Davis Cup Finals 2024: 8 teams who have qualified for the knockout stages ft. defending champions Italy
With all the Grand Slam tournaments done for the season, the tennis world's attention has shifted solely to the Davis Cup. The latest round of the tournament produced some shocking results as Team Great Britain was knocked out before the quarterfinal stage, while the defending champion, Italy, is through to the last eight in their quest to win back-to-back Davis Cup titles.
Team Italy was without their star player Jannik Sinner, who opted out of competing due to his recent US Open exertions. However, Matteo Berrettini led the Italian team and the defending champions eased into the last eight by topping Group A, winning all three matches.
Team Netherlands finished Group A in second spot by winning the doubles match against Italy. The Dutch needed just one win to advance after being tied on points with Brazil and Belgium. The Netherlands clinched a spot in the last eight despite losing to Italy 2-1.
In Group B, Australia and Spain finished as the top two teams in the group. The Australian team won both of their matches to take the lead in the group, which was soon matched by Team Spain. The Spanish team led by Carlos Alcaraz is one of the favorites to win the Davis Cup. Team France finished third and was eliminated before the final stages.
Team USA and Team Germany comprised Group C. USA won all three of their matches and topped the group, while Germany won two out of three to finish second.
The biggest shock of the group stages came in Group D when Team Britain was knocked out at the O2 Arena in Manchester. Canada and GB faced off in the final group game with the winner going through to the final eight. Denis Shapovalov defeated Dan Evans and Felix Auger-Aliassime won against Jack Draper to see a place in the finals for Team Canada.
Canada finished the group first with Argentina at second, having won two of their three group matches. The quarterfinal of the Davis Cup will be played from 19 November with the final scheduled for 24 November.
Carlos Alcaraz's Spain could face the defending champions in the Davis Cup Finals 2024
Carlos Alcaraz returned to Davis Cup action and helped Spain top their group on the way to the last eight. The Spanish superstar is fresh off winning the French Open and the Wimbledon double and looked in prime touch as he dispatched Tomas Machac and Ugo Humbert in straight sets in his two outings.
Alcaraz-inspired team Spain is one of the favorites to win the tournament even with the absence of Rafael Nadal. With Spain set to face either Germany or the Netherlands in the quarterfinal, Alcaraz will be the key to determining the outcome and success of the Spaniards.
Spain and Italy are at the opposite end of the draw and could potentially face each other in the final.
Team Italy will face either Argentina or Australia in the quarterfinal but will start as the favorites to defend their title. A potential Spain against Italy clash in the Davis Cup final is a mouth-watering prospect given Sinner and Alcaraz have shared two Grand Slam titles each in the 2024 season.