Davis Cup 2024: Great Britain vs Canada - results & updates
Felix Auger Aliassime made it two wins from two for the Canadians – beating British No.1 and last week’s US Open semi-finalist Jack Draper 7-6(8), 7-5 in two hours and seven minutes.
It was a high-quality contest between two players who last faced each other only weeks ago in Cincinnati. The world No.21 made it very hard for Draper to create any chances on the return of serve during the opening set and the Brit had to find world class winners off both wings just to get to deuce at 4-4.
With both players racking up solid service games they went to a tie-break. Auger-Aliassime got out to an early lead but missed on two chances to serve out the set as the 15,000 strong crowd reached full voice.
However, on Auger-Aliassime’s third set point, Draper sent the ball beyond the baseline, to wrap up a nail-biting set in an hour and nine minutes.
With Draper showing his frustration after losing his second tie-break of the week, Auger-Aliassime took full advantage, breaking in the opening game to race out to a 2-0 lead.
While the match couldn’t impact the overall standings, it still clearly meant a huge deal to Draper. He broke back with a wicked forehand winner at full stretch before moving 3-2 in front himself and even had break points to extend his lead further.
It would prove to be a crucial miss for the young Briton. Locked at 5-5 and staring at another tie-break, Auger-Aliassime got the decisive break through. He broke for a final time before serving out the match from 0-30 down – closing it out with his eighth ace.
Match one: Shapovalov beats Evans to book Canada's ticket to MalagaCanada are through to the Davis Cup Final 8 after Denis Shapovalov beat Dan Evans 6-0, 7-5 in the first rubber in Sunday’s decisive tie.
The result means that regardless of the outcome in the remaining two rubbers, Canada will qualify over Great Britain due to matches won.
"I’m more disappointed for the guys than myself," Evans said after the match. "We left ourselves a bit too much to do to beat a Davis Cup outfit like Canada. Everyone has given everything and I’m super proud to have been a part of this team again."
It was a nervy start for the 34-year-old – who hit six unforced errors in the opening three games to give Shapovalov an early 3-0 lead.
Evans had to find a big first serve to save another break point in the following game, but the Canadian’s forehand continued to deal damage, eventually sealing him a double break advantage.
A hold with four aces and unreturnable serves from the former Wimbledon semi-finalist was backed up by a third successive break to clinch the first set in 26 minutes.
The former British No.1 turned things around early in the second set and served well after getting himself on the scoreboard.
Coming under pressure for the first time in the match, it started to show for Shapovalov as the set went on. Serving at 4-4, he hit an easy smash straight into the net before going on to make a series of errors that set Evans up with his first two break points of the match.
Evans failed to convert on seven of seven break points against Tomas Martin Etcheverry on Friday and it was a similar story again as Shapovalov’s serve helped dig himself out of trouble.
The Brit had game points to take it to a tie-break at 6-5 but the former junior Wimbledon champion had other ideas. Identical touch backhand volley winners gave Shapovalov his first match point, which he took at the first time of asking – clinching his nations place in Malaga.