Shapovalov, Auger-Aliassime lead Canada over Argentina in Davis Cup tie

MANCHESTER, United Kingdom — Canada has defeated Argentina 2-1 at the Davis Cup.

Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., beat Francisco Cerundolo 7-5, 6-3 in the first singles rubber match on Tuesday in Group D action at the AO Arena. Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime then topped Sebastian Baez 6-3, 6-3 in the second singles match.

Shapovalov and Vancouver's Vasek Pospisil fell 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 in doubles action against Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni to close the tie.

"I feel great," Shapovalov said. "The last time I played in the Davis Cup, we won the competition, so it was nice to be back and playing at such a high level.

"I've been playing well all year and I want to build on this now."

In singles, Shapovalov had a back-and-forth affair in the first set that saw Cerundolo tie it up after being down 4-2 and tying it again at 5-5 before Shapovalov won the final two games.

In the second set, Shapovalov cruised to a 4-0 edge before losing three of the next four games and eventually closing it out.

The 25-year-old broke on all four of his opportunities while firing five aces and winning 70 per cent of his first-serve points. Shapovalov also edged out Cerundolo with 13 winners to seven.

In the second match, Auger-Aliassime came back from down 3-2 to win the first set before going up 4-0 in the second. Baez made it tough near the end, winning three of the next four games but the 24-year-old Canadian held him off.

Auger-Aliassime had seven aces and won 78 per cent of his first-serve points while breaking on five of his 12 chances.

"You have no interference from outside conditions, no wind and sun, and that's why I can be consistent in my groundstrokes in these conditions," Auger-Aliassime said.

"It's good to be back in the Davis Cup. There is a great feeling with this team after what we achieved and we want to try and do it again."

In doubles, the Canadians got off to a hot start but failed to continue their momentum into the second and third sets.

Shapovalov and Pospisil committed all six of their double faults between the final two sets. The duo also committed 46 unforced errors to their opponents' 32, while only breaking on two of 16 opportunities.

Canada, the lone seeded team in Group D, will next face Finland on Thursday before taking on host Great Britain on Sunday.

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.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2024.