Canada won the Davis Cup for the first time

Celebrated: Felix Auger-Aliassime (centre) secures the title for Canada.
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After a quarterfinal success over the German men’s tennis team, the Canadian selection won the Davis Cup for the first time. In Sunday’s final in Malaga, the North Americans completed their historic victory over Australia after a single. When they competed in the final for the first time in 2019, the Canadians lost to Spain in the final.

“We all dreamed of this moment,” said top Canadian player Felix Auger-Aliassime with tears in his eyes, calling it “the most beautiful moment” of his young tennis career. “We have grown up together and we have always wanted to win this title. It is a special moment for the whole country.”

In front of top star Novak Djokovic, who was a spectator in Malaga after the Serb was ousted from the group stage, Denis Shapovalov defeated first-time Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis 6:2, 6:4. Then world number six Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada took the second point with a 6:3, 6:4 win over Alex de Minaur.

Hand in hand, draped in their red and white flags, the players celebrated the historic victory in front of 9,522 spectators. “We had incredible team energy all week and everyone gave 120 per cent,” said Shapovalov, who won his first singles in Malaga after two previous losses on Sunday.

Germany was knocked out in the quarter-finals on Thursday without Alexander Zverev. The German Tennis Association is still waiting for its first victory since 1993 in the prestigious and reformed team competition. The following year, the DTB squad would make its Davis Cup debut in early February with a home game against Switzerland in Trier.