1 month ago
19
Great Britain's Davis Cup Finals hopes are implicit aft Dan Evans fell to a dense decision by Denis Shapovalov successful their archetypal lucifer against Canada.
Leon Smith's squad needed to bushed Canada 3-0 successful Manchester to advancement to November's knockout stages successful Malaga.
But their destiny was sealed aboriginal connected Sunday, with Evans' 6-0 7-5 decision meaning Britain volition decorativeness extracurricular of the apical 2 successful Group D.
Canada, the 2022 champions, beforehand on with Argentina, who booked their spot successful the 'Final Eight' with a 3-0 triumph implicit Finland connected Saturday.
British fig 1 Jack Draper volition look Felix Auger-Aliassime successful the 2nd singles match, portion Evans is expected to instrumentality alongside Neal Skupski successful the doubles to implicit the tie.
Playing successful beforehand of a 15,000-strong assemblage astatine Mancester Arena, Shapovalov swept done the archetypal acceptable successful 25 minutes, with Evans winning conscionable 9 points.
The Briton yet got connected the scoreboard erstwhile helium held aboriginal successful the 2nd set, but helium failed to marque the astir of 2 interruption points astatine 4-4.
Shapovalov was capable to backmost up a ascendant archetypal acceptable erstwhile helium struck the decisive stroke astatine 6-5 to instrumentality his federation to the knockout stages, which volition instrumentality spot betwixt 19-24 November.
The 25-year-old Canadian, who was ranked arsenic precocious arsenic 10 successful the satellite aft a tally to the Wimbledon semi-finals successful 2021, has struggled with a genu wounded implicit the past year.
"Sometimes 6-0 is the worst pb successful tennis. You can't amended from that archetypal set," Shapovalov said aft wrapping up triumph successful 1 hr and 22 minutes.
"I'm highly blessed with the mode I was capable to serve. I played truly good and conscionable blessed I was capable to capitalise connected my chances today."
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