Canada beats South Korea in Davis Cup tie after grabbing doubles win

Vasek Pospisil gained his opening singles match, then teamed with Felix Auger-Aliassime to take the deciding doubles match as Canada gained its opening tie on the Davis Cup Finals tennis event 2-1 over South Korea on Tuesday.

Pospisil, of Vernon, B.C., and Montreal’s Auger-Aliassime gained the final 4 video games within the closing set of the doubles match to defeat Nam Ji Sung and Tune Min-Kyu 7-5, 5-7, 6-3.

The Canadians pulled out a victory in a tie that appeared prone to go the best way of their opponents after the South Koreans scored a key break to go up 6-5 within the second set, then broke once more within the opening recreation of the third set.

A doubles win grew to become needed after Auger-Aliassime — Canada’s top-ranked male participant at No. 13 on the planet — suffered a shock 7-6 (5), 6-3 defeat to No. 74 Kwon Soonwoo in his singles match.

Pospisil opened the tie with a 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (5) win over Hong Seong Chan.

A victory in opposition to South Korea was very important for a Canadian squad attempting to return out of a strong group that features Serbia and Spain, which defeated a Canada group that includes Pospisil and Auger-Aliassime within the 2019 championship tie. 

Spain is being led by rising star and 2022 U.S. Open champion Carlos Alcaraz. Serbia is with out high participant Novak Djokovic, who introduced final week he’s withdrawing as a result of private causes.

The highest two groups in every group advance to the ultimate stage, Nov. 21-27 in Malaga, Spain.

Kwon took the primary set of the second singles match when he gained the final three factors of the tiebreak, with Auger-Aliassime committing a double-fault whereas dealing with set level.

Kwon went up two early breaks within the second set to take a 4-0 lead. Auger-Aliassime scored a break within the fifth recreation, however Kwon held serve the remainder of the best way.

Auger-Aliassime was not on Canada’s preliminary roster for the Davis Cup, however Tennis Canada introduced final week he would be part of the squad instead of Liam Draxl and Cleeve Harper.

Within the opening singles match, Pospisil had 5 aces and gained 66 per cent of service factors, in comparison with 57 per cent for Hong.

The Canadian overcame 43 unforced errors by hitting 34 winners, 21 greater than his opponent. Pospisil broke Hong 4 instances on 11 possibilities and defended 4 of the seven break factors he confronted.

Alexis Galarneau (Laval, Que.) and Gabriel Diallo (Montreal) are the opposite gamers on Canada’s group.

Canada earned a wild card into this 12 months’s Davis Cup after Russia was barred from competing as a result of ongoing warfare in Ukraine.

Canada subsequent faces Spain on Friday earlier than ending the stage Saturday in opposition to Serbia.