Shapovalov, Auger-Aliassime give Canada 2-0 lead, win over Argentina in Davis Cup tie | CBC Sports

Canada has defeated Argentina at the Davis Cup.

Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., defeated Francisco Cerundolo 7-5, 6-3 in the first singles rubber match on Tuesday in Group D action at the AO Arena. Montreal’s Felix Auger-Aliassime then defeated Sebastian Baez 6-3, 6-3 in the second singles match.

Shapovalov broke on all four of his opportunities while firing five aces and winning 70 per cent of his first-serve points. The 25-year-old also edged out Cerundolo with 13 winners to seven.

Auger-Aliassime came back from down 3-2 to win the first set before going up 4-0 in the second. Baez made it tough near the end, winning three of the next four games but the 24-year-old Canadian held him off.

The third and final match of the tie will see Shapovalov and Vasek Pospisil of Vernon, B.C., in doubles action against Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni later Tuesday.

Canada, the lone seeded team in Group D, will next face Finland on Thursday before taking on host Great Britain on Sunday.

Four groups will play across four cities this week to qualify for the Final 8 knockout stage to be held in Malaga, Spain, in November. The top two in each four-team group will advance.

WATCH | Shapovalov downs Argentina’s Cerundolo in straight sets:

Germany defeats Slovakia

Even without world No. 2 Alexander Zverev, Germany blanked Slovakia 3-0 in Valencia, Spain.

Germany and Slovakia were the first teams in action playing in China in Group C, which also includes the United States. The U.S. plays China on Wednesday.

Germany sent out Maximilian Marterer in the first singles match and the 104th-ranked player won 6-4, 7-5 against Lukas Klein. German Yannick Hanfmann then saved a match point and fought back from a set down to win 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3) against Jozef Kovalik in the second singles match.

U.S. Open finalists Tim Putz and Kevin Krawietz completed the German win by claiming the doubles match 7-5, 6-3 against Klein and Igor Zelenay.

After finishing runner-up the past two years, Australia is again among the favourites and later took on France in Group B in the Spanish town of Valencia. Among other big names competing this week are Carlos Alcaraz of Spain and British player Jack Draper, who made it to the U.S. Open semifinals last week.

Italy beat Australia for the 2023 title.