opening sport of the second set, however all of a sudden each males have been struggling on serve. At 2-1, the Canadian performed his sloppiest sport of the day, shanking a forehand to go down love-40 earlier than ultimately being damaged.
Learn additionally: Shapovalov, Auger-Aliassime Energy Canada Previous Argentina at Davis Cup
Each males saved break factors of their subsequent service sport after getting again on serve earlier than returning to the established order of routine holds. At 5-5, the Canadian made a late transfer, establishing a break level with a forehand out huge. Draper missed a volley to arrange Auger-Aliassime to serve out the match, which he managed to do regardless of falling behind love-30.
Canada didn’t lose a set in singles all week.
There was to be no sweep of the hosts because the Brits pair of Henry Patten and Neal Skupski beat Gabriel Diallo and Alexis Galarneau in straight units 7-6(4), 6-4.
Diallo and Galarneau have been enjoying their first matches of the week for Staff Canada, subbing in for Auger-Aliassime and Shapovalov with the tie already clinched. They bought off to a fast begin, breaking early and even serving for the primary set, solely to be damaged as they served for it and happening to drop the opener in a tiebreak.
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An early break within the second pressured the Canadians to play catch up they usually by no means managed to reel the Brits again in because the hosts averted the sweep.
Canada will study their quarter-final opponent within the coming days. The Davis Cup Closing 8 takes place in Malaga, Spain Nov. 19 to 24.
