Auger-Aliassime, Shapovalov victories help Canada claim 1st ATP Cup title
CBC
Felix Auger-Aliassime clinched the ATP Cup title for Canada on Sunday in Sydney, Australia with a 7-6 (3), 6-3 singles victory over Roberto Bautista Agut to give his country an insurmountable 2-0 lead against Spain.
Denis Shapovalov opened the match for Canada with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Pablo Carreno Busta.
Auger-Aliassime and Shapovalov won a deciding doubles against Russia on Saturday in the semifinals to knock out the defending champions. And with the title on the line, they played their best tennis to defeat two-time finalists Spain.
"The emotions are unbelievable," Auger-Aliassime said on the ATP website. "There's no better feeling than winning. We left everything out there. We came back from far in this competition, losing our first four matches. But we never stopped believing."
WATCH l Shapovalov, Auger-Aliassime celebrate ATP Cup final win:
Auger-Aliassime saved 10 of the 11 break points he faced and had 15 aces.
Shapovalov had lost four of five previous matches against Carreno Busta.
"Couldn't have wished for a better start. If it wasn't for Denis the past two days, we wouldn't be here right now," Auger-Aliassime said.
Canada, the first team in the ATP Cup's three-year history to have lost a tie en route to the final, were swept by the United States in their group opener and also lost their first match against Britain.
Spain ended up as ATP Cup runner-up for a second time after losing the 2020 final to Serbia.
WATCH l Shapovalov, Auger-Aliassime win doubles, advance to ATP Cup final:
Elsewhere on Sunday, Top-ranked Ash Barty won her second Adelaide International title in three years with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Elena Rybakina, while Rafael Nadal also added another title to his illustrious career, capturing at least one ATP title for the 19th consecutive year.
The top-seeded Nadal beat American Maxime Cressy, 7-6 (6), 6-3 at Melbourne in one of six tournaments this week ahead of the Australian Open, which begins Jan. 17.
The Adelaide win improved Barty's record against top-20 rivals to 17-1 since the beginning of 2021.
