(Málaga) Montreal’s Gabriel Diallo lost 6-4, 7-5 to Otto Virtanen in the second singles match on Tuesday, allowing Finland to tie Canada 1-1 in this Davis Cup quarter-final duel.
Diallo, 139th in the world, could have ensured Canada’s victory in this best-of-three duel against Virtanen, 171st. The Finn, however, proved to be more effective on serve, as evidenced by his 14 aces – compared to only two for Diallo.
The 22-year-old Quebecer was also unable to convert his only break point against Virtanen. The latter was slightly more opportunistic, with two breaks in five opportunities during the match which lasted an hour and 33 minutes on the cement of Martin Carpena Arena.
It will therefore be up to Vasek Pospisil, from Vernon, British Columbia, and Alexis Galarneau, from Laval, to win the ultimate doubles match a little later today in order to preserve the maple leaf’s chances of defending its acquired title. in 2022. The Canadians will then meet the Finns Harri Heliovaara and Patrik Niklas-Salminen. The players selected for this match could, however, change before the start of the match.
Earlier Tuesday, Milos Raonic gave Canada a 1-0 lead after scoring a quick 6-3, 7-5 victory over Patrick Kaukovalta.
Raonic, from Thornhill, Ontario, took just one hour and seven minutes to defeat his opponent.
“I focused on my serve and created some great opportunities,” Raonic said. I tried to avoid getting into trouble, and it worked well. »
Raonic, the 318th-ranked player in the world, was much more incisive than Kaukovalta on serve: he dominated the ace column 18-11, and won 97% of the points with his first ball. The power hitter also converted two of his five break points against the 715th player in the world, who did not get a single break chance during the match. The representative of the maple leaf also managed a total of 16 winning shots, compared to only five for the Finn.
“You appreciate these moments a lot more when you know there aren’t many more to come,” said Raonic, who is 32 and competed in the Davis Cup for the first time in 2010.
On the other hand, a spokesperson for Tennis Canada indicated before the start of the duel that Quebecer Félix Auger-Aliassime, who confirmed the country’s triumph against Australia in the final of the competition last year, is bored by “lower body” discomfort.
Auger-Aliassime is the only Canadian player in the world’s top 100 singles team present in Malaga, by virtue of his 29th ranking.
The winner of the duel between Canada and Finland will meet the Czech Republic or Australia in the semi-finals on Friday. The final will then take place on Sunday.