Canada advanced to the quarter-finals of the Davis Cup for the third consecutive year after defeating Britain on Sunday, while defending champions Italy triumphed over the Netherlands to secure the top position in their group.
In Manchester, Canada needed only one match win to eliminate the host team and secure the top spot in Group D. Denis Shapovalov quickly achieved this by defeating Dan Evans in straight sets, 6-0, 7-5, and celebrated by enjoying ice cream on the court.
“It definitely wasn’t easy to play against so many Britons,” Shapovalov remarked, highlighting how he maintained his composure amidst a passionate crowd of approximately 15,000 fans. “I just tried to stay focused, stay in my bubble, and stay ahead as much as I could because I could feel Dan getting pumped up and the crowd getting pumped up. I’m very happy I was able to get it done in straight sets.”
Felix Auger-Aliassime extended Canada’s lead to 2-0 with a victory over Britain’s top player, Jack Draper, finishing the match 7-6(8), 7-5 in a competitive encounter. The British team managed to entertain their fans as Henry Patten and Neal Skupski won their doubles match against Gabriel Diallo and Alexis Galarneau, 7-5, 6-4.
The knockout stage of the tournament will take place in Malaga from November 19 to 24, with the draw to determine match pairings happening this week. Alongside Canada, Italy, Spain, Australia, the United States, Germany, and Argentina have also qualified for this stage.
In Bologna, Italy took a 2-0 lead against the Netherlands, with Matteo Berrettini defeating Botic van de Zandschulp 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, followed by Flavio Cobolli’s victory over Tallon Griekspoor 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-3. The Dutch still have a chance to progress as group runners-up by winning the ensuing doubles match.
Spain, while resting world number three Carlos Alcaraz for their tie against Australia, managed to secure a 2-1 victory to take the top spot in Group B in Valencia. Marcel Granollers and Pedro Martinez triumphed over Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell 5-7, 6-4, 6-4. Pablo Carreno Busta had put Spain ahead 1-0 with his win against Jordan Thompson 2-6, 6-2, 7-6(3), but Alexei Popyrin leveled the score by beating Martinez 6-4, 6-4.
Earlier, Chile concluded their campaign on a high note in Zhuhai, defeating Slovakia 2-1 to finish third in Group C, although neither team was in contention for further advancement.