Group Canada is heading again to Malaga for the third yr in a row after Canada defeated Nice Britain of their ultimate 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 finally received 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 Remaining 8. Shapovalov put an finish to the potential drama early, beating Evans in straight units to punch Canada’s ticket and get rid of Nice Britain.
After Finland and the Brits themselves failed to attain wins that will have assured Canada’s spot within the Remaining 8 on Friday and Saturday, Shapovalov wasted no time in delivering the knockout blow. Dealing with each Evans and a sellout crowd of loud British followers on the AO Enviornment, Shapovalov obtained 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 robust, aggressive recreation, profitable 89 per cent of his first serve factors and firing 19 winners, 10 greater than his opponent. He additionally restricted himself to simply 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 taking part in nervy tennis within the early phases of the match however it was Shapovalov who began to settle in first. In Evan’s first service recreation, 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 received 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 recreation. He upped the depth on the forehand and did a great job of utilizing his selection with the slice backhand to maintain Shapovalov from unloading his highly effective pictures. In consequence, 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 greatest hitting to flee the jam.
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Because the potential tiebreak approached, Evans started to tighten once more. He gritted by way of a tricky tenth recreation 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 obtained Shapovalov to match level the place Evans punched a volley lengthy to present the Canadians the purpose they wanted.
Auger-Aliassime Denies Draper at House
With the results of Group D already assured, Félix Auger-Aliassime nonetheless got here to play and noticed Canada by way of to a 3-0 total document by defeating current 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 obtained 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 take 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 huge 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 battle 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 to this point in all the 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 recreation of the second set, however all of the sudden each males have been struggling on serve. At 2-1, the Canadian performed his sloppiest recreation of the day, shanking a forehand to go down love-40 earlier than finally being damaged.
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Each males saved break factors of their subsequent service recreation 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 broad. 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 taking part in their first matches of the week for Group Canada, subbing in for Auger-Aliassime and Shapovalov with the tie already clinched. They obtained off to a fast begin, breaking early and even serving for the primary set, solely to be damaged as they served for it and occurring to drop the opener in a tiebreak.
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An early break within the second compelled the Canadians to play catch up and so they by no means managed to reel the Brits again in because the hosts prevented the sweep.
Canada will be taught their quarter-final opponent within the coming days. The Davis Cup Remaining 8 takes place in Malaga, Spain Nov. 19 to 24.
