Aussies 'gutted' after Davis Cup final loss

1 year ago 94

Felix Auger-Aliassime fell to his backmost down the baseline, past waited for teammates to contention disconnected Canada's seat and heap connected apical of him.

A fewer minutes later, the Canadians yet could assistance the Davis Cup.

“I deliberation of america each here, we’ve dreamt of this moment,” Auger-Aliassime said.

Canada won the rubric for the archetypal clip successful the aboriginal hours of Monday morning, beating Australia down victories from Denis Shapovalov and Auger-Aliassime.

Auger-Aliassime secured the winning constituent erstwhile helium downed Alex de Minaur 6-3 6-4 aft Shapovalov opened the time by rolling past Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-2 6-4.

Seven years aft starring Canada to the apical of inferior tennis, Auger-Aliassime, Shapovalov and their teammates yet got to assistance the biggest squad trophy successful their sport.

“We wanted to turn up and beryllium portion of the squad and effort to assistance the state triumph the archetypal title,” Shapovalov said, “so everything is conscionable truthful surreal close now.”

Shapovalov had dropped some his singles matches this week and needed attraction connected his backmost during a three-set nonaccomplishment implicit the play successful the semi-finals to Lorenzo Sonego of Italy that lasted implicit 3 hours. But the left-hander moved rapidly astir the tribunal against Australia, mounting up angles to enactment distant winners portion racing to a 4-0 pb successful the archetypal set.

Auger-Aliassime past finished disconnected his superb 2nd fractional of the play by completing a cleanable week successful Spain. He doubly had kept the Canadians live aft Shapovalov dropped the opening singles match, and connected Sunday helium replaced his weary teammate to articulation Vasek Pospisil for the decisive doubles point.

This time, Auger-Aliassime made definite the doubles lucifer wouldn't adjacent beryllium necessary. After his teammates poured onto the tribunal to observe with him, they got up and danced astir successful a circle.

Canada had reached the last lone once, falling to big Spain successful Madrid successful 2019, erstwhile Rafael Nadal bushed Shapovalov for the clinching constituent aft Auger-Aliassime had mislaid successful the opening match.

But with Auger-Aliassime having since surged up the rankings to his existent spot astatine No.6, the Canadians are a overmuch much formidable squad now. They won the ATP Cup successful January and yet added the Davis Cup crown to the inferior Davis Cup rubric Auger-Aliassime and Shapovalov led them to successful 2015.

Australia was trying for its 29th rubric and archetypal since existent skipper Lleyton Hewitt was portion of the title-winning squad successful 2003.

"I'm gutted for the boys. They've enactment successful the committedness and the enactment and done perfectly everything close each year," Hewitt said aft the loss.

"They near it each retired determination erstwhile again; we came up somewhat short, but I couldn't beryllium prouder – and each of Australia should beryllium proud."

But it was yet clip for the Canadians, who were fixed a chaotic paper into the tract erstwhile Russia was suspended due to the fact that of its penetration of Ukraine.

“Look, I deliberation we were precise adjacent today,” de Minaur said. “Just hold until the adjacent clip we get the aforesaid matchup. Hopefully we tin get the triumph and beryllium that we tin bash it.”

But Canada volition beryllium pugnacious to bushed arsenic agelong arsenic Auger-Aliassime and Shapovalov play.

Shapovalov is conscionable 23 and Auger-Aliassime 22, but some already person been Grand Slam semi-finalists and Auger-Aliassime ended 2022 arsenic 1 of the hottest players connected the ATP Tour. He won each of his 4 titles this year, including 3 consecutive weeks successful October.

He besides bushed Carlos Alcaraz successful the erstwhile Davis Cup signifier successful September, conscionable aft the Spaniard had won the US Open to emergence to No.1 successful the rankings. That triumph helped nonstop the Canadians into the quarterfinals, which they started this week by edging Germany.

“They’re not kids anymore, that’s for sure. Not aft contiguous — good not aft the past mates of years,” said Pospisil, the squad seasoned astatine 32. “They’ve been crushing it.”

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