Another strong day of performances by Denis Shapovalov and Félix Auger-Aliassime gave Team Canada their second win in the group stages of the 2024 Davis Cup Finals in Manchester as they swept Finland 3-0.
Shapovalov ended the match in style as he started the day with a win over Eero Vasa, setting up Auger-Aliassime to seal victory over Otto Virtanen, avenging Canada’s loss to Finland in the 2023 Davis Cup quarter-finals. Additionally, the two Canadian stars combined to complete the win with a straight doubles victory.
While Canada have yet to secure a place in the Davis Cup Final 8 in Malaga, they could do so without hitting another ball depending on results over the next two days before Canada play Great Britain on Sunday.
Shapovalov once again did his part to put Team Canada ahead in the group stage of the 2024 Davis Cup Finals in Manchester, defeating Eero Vasa in straight sets on Thursday to score the opening point in their second round-robin match against Finland.
Fast starts in both sets left the Canadian struggling, although Vasa did not give up easily. Shapovalov had to hold his nerve to hold off the powerful Finn and give Canada a 1-0 lead with a 7-6(2), 6-2 victory.
Aside from one game early in the first set, Shapovalov was in fine form on serve, dropping just 10 points on serve throughout the match, just two in the second set. The Canadian won 84 per cent of his first-serve points and faced just two break points in the match. He also hit 16 winners to his opponent’s seven, while Vasa made 40 unforced errors.
Shapovalov came out on top from the start, winning 12 of the first 13 points including all eight of his serve points, five of which were unreturned. Vasa struggled to find his range early on and a double fault followed by a forehand long gave him an early lead.
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Once the Finn settled down, he was able to turn the momentum around quickly. He used his big first serve to start defending and Shapovalov played sloppy at 3-1, double-faulting to give the break back. The two remained level for the rest of the set, although Vasa had to save a set point on his serve at 4-5, serving out an ace.
In the tiebreak, Shapovalov went up 3-0 again, thanks to Vasa’s string of errors on his own serve, and this time he didn’t waste his early advantage. He led from start to finish and won the opening set.
Just like the first, Shapovalov was on fire early in the second set while Vasa looked sluggish. The Canadian broke to love in the opening game, courtesy of a Vasa double fault, then countered by holding to love for a 2-0 lead.
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There was no letdown in the second set. Shapovalov played his game to perfection, forcing Vasa to run laps behind the baseline with his precise groundstrokes. His serve was untouchable as the Canadian won his first 12 points in a row, holding the ball well three times, and adding a second break to his victory.
FAA’s Clutch Play
For the second straight match, Félix Auger-Aliassime came out for the second singles match with a chance to seal victory for Team Canada and once again made no mistake, defeating Otto Virtanen in straight sets to secure the win.
Auger-Aliassime was able to weather the Finn’s bold strokes and capitalise on opportunities when they arose, making his move midway through the second set to claim a 6-2, 6-3 victory.
Like his compatriot, the Canadian served hard, winning 86 per cent of his first-serve points and never dropping serve, saving all three break points he faced. Virtanen’s big hitting, which was so deadly in the 2023 quarter-final between the two countries, was not as effective on Thursday as he committed 33 unforced errors.
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Unlike the previous series, where Auger-Aliassime practically copied Shapovalov on the scoreboard, the Canadian stepped up his game as the set went on. His first chance to earn a break came at 3-2 when Virtanen managed a serve-and-volley and on the next break point, Auger-Aliassime dominated the rally, eventually finishing it off with a forehand winner to seize the initiative.
After fighting hard to recover and saving break points with some big shots, the Canadian applied pressure as Virtanen served to hold the set at 5-2. The Finn caved and hit back-to-back double faults to hand the set to the Canadian.
Virtanen had a chance to change the momentum in the opening game of the second set when Auger-Aliassime missed a backhand winner that gave him two break points. But the Canadian found the big shot he needed to get out of a tough spot.
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That defensive position allowed the Montrealer to regain the lead. After missing a break point in the fourth game, he made his moves at the same time as he had in the opener. As the set wore on, Virtanen’s play became increasingly erratic and at 3-2, a series of errors gave Auger-Aliassime a break chance. A double fault from the Finn gave the initiative to the Canadian No. 1.
That one break was all Auger-Aliassime needed to seal the win and the series.
Félix and Denis play doubles
Félix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov were soon back on court for doubles, capping off a comfortable win over Finland with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Harri Heliovarra and Otto Virtanen at the AO Arena.
While both Canadians were doing double duty after recording their singles wins, they looked fresh and energized, and cruised to victory in 73 minutes.
The duo won 79% of their first-serve points and broke serve four times in a decisive straight-sets victory.
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Shapovalov and Auger-Aliassime were eager to impose and dictate play early on, and in the fourth game of the opening set, both converted their second break point opportunities to take an early 3-1 lead.
It was something they would not let go; they scored a second break late in the set to close out the opening 6-2 in just 32 minutes.
The Finnish team managed to raise their level in the second set, as both doubles teams dominated each other for six straight games.
Heliovarra and Virtanen finally found some momentum, converting a second break point opportunity in the seventh game to take a 4-3 lead. However, the Canadians were quick to respond when Auger-Aliassime hit a forehand inside-out to level the match at 4-4.
With Heliovarra serving at 5-6, the Canadian turned up the pressure on the return to earn two match points. A final big forehand return from Shapovalov resulted in a forced error from Virtanen, which sealed the win for the Canadian.
Canada is now in first place in Group D with a 5-1 record through two games. They will face Great Britain on Sunday.
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