Felix Auger-Aliassime gave Canada an invincible 2-0 lead against Australia in Malaga on Sunday, advancing his country to its first Davis Cup Finals victory by defeating Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-4.
The World No. 6 won both of his singles and doubles matches to guarantee Canada a spot in the championship match, and he followed that up with a resounding victory over de Minaur. Auger-Aliassime won after firing 22 winners and maintaining composure in important situations in a match that lasted an hour and 42 minutes.
"The emotions are tough to describe. Denis [Shapovalov] and I grew up together, dreaming of these types of stage, dreaming of winning the Davis Cup. It's a great moment for myself and for the country," said Auger-Aliassime according to daviscup.com as quoted by ATPtour.com.
Canada made its debut in the Davis Cup title game in 2019, where Roberto Bautista Agut and Rafael Nadal defeated Auger-Aliassime and Shapovalov, respectively. Canada came agonisingly close to giving their nations their first Davis Cup victory that year.
But this week, they made sure they ended on the winning side, as Shapovalov defeated Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-2, 6-4 in the first set of the tie to give Canada the advantage.
"It helped me being in the final before [against Spain in 2019]. Last time it was all kind of new, we were relieved just to be there, but today we're very much going for the trophy," said Shapovalov.
Shapovalov displayed control by being solid on returns. He broke four times while rapidly establishing himself in rallies to put the World No. 95 under pressure, sealing the victory after 90 minutes. He read Kokkinakis' serve throughout the match.
Canada also trounced Germany and Italy during a fantastic week. In the semi-finals, Australia defeated Croatia to get to its first Davis Cup final since 2003.
With a 60-27 record, Auger-Aliassime completes his best season to date. The 22-year-old had a spectacular year, winning four titles at the tour level and helping Canada win the ATP Cup.
( With inputs from ANI )
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