A day after Auger-Aliassime upset Carlos Alcaraz – the world’s youngest top player – to lead Canada past Spain, the Montreal native dispatched Kecmanovic 6-3, 6-4. “I’m very happy,” said No. 13 Auger-Aliassime. “It’s the best feeling not only to get important wins for myself, but also for the team. It’s really nice to see a smile on everyone’s face and make the team happy and proud.” The Davis Cup quarterfinals are Nov. 22-27 in Malaga, Spain. Canada was beaten 2-1 by Serbia on Saturday after Vasek Pospisil was forced to withdraw from the doubles due to injury. But Auger-Aliassime’s win had already given Canada the final point they needed to secure the top two in Group B. “I was a little tired, but pushing myself was worth it,” he said. “I’m very happy that I came and played at the level I did to get Canada through to the quarterfinals. I’m very happy for the team. In the end, it’s worth it.” Auger-Aliassime continued to rely on his serve, winning nine aces and dropping just nine service points. He won the first set for the first time in the tournament and never looked back. In the second set he did not face a single break point. Canada’s chances of advancing to the knockout stages looked tenuous earlier in the day when 20-year-old Gabriel Diallo of Quebec City lost to Laslo Djere, 6-2, 6-2, in his Davis Cup debut. “It was an honor to be selected by my country,” said Diallo, who is ranked No. 334. “It’s something I’ve dreamed about since I was a little kid. I’m very grateful to be here. Obviously it’s not the result I wanted, but I’ll try to learn as much as possible. I think it’s going to make me better and I just have to keep my head down and work 20 times harder.” Diallo, No. 334, was coming off a win at the Granby National Bank Championship last month. Captain Frank Dancevic selected No. 141 Vasek Pospisil and No. 247 Alexis Galarneau for the doubles match, but after just 18 minutes of play, Pospisil was forced to retire. Despite the loss to Serbia, Dansevic was proud of his team’s efforts in Valencia. “It’s been an incredible week, from start to finish. All the players and the staff – it’s just been such a positive energy from all sides,” he said. “The guys, they played incredible tennis. There were some matches where we were down in the third set and could have easily lost them. We just kept fighting until the end.” Meanwhile in Glasgow, Botic van de Zandschulp and Tallon Griekspoor won their singles against Americans Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul as the Netherlands finished top of their Davis Cup Finals group with a 2-1 win. Van de Zandschulp settled the tie when he defeated Fritz, the world No. 12, 6-4, 7-6 (3) after Griekspoor opened with a 7-5, 7-6 (3) win over Paul. The Dutch raced into a 2-0 lead, then Rajeev Ram and Jack Sock earned some compensation for the Americans by winning their doubles against Wesley Koolhof and Matwe Middelkoop. The United States and the Netherlands were already assured of reaching the quarterfinals with two wins each in Group D. As group winners, the Dutch will then face Group C runners-up either Australia or Germany. The USA will play the winner of Group A, likely Italy. The Italians play Sweden in Bologna on Sunday. Also on Saturday, Croatia defeated Argentina 3-0 for their second win after losing their first to Italy. France defeated Belgium 2-1 in Group C, where Australia and Germany had already ensured they would reach the last eight. This report by The Canadian Press was first published on September 17, 2022. — With files from The Associated Press.
