Canada ends British dream and heads to Davis Cup Final 8 | ATP Tour

Davis Cup Finals: Group Stage

Canada ends British dream and heads to Davis Cup Final 8

The Americans join Argentina as qualifiers from Group D

September 15, 2024

Although home advantage always counts in the Davis Cup, the strength of the group is capable of overcoming any influence from the surroundings. Canada sealed their passage to the Davis Cup Final 8 on Sunday with a tough effort, leaving Great Britain with no chance despite the wide support from the crowd at Manchester’s AO Arena.

The equation for the tie was simple for the home side: with Argentina already qualified and Canada unbeaten in the competition, Great Britain needed to win all the points in the series to open the doors to the finals in Malaga. Any slip-up along the way would end their chances in the finals. round robinAnd that destiny was not long in coming.

Denis Shapovalov took charge in the first point of the tie, coming out in an atmosphere that was totally tilted in favor of his opponent. The former No. 10 in the PIF ATP Rankings, a winner in all three of his singles meetings this week, displayed his cool in a decisive moment, beating the experienced Daniel Evans 6-0, 7-5 to seal his nation’s qualification.

In the next match, which was of no significance for qualifying purposes, Felix Auger-Aliassime defeated Jack Draper 7-6(8), 7-5 to secure the lead in Group D for the Canadians. The locals closed with a victory for Henry Patten/Neal Skupski over Alexis Galarneau/Gabriel Diallo 7-6(4), 6-4.

Great Britain will have to wait to regain its Davis Cup glory. Next season will mark 10 years since its last Davis Cup triumph (2015), where a historic performance by Andy Murray in Ghent (Belgium) led the British side to a historic moment. So far, it is the only title in the competition that Great Britain has achieved since 1936.

Team Finland, Canada’s executioner in the 2023 quarter-finals, closes the qualifying phase round robin in last place in Group D after failing to win in Manchester.

Canada has been one of the most stable nations in the Davis Cup over the past few years. The Americans, who reached the final in 2019 before winning the first Salad Bowl in their history in 2023, want to once again have a firm presence in the oldest team competition in the world.

Group A: Italy 2-1 Netherlands
Both the Netherlands and Italy had reason to celebrate in Bologna on Sunday. While the home team, cheered on by Jannik Sinner in the stands, secured a first-place finish in Group A, the Dutch managed to secure a single point to finish second.

In the opening match of the day, Matteo Berrettini won 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 against Botic van de Zandschulp to get the job done for the home side. Flavio Cobolli, No. 32 in the PIF ATP Rankings, completed the job by beating Tallon Griekspoor 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-3 to give the reigning champion a 2-0 lead that would decide the tie and first place in the group.

But there was still unfinished business. The Dutch needed a win to qualify second ahead of Brazil, and they got that in the doubles match, where Wesley Koolhof and van de Zandschulp defeated Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori 7-6(6), 7-5 to secure a place in the Final 8. Brazil and Belgium were eliminated.