Davis Cup: Canada defeated Italy after a spirited contest to advance to the Davis Cup championship match in Malaga against Australia.
After defeating Denis Shapovalov in the opening singles match, which lasted more than three hours and finished with a discouraging double fault by the world’s number 18 player, Lorenzo Sonego gave the Italians the advantage.
In contrast, Felix Auger-Aliassime had much easier going on the court as he defeated Lorenzo Musetti 6-3 6-4 to tie the match for Canada and force a decisive doubles match.
Auger-Aliassime ranked sixth in the world, then teamed up with Vasek Pospisil to complete an incredible comeback for Canada, defeating Matteo Berrettini and Fabio Fognini 7-6 (2) 7-5 to secure a spot against Australia in the final Sunday.
When Auger-Aliassime converted a break point with a forehand winner in the sixth game of the first set while trailing by a break early on, he let out a triumphant cheer. He then kept up the pressure, winning the tiebreak with an ace.
The sixth-ranked singles player in the world, Auger-Aliassime, used his strong serve to save three break points in the decisive game. He then shared a chest bump with Pospisil, who won the match despite arriving at the tournament without any clothes because his bags were misplaced on the way from a Challenger Tour event.
Pospisil remarked, “Davis Cup is always a wild week and I would say the most exciting, as a player.”
After Auger-fellow Aliassime’s countryman, Shapovalov lost in a physically demanding marathon match earlier in the day, Auger-Aliassime was brought in as a last-minute replacement on the doubles team.
The squad seemed to come together around this plan and there didn’t seem to be any ego in the way, said to Auger-Aliassime. “We knew going this week that we could make some changes based on how singles went,” he added.
Everyone simply understands the primary objective, which is to win the cup tomorrow.
With a narrow victory over Croatia in the first semifinal on Friday, the Australians secured their spot in the first Davis Cup final in 19 years.
When the Canadians play the 28-time champions Australia, they will be vying for their first victory in the men’s team tournament.
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