Canada won its first Davis Cup title on Sunday, defeating Australia 2-0 on the backs of straight-sets wins by Denis Shapovalov and Félix Auger-Aliassime in Malaga, Spain, becoming the 16th country to ever win the championship.
Montreal’s Auger-Aliassime, the world No. 6, broke Australia’s Alex de Minaur twice, including in the third game of the second set, and then held serve to claim the match — and the title — 6-3, 6-4.
Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., set things up by claiming the opening match of the tie, defeating world No. 95 Thanasi Kokkinakis in straight sets 6-2, 6-4.
While the Canadians needed to use the tie-breaking doubles match in order to advance past the quarters and semis, the 18th-ranked Shapovalov’s early win allowed Auger-Aliassime to complete the sweep, leaving Vasek Pospisil of Vernon, B.C., on the bench this time.
This is only the second time that Canada has competed in the Finals event, having made it all the way to the final tie in 2019, only to lose 2-0 to Spain. This time, Canada knocked off Germany and Italy in the quarterfinals and semis before slaying the Australians on the final day.
