Shapovalov, Auger-Aliassime blank Finland in Davis Cup Finals singles matches
Canadians get measure of revenge for quarterfinal loss in 2023
Canada's top men's tennis players have defeated Finland 3-0 at the Davis Cup.
Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., beat Eero Vasa 7-6 (2), 6-2 in the day's first singles match in Manchester, England.
Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime then dispatched Otto Virtanen 6-2, 6-3 in the second singles match.
Finally, Shapovalov and Auger-Aliassime teamed up to best Virtanen and Harri Heliovaara 6-2, 7-5 in doubles play.
WATCH | Shapovalov, Auger-Aliassime take down Virtanen, Heliovaara in doubles:
It's the second consecutive group-stage tie Canada has won after beating Argentina 2-1 on Tuesday.
Canada, the lone seeded team in Group D, will face host Great Britain on Sunday.
WATCH | Shapovalov defeats Finland's Vasa in group stage match:
It is Canada's fifth consecutive appearance in the Davis Cup Finals, having won its only title in 2022. The Canadians defeated South Korea 3-1 in February's Davis Cup qualifiers in Montreal to reach the group stage of the finals.
There was an element of revenge after Canada lost to Finland in last year's quarterfinals.
"Everybody's in good spirits, so it's very good," Auger-Aliassime said. "Any motivation is good, but I think it's a different year, a different time, and [last year's loss] was behind us. This year we have a full team and everybody's playing better than last year. Everybody's improved."
WATCH | Auger-Aliassime posts 6-2, 6-2 victory on Thursday:
Germany sweeps Chile
In other action, Germany swept aside Chile 3-0 in Zhuhai, China.
On an indoor hard court, Maximilian Marterer beat Tomas Barrios Vera 6-1, 6-3, then Yannick Hanfmann defeated Alejandro Tabilo 7-5, 6-4 to clinch the tie. Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz, who have lost only one cup match, beat Barrios Vera and Matias Soto 6-1, 6-3. In no match was Germany broken.
Germany has never lost to Chile, which didn't use an ill Nicolas Jarry.
The Germans, after also beating Slovakia 3-0, lead Group C, followed by the United States, Slovakia and Chile. The next tie is U.S. vs. Slovakia on Friday.
Short-handed Czechs down 2-0 to Aussies
Czech player Tomas Machac retired injured for the second time in two days after playing only six minutes of a 3-0 loss to Australia.
Machac's injury was the focus as Australia marched into a 2-0 lead against the Czech Republic in Valencia, Spain.
What had seemed to be simply cramps when he retired against Spain's Carlos Alcaraz on Wednesday proved more serious and long-lasting as Machac played just nine points in his match with Alexei Popyrin.
Machac was playing with bandages around his right calf and called for a medical timeout after Popyrin held serve in the first game, before retiring at 30-15 down in the second.
"We saw him last night, and he didn't look too good last night, so we wish him a speedy recovery and hopefully he's back on tour quickly," Popyrin said.
Earlier, Thanasi Kokkinakis had given Australia the lead in the opening match by beating Jakub Mensik 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-3. Australia made it 3-0 in the doubles as Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell beat Mensik and Adam Pavlasek 6-4, 6-2.
Elsewhere, the Netherlands picked up its first win against Brazil in the only one of Thursday's ties decided in doubles. Wesley Koolhof and Botic van de Zandschulp won a close match 6-4, 7-6 (5) against Brazil's Rafael Matos and Marcelo Melo to hand Brazil its second loss in Bologna, Italy.
Brazil had led after Joao Fonseca beat van de Zandschulp 6-4, 7-6 (3) in the first match but Tallon Griekspoor leveled the tie with a 7-6 (2), 6-4 win over Thiago Monteiro.
Four groups of teams are playing in four cities this week to qualify for the eight-team Finals in Malaga, Spain, in November. The top two countries in each four-team group advance.
Also Thursday, the Netherlands and Brazil are vying for their first wins in Group A when they play at Bologna, Italy. Last year's runner-up Australia will try to go 2-0 when it takes on the Czech Republic in Valencia, Spain.
Nadal return to court not imminent
Rafael Nadal withdrew Thursday from next week's Laver Cup in Berlin, leaving it unclear when the Spanish great will play again.
The tournament where Roger Federer retired in 2022 after teaming up with Nadal in doubles would have been Nadal's first event since the Paris Olympics and potentially one of his last ever.
"I'm really disappointed to share that I won't be able to compete at the Laver Cup in Berlin next week," the 38-year-old Nadal said. "This is a team competition and to really support Team Europe, I need to do what's best for them and at this moment there are other players who can help the team deliver the win."
The 22-time Grand Slam champion didn't address his current fitness after a spate of injuries in recent years, or when he might play again.
Nadal withdrew last month from the U.S. Open, meaning he missed three of the four Grand Slam tournaments in 2024. He last played in reaching the men's doubles quarterfinals at the Olympics, where he also lost in the second round of singles to Novak Djokovic.
The Laver Cup, to be held from Sept. 20-22, is an indoor hard-court men's competition pitting Team Europe against Team World in a format reminiscent of golf's Ryder Cup. No replacement for Nadal was immediately announced.
With files from The Associated Press
