Britain Misses Out on Davis Cup Finals, Serbia and Canada Advance
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Britain fell short of advancing to the quarterfinals of the Davis Cup Finals after a 2-1 loss to Canada in their final group-stage match on Sunday. The British team needed a clean 3-0 victory to move forward but saw their hopes dashed when Dan Evans lost 6-0, 7-5 to Denis Shapovalov in the opening match. The tie took place in front of a record crowd of 15,700 at the AO Arena in Manchester, marking the largest attendance ever for a Davis Cup match on British soil.
Felix Auger-Aliassime secured Canada’s victory by defeating Jack Draper 7-6 (8), 7-5, clinching Canada’s first-place finish in Group D. While Britain won the doubles match later, it was not enough to keep their campaign alive. Canada and Argentina moved on to the quarterfinals, while Finland, along with Britain, was eliminated.
Evans hinted that this might be his last Davis Cup appearance, saying, “I’ve probably had my fair share now. It could be and probably will be (the end). I need to have a think. If I don’t feel capable of playing, I won’t come back.”
Davis Cup Finals Lineup Set
The Davis Cup group stages were held across four cities, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the eight-team Finals in Malaga, Spain, in November. In Valencia, Spain triumphed over Australia 2-1 to top Group B, although both teams had already secured qualification. France and the Czech Republic were eliminated.
Meanwhile, the Netherlands secured their place in the Finals despite a 2-1 loss to Italy in Bologna. The Dutch team clinched their spot after Wesley Koolhof and Botic van de Zandschulp won the doubles match against Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori 7-6 (6), 7-5. Brazil would have advanced if the Netherlands had lost 3-0, while Belgium had already been knocked out.
Djokovic Leads Serbia to Victory
Novak Djokovic, fresh off his recent U.S. Open victory, helped Serbia secure a 3-1 win over Greece in a World Group 1 tie held in Belgrade. Djokovic partnered with Hamad Medjedovic in a doubles victory over Aristotelis Thanos and Petros Tsitsipas, winning 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. The day before, Djokovic had dominated in singles, defeating Ioannis Xilas 6-0, 6-1.
Berdych Takes Over as Czech Captain
In other news, former world No. 4 Tomas Berdych has been named the new captain of the Czech Republic’s Davis Cup team, taking over from long-time captain Jaroslav Navratil. Berdych, a two-time Davis Cup champion with the Czech team in 2012 and 2013, will now lead the team as they seek future success in the prestigious competition.
