A spot in the Davis Cup Final 8 had been within Canada’s grasp ever since their victory on Thursday over Finland, but it just kept eluding them.
They could have clinched a spot on Friday if Great Britain defeated Argentina. The Argentines won 2-1.
They could have clinched on Saturday if Finland won a single match against Argentines. Despite winning the first set in two of three matches, the Finns were swept 3-0.
So Canada had to finish the job themselves.
“‘Pressure is a privilege’ as they say,” said Denis Shapovalov in his post-match press conference about having the first crack and punching Canada’s ticket to Malaga. “I knew it was going to be a big moment but I tried to zone the moment out a little bit and just focus on myself and focus on playing one point at a time. I tried not to think too much about what it meant. Obviously it’s tough, especially when you’re getting closer to the line but I’m happy that I was able to stay focused on the task which is to win and to take it one point at a time.”
It was a bit of a strange situation the Canadians found themselves in on Sunday. Sure, they only needed to win one match, but they would have to do it against the team they were dueling with for the final qualifying spot in Group D. And of course that just happened to be the host nation, who would have close to 15, 000 partisans at their back in the sold-out AO Arena in Manchester.
Had Britain defeated Argentina on Friday, Sunday’s clash would have been a battle for top spot in the group, but still effectively a dead rubber as Canada and Britain would already have been assured to finish as the top two teams in the group. If Finland had managed to close out one of their matches on Saturday, Britain would have been the only team with something to play for on Sunday as they still could have finished ahead of Argentina and qualified for Malaga.
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When asked if they spent Friday and Saturday watching the scores to see if Canada would clinch, Shapovalov quipped with a laugh, “So much. I was praying so much but every match was going the wrong way.”
“For sure we were, but in the end we had to focus on ourselves and what was in control for us and we did that well,” added Félix Auger-Aliassime.
Instead, it was sort-of “win or go home” for both teams on Sunday, albeit to very different standards. Nothing less than a 3-0 sweep would be enough for the hosts, while Canada only needed a single match win out of three to take the last spot from Group D.
Thanks to a lights-out performance from Denis Shapovalov, the last two matches of the day were dead rubbers, holding no influence on the standings and who would be going to Spain in November since Britain’s sweep bid was broken.
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“Huge from Shapo to start a day like this, to secure the spot,” said Auger-Aliassime. “Great day, great week overall. I’m just happy for the team.”
Despite having to scoreboard watch for two days and then knowing that the crowd would be very much in their opponent’s corner on Sunday, the Canadians seemed unphased by the conditions around them.
Shapovalov delivered exactly the performance Team Canada needed to take the wind out of the British sails early. He won the first seven games in a row and, despite Dan Evans upping his level his the second set, kept his foot on the gas to punch Canada’s ticket to Malaga the first time the team had a chance to do it themselves.
“I think I played the best first set I’ve ever played in my life, especially in Davis Cup, so definitely very happy with the performance,” explained Shapovalov. “It felt incredible to get the win, to get Canada over the line. We knew going into it that we need one match so obviously I tried to do everything I could to get it in the first match. I’m happy that I was able to stay solid and get the win.”
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For good measure, that Canadians capped off their week a perfect 3-0 in ties when Auger-Aliassime clinched the tie with a win over British No. 1 Jack Draper in straight sets. Not only did Canada win all of their ties and all of their singles matches, they did not drop a set in singles all week.
Every member of Team Canada got in on the action this week in Manchester. Gabriel Diallo and Alexis Galarneau competed in the final match of the week in doubles against Great Britain. Vasek Pospisil competed in doubles in the first tie against Argentina.
As the tie reached its conclusion, the men of Team Canada reflected on their dominant performance in Manchester and what makes this team, the same lineup that lifted the trophy in 2022, so special.
“It’s been a lot of fun. Honestly, I think I always play better when I’m having fun and we have a lot of fun with the boys,” said Shapovalov. “Definitely very happy that we were able to qualify but regardless, on these weeks it’s a pleasure to be part of the team and to catch up with everyone and to have that team atmosphere wins a lot to me.”
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“We had great team chemistry. Whenever we get together, it’s something special,” reflected Auger-Aliassime. “I feel full trust from my teammates, the energy is positive, there’s no egos. Everybody is supportive of each other, everybody is coming with the right energy through the whole week. All the ingredients are there for us to play well. We know our qualities, we know the talent we have. Amazing team. We’re building a winning culture which is great.”