Davis Cup drama: Argentina stuns Great Britain, Group D wide open

Argentina defeated Great Britain in the Davis Cup, causing uncertainty in Group D. The South American team had lost its first match against Canada 1-2, but thanks to Thomas Martin Etcheverry and Francisco Cerundolo, they surprised Dan Evans and Jack Draper with clear victories.

A closely contested series was expected as all three Argentine singles players were ranked in the top 35, while the Europeans pinned their hopes on an inspired Draper, who was playing his first match since reaching the Davis Cup semi-finals.

Argentina keeps hopes alive for Davis Cup

In the first match of Group D, Canada beat Argentina and Great Britain beat Finland 2-1. This time, the Europeans had a chance to secure their place in the Davis Cup finals, but were caught off guard, leading to uncertainty ahead of the last group match that will determine the finalists.

Canada had all but secured qualification after beating Finland 3-0, topping the group with a record of 2-0 draws and 5-1 games. The Finns were eliminated with a record of 0-2 draws and 1-5 games.

Great Britain needs two wins against the South Americans today to qualify alongside Canada and go into the final day with more confidence. In the first match, Dan Evans (No. 178) faced Tomas Martin Etcheverry (No. 26), and the South American won comfortably with 6:2, 7:5.

In the second match, the pressure was on Draper (No. 20), who was playing his first match since the US Open after missing the match against Canada, and faced an inspired Francisco Cerundolo (No. 31), who played his best tennis and won in three sets.

Evans and former world number one Neal Skupski defeated doubles specialists Andres Molteni and Máximo Gonzalez 6-3, 7-5 – a much-needed win to improve their chances of reaching the final, but Argentina still appear to have the better chances.

To do so, Great Britain would need to beat Canada and Argentina would need to beat Finland to make it 2-1 after games. In this case, the number of games won will be counted, and in the event of a tie, sets or even games can determine the result. Both Argentina and Great Britain are under pressure to win their final game to qualify.

Davis Cup – Group D