Canada wins the Davis Cup for the first time
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Canada won the Davis Cup for the first time by beating Australia in the final in Malaga.
Earlier in the singles event, Denis Shapovalov made up for his semifinal loss with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Thanasi Kokkinakis.
His Canadian team-mate Felix Auger-Aliassime, the world number six, beat Alex de Minaur 6-3 6-4 to give his country an unassailable 2-0 lead.
“The emotions are hard to describe,” Auger-Aliassime said.
“We’re all here, we’ve dreamed of this moment. It really is a dream come true.”
Canada was participating in only their second Davis Cup final.
His first, in 2019, resulted in the defeat of Rafael Nadal’s Spain, but on Sunday he got his hands on the tennis World Cup, 109 years after first playing the tournament, at the expense of the 28 times champion Australia.
Shapovalov, ranked 18th in the world, raced to a 4-0 lead against Kokkinakis before the Australian went a game on the board.
But after finishing the first set comfortably, Shapovalov broke early in the second to put his country on course for a historic victory.
Auger-Aliassime faced a tougher challenge in world number 24 De Minaur and was forced to fend off three early break points in her singles rubber.
He finally got a break himself in the eighth game, and after sealing the first set with an ace, he defended two more break points before clinching the title for Canada.
“We’ve all developed as players individually; we’ve gotten better over the years,” added Auger-Aliassime.
“We’re more prepared for those kinds of moments, but it’s never easy to overcome.”
