Shapovalov, Auger-Aliassime help Canada beat Argentina at Davis Cup

Canada defeated Argentina 2-1 in the Davis Cup opener on Tuesday.

Ontario’s Denis Shapovalov first defeated Francisco Cerundolo 7-5, 6-3 in Group D.

Quebecer Félix Auger-Aliassime then defeated Sebastian Baez 6-3 and 6-3.

Shapovalov and Vasek Pospisil subsequently lost 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 to Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni, but the Canadian victory was already assured.

In singles, Shapovalov broke all four of his chances, hitting five aces and winning 70% of the points played on his first serves.

The 25-year-old also had a best 13-7 in winning shots.

Cerundolo tied the game 5-5 in the first set after trailing 4-2, but Shapovalov closed the books with a break. In the second set, he took a 4-0 lead and cruised to victory.

“I feel great,” Shapovalov said. “The last time I played Davis Cup we deserved the title (2022), so it felt good to play some good tennis.”

Auger-Aliassime erased a 3-2 deficit in the first set.

He also had a 4-0 lead in the second set; Baez then won three out of four games, but Auger-Aliassime resisted his attempt to come back.

“It’s a great feeling to be playing in the Davis Cup again,” Auger-Aliassime said. “We want to try to achieve again what we have already achieved.”

In doubles, the Canadians committed their six double faults in the last two sets, in addition to accumulating 46 unforced errors.

Canada will face Finland on Thursday and Great Britain on Sunday.

This is Canada’s fifth consecutive appearance in the Davis Cup final.

The Maple Leaf reached the group stage of the final by beating South Korea 3-1 in the Davis Cup qualifiers in February in Montreal.

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