Auger-Aliassime, Shapovalov leads Canada’s Davis Cup team in finals in Spain


MONTREAL

Felix Auger-Aliassime of Montreal and Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ontario are the tennis team’s headliners for next month’s Davis Cup Finals in Spain.

The two are joined by Vasek Pospisil of Vernon, BC, Alexis Galarneau of Laval, Que., and Gabriel Diallo of Montreal

“It is a privilege for our team and our country to be back in the Davis Cup finals,” said team captain Frank Dancevic. “We are also very happy to have Denis back in the squad. We now have more depth for the finals and the boys are eager to fight for our flag.”

The final will take place from November 22nd to 27th at the Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena in Malaga, Spain.

The Davis Cup KO round begins with eight teams going head-to-head in the Quarterfinals: Canada, Italy, the United States, Germany, Australia, the Netherlands, Croatia, and Spain.

Canada will open the final against Germany and a win would mean meeting winners USA and Italy in the semis.

Auger-Aliassime (No. 10), Shapovalov (No. 20) and Pospisil (No. 121) were part of the only Canadian team to reach the Davis Cup finals back in Madrid in 2019.

All three have shown strong performances in recent weeks. Auger-Aliassime defeated both world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia to secure Canada’s men’s tennis team a place in the quarterfinals of the Davis Cup Finals. He also won the second ATP title of his career last weekend and since September has also beaten No. 7 and 21-time Slam champion Novak Djokovic and No. 15 Matteo Berrettini, who holds seven ATP titles.

Shapovalov reached the final in Seoul and the semifinals in Tokyo.

Pospisil was selected for the Davis Cup team for the 27th time in his career and is the most experienced player on the roster with his 25-24 Davis Cup record.


This report from The Canadian Press was first published on October 21, 2022