(Madrid) Canada got off to a bad start in the group stage of the Davis Cup Finals in men’s tennis by losing in the first singles match of the competition on Thursday in Madrid.
After conceding four of the first five games of the match, the Swede Elias Ymer got up and dominated Steven Diez 6-4, 6-2 in a group B duel involving two players ranked above 170e rank at ATP.
Ymer, 171e world player, kept the pace at the start of the second set by breaking Diez’s serve (264e) from the initial game before consolidating this break in the next game.
Ymer, who faced no break point from the sixth game of the opening set, posted another breakage in the fifth game of the second set.
In another singles match, veteran Vasek Pospisil faces Mikael Ymer, Elias’ younger brother.
A double duel will follow.
Canada participates in this tournament without being able to count on its two best players, Montrealer Félix Auger-Aliassime and Ontarian Denis Shapovalov, who have chosen to ignore the event to take care of their bodies.
In 2019, Canada reached the final round of the Davis Cup Finals but lost to host country Spain.
Sweden are trying to advance to the Davis Cup quarter-finals for the first time since 2011.
Meanwhile in Innsbruck, Austria, the Czech Republic took a 1-0 lead thanks to 21-year-old Tomas Machac’s 7-6 (3), 6-2 victory over French veteran Richard Gasquet. in a Group C match.
The match was played in front of deserted stands due to the coronavirus restrictions currently in place in Austria.
Meanwhile, in Turin, Italy, in a Group D clash, Croatian Borna Gojo defeated Australian Alexei Popyrin 7-6 (5), 7-5.
With contributions from Tales Azzoni of the Associated Press