Tennis

Montreal's IGA Stadium to host Davis Cup qualifier between Canada and Hungary

The first-round Davis Cup qualifier between Canada and Hungary will be played at Montreal's IGA Stadium, Tennis Canada said Monday.

Winner of Feb. 1-2 tie advances to 2nd round of qualifiers in September

A male tennis player in red shirt returning the ball to his opponent.
Gabriel Diallo, pictured returning the ball during a Davis Cup quarterfinal match in November, will be a member of Team Canada for the seventh time to compete for another Davis Cup title. (Manu Fernandez/The Associated Press)

The first-round Davis Cup qualifier between Canada and Hungary will be played at Montreal's IGA Stadium, Tennis Canada said Monday.

The winner of the Feb. 1-2 best-of-five tie on the indoor hardcourt will advance to the second round of qualifiers in September. The losing team will be relegated to the World Group 1 level.

"There's no better feeling than playing in Canada, representing your country, and having the entire crowd behind you," team captain Frank Dancevic said in a statement. "We will be counting on the support of the fans in Montreal as we gear up for what we expect to be a hard-fought battle against a strong Hungarian team."

Canada won the Davis Cup for the first time in 2022 and has been eliminated in the quarterfinals — now called the Final 8 — in each of the last two years.

Montreal also served as a first-round qualifier host last February when Canada defeated South Korea 3-1. Canada has won nine of its last 10 home ties.

"We are all extremely excited to be hosting another Davis Cup event and returning to Montreal's IGA Stadium," said tournament director Valerie Tetreault.

Canada holds the No. 3 position in the Davis Cup rankings while Hungary is ranked 22nd. The teams have never met in Davis Cup competition.

Two singles matches will be played Feb. 1. A doubles match and two more singles matches are scheduled for Feb. 2.

Canada lost to Germany last month in Malaga, Spain. Daniel Altmaier defeated Montreal's Gabriel Diallo 7-6 (5), 6-4 and Jan-Lennard Struff edged Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (5).

The winners of the second-round qualifiers will join host Italy in the 2025 Final 8 in November.

Italy won its second straight Davis Cup title last month with a 2-0 victory over the Netherlands.

WATCH | Shapovalov and Canada eliminated from Davis Cup Final 8:

Shapovalov falls to Struff as Germany eliminates Canada in the Davis Cup quarterfinals

1 month ago
Duration 2:27
After Montreal's Gabriel Diallo lost to Daniel Altmaier in the opening rubber of the Davis Cup Final quarterfinals in Malaga, Spain, Jan-Lennard Struff beat Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(5) to eliminate Canada.

Add some “good” to your morning and evening.

Get up to speed on what's happening in sports. Delivered weekdays.

...

The next issue of The Buzzer will soon be in your inbox.

Discover all CBC newsletters in the Subscription Centre.opens new window

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Google Terms of Service apply.