The knockout stage of the Davis Cup is nearly upon us with eight teams still in the running to be crowned champion of tennis’ top men’s team event.
Canada are the defending champions after they defeated Australia in last year’s final, having toppled Germany in the quarter-final and outlasted Italy in the final four.
The Canadians are in the running again and have arguably landed in the softer half of the draw, with a quarter-final showdown against Finland set to be followed by the Czech Republic or Australia.
The bottom half looks trickier to navigate through, though, with Great Britain facing a strong Serbia side, while the star-studded Italians lock horns with the Netherlands.
The quarter-finals get underway in Malaga on 21st November with the final played at the same Spanish venue only five days later.
- Canada to win Davis Cup Finals
- Italy to win Davis Cup Finals
Canadians Primed For A Repeat
Canada’s reward for finishing top of Group A is a winnable quarter-final with Finland and there is every opportunity for them to repeat their winning achievements of last season.
The Canadians defeated Italy to take top spot in that section, winning all three of their matches which also included victories over Chile and Sweden.
In fact, Canada lost only one of the nine matches they contested - 2-1 win over Chile - and they are only going to get stronger from drafting in the likes of Felix Auger-Aliassime and Milos Raonic.
The absence of Denis Shapovalov is a blow, but Vasek Pospisil’s presence alongside Auger-Aliassime and Raonic gives them a formidable look, something that should see them past the Finns.
Finland finished second to Netherlands in Group D, but they are reliant on Emil Ruusuvuori for their star quality, so Canada should advance to the final four.
In the semi-final, Frank Dancevic’s side will meet Czech Republic or Australia, the latter of which they defeated 2-0 in last year’s final.
The Aussies, captained by Leyton Hewett, have greater strength in depth than the Czechs with Alex de Minaur, Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson in attendance.
But Canada are still expected to be too strong and, with a place in the final seemingly there’s for the taking, they must make plenty of appeal in the outright market.
CANADA TO WIN THE DAVIS CUP FINALS
Italians Can Go All The Way
While Canada should take some stopping on their charge to the final, the bottom half of the draw looks ultra-competitive.
With Serbia set to recall world number one Novak Djokovic to their Davis Cup squad, they are sure to have their followers and they are likely to hold the aces against quarter-final opponents Great Britain, who have Cameron Norrie, Andy Murray and Jack Draper spearheading their bid.
But Italy also have a secret weapon to call upon in Jannik Sinner and they have great strength in depth with Lorenzo Musetti, Matteo Arnaldi and Lorenzo Sonego providing them with four players inside the world’s top 50.
That should ensure they power past the Netherlands, who will be hoping Tallon Griekspoor and Botic Van de Zandschulp deliver their A-game, before overcoming the Serbian challenge in the final four.
ITALY TO WIN THE DAVIS CUP FINALS
