Monday Digest: Canada dominates on Davis Cup stage, Stakusic makes noise in Guadalajara

It’s about as perfect a week Team Canada could have asked for in the Davis Cup Group Stage from Manchester.

Led by electric performances from Félix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov, the Canadians finished first in Group D, and announced themselves as a peak contender in at the Davis Cup Finals later this Fall.

Canada is heading back to Malaga

The 2022 Davis Cup champions returned to the Final 8 in Malaga, Spain with a composed, convincing week of tennis in Manchester.

Read: Canada gets the job done at Davis Cup

Competing in Group D, the squad comprised of Auger-Aliassime, Shapovalov, Gabriel Diallo, Vasek Pospisil, and Alexis Galarneau opened on Tuesday against a talented Argentinian squad.

The team was fast out of the blocks, as Shapovalov overcame Francisco Cerundolo, while five-time ATP titlist Auger-Aliassime ripped through Sebastian Baez 6-3, 6-3.

The momentum from the talented stars continued against Finland, as the long time Canadian friends notched straight sets wins in singles and teamed up for a doubles victory to complete a sweep on Thursday.

Sitting in pole position and needing only one match win to clinch their spot in Malaga on the weekend, Captain Frank Dancevic entrusted his 25-year-old left-hander to deliver. Shapovalov would play one of his best matches of 2024, dismantling Great Britain’s Dan Evans 6-0, 7-5.

In an empty singles rubber, Auger-Aliassime earned a measure of revenge against Britain’s highest ranked player Jack Draper, winning a closely contested clash 7-6, 7-5 – the Brit had beaten the Canadian in a controversial match in Cincinnati earlier this summer.

Finishing Group D in first place with a 7-2 mark, the squad reaffirmed themselves as a top contender. Argentina also advanced from the group, while Germany, Italy, Spain, Australia, Netherlands, and the USA round out the Final 8 line-up.

The Davis Cup Finals are set to begin November 19^th, and Canada is slated to face either the Netherlands or Germany in quarter-finals action. The full draw will be unveiled on Thursday.

Career best performance for Stakusic

While Canadian men were making noise in Europe, 19-year-old Marina Stakusic produced a career best result on the WTA circuit in Mexico.

Competing at the Guadalajara Open, the Canadian, who was granted a wild-card to the WTA500, kicked off the tournament in confident fashion with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.

That set the stage for a blockbuster thriller against top seed and 2017 French Open champion, Jelena Ostapenko.

The clash, which lasted 3 hours and four minutes, had a series of momentum swings. Stakusic was on the front foot and close to victory, leading 6-3, 5-3 before her veteran opponent unleashed a furious rally.

Ostapenko rattled off eight consecutive games, seizing control with a 3-6, 7-5, 4-0 lead. However, The Billie Jean King Cup champion remained undeterred, digging in to get matters back on serve, saving four match points while trailing 5-6, and closing by winning seven consecutive in points in the third set tiebreak to book her spot in the final 8.

The victory over the World No. 12 marked Stakusic’s best career win by ranking, and a first ever WTA quarter-final.

She’s now up to a career high ranking of 128 and will again represent Canada at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals this Fall.

Read: Team Canada roster set for Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Malaga

Back-to-back from Cross and Arseneault, Fung nabs singles title

Canadians Ariana Arseneault and Kayla Cross continue to love the warm weather and ocean view in the Dominican Republic.

The tandem captured a second consecutive doubles title at the W35 event in Punta Cana. Arseneault, who also reached the quarterfinals in doubles at the National Bank Open this summer, is up to a career high ranking of 204, while Cross jumped 21 spots to 239.

Meanwhile, 27-year-old Stacey Fung enjoyed a great week in Portugal, winning the W35 event in Santarem for her first ITF title of 2024 and ninth overall. With the victory, the Canadian makes her return to the top 300 of the singles rankings.