Canada’s top male tennis players have defeated Finland 3-0 at the Davis Cup.
Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., beat Eero Vasa 7-6 (2), 6-2 in the day’s first singles match in Manchester, England.
Montreal’s Felix Auger-Aliassime then dispatched Otto Virtanen 6-2, 6-3 in the second singles match.
Finally, Shapovalov and Auger-Aliassime teamed up to best Virtanen and Harri Heliovaara 6-2, 7-5 in doubles play.
It’s the second consecutive group-stage tie Canada has won after beating Argentina 2-1 on Tuesday.
Canada, the lone seeded team in Group D, will face host Great Britain on Sunday.
WATCH | Shapovalov defeats Finland’s Vasa in group stage match:
Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., scored a win over Finland’s Eesa Vesa (7-5, 6-2) in Canada’s first match of the Davis Cup Finals group stage against Finland.
It is Canada’s fifth consecutive appearance in the Davis Cup Finals, having won its only title in 2022. The Canadians defeated South Korea 3-1 in February’s Davis Cup qualifiers in Montreal to reach the group stage of the finals.
There was an element of revenge after Canada lost to Finland in last year’s quarterfinals.
“Everybody’s in good spirits, so it’s very good,” Auger-Aliassime said. “Any motivation is good, but I think it’s a different year, a different time, and [last year’s loss] was behind us. This year we have a full team and everybody’s playing better than last year. Everybody’s improved.”
WATCH | Auger-Aliassime posts 6-2, 6-2 victory on Thursday:
Felix Auger-Aliassime of Montreal, Que., defeated Otto Virtanen (6-2, 6-3) to clinch the win in Canada’s Group D tie on Thursday in Manchester, England.
Germany sweeps Chile
In other action, Germany swept aside Chile 3-0 in Zhuhai, China.
On an indoor hard court, Maximilian Marterer beat Tomas Barrios Vera 6-1, 6-3, then Yannick Hanfmann defeated Alejandro Tabilo 7-5, 6-4 to clinch the tie. Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz, who have lost only one cup match, beat Barrios Vera and Matias Soto 6-1, 6-3. In no match was Germany broken.
Germany has never lost to Chile, which didn’t use an ill Nicolas Jarry.
The Germans, after also beating Slovakia 3-0, lead Group C, followed by the United States, Slovakia and Chile. The next tie is U.S. vs. Slovakia on Friday.
Short-handed Czechs down 2-0 to Aussies
Czech player Tomas Machac retired injured for the second time in two days after playing only six minutes.
Machac’s injury was the focus as Australia marched into a 2-0 lead against the Czech Republic in Valencia, Spain.
What had seemed to be simply cramps when he retired against Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz on Wednesday proved more serious and long-lasting as Machac played just nine points in his match with Alexei Popyrin.
Machac was playing with bandages around his right calf and called for a medical timeout after Popyrin held serve in the first game, before retiring at 30-15 down in the second.
“We saw him last night, and he didn’t look too good last night, so we wish him a speedy recovery and hopefully he’s back on tour quickly,” Popyrin said.
Earlier, Thanasi Kokkinakis had given Australia the lead in the opening match by beating Jakub Mensik 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-3.
Four groups of teams are playing in four cities this week to qualify for the eight-team Finals in Malaga, Spain, in November. The top two countries in each four-team group advance.
Also Thursday, the Netherlands and Brazil are vying for their first wins in Group A when they play at Bologna, Italy. Last year’s runner-up Australia will try to go 2-0 when it takes on the Czech Republic in Valencia, Spain.
Source Agencies
