Auger-Aliassime and Shapovalov win deciding doubles rubber to clinch victory over Germany
Toronto, October 4, 2015 – Canada has won the first Junior Davis Cup by BNP Paribas title in its history following the team’s 2-1 victory over Germany in the final at La Caja Magica in Madrid on Sunday. The No. 1 seeds at Junior Davis Cup, Canada had its toughest tie of the tournament in the final, with Junior US Open champions Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov capturing the deciding doubles match to earn their team the prestigious trophy.
Shapovalov opened the final with a 6-1, 6-4 triumph over Marvin Moeller to give Canada the 1-0 lead. But Auger-Aliassime then lost his first match of the week, dropping a 6-3, 6-3 decision to Nicola Kuhn as Germany evened up the tie at 1-1. After going 12-0 through its previous four ties, this was the first time Canada had to play a deciding doubles rubber. But Auger-Aliassime and Shapovalov were up to the task against Kuhn and Moeller, defeating the German duo 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 in a tight, up-and-down match and making history for Canada.
“It was an unbelievable final,” said Auger-Aliassime after the match. “We had to clinch it in the deciding doubles but I think we did a great job. The support on the sidelines was amazing. We are really proud of what we did here.”
“It’s very exciting being the first Canadians to ever win Junior Davis Cup,” said Shapovalov. “We knew we had the team to do it as all three of the players on this team are great and contributed. We are very excited.”
The third member of the winning team was Benjamin Sigouin and the squad was captained by Oded Jacob.
Prior to this year, the best finish by a Canadian Junior Davis Cup or Fed Cup team was second place – 2011, 2004, 2003 (Junior Fed Cup) and 2010 (Junior Davis Cup).
In Junior Fed Cup action, the Canadian girls and team captain Ralph Platz concluded their week on a winning note after falling in the semifinals. In the third-place play-off, Canada defeated Russia 3-0. Bianca Andreescu started her team off strongly by posting a 6-2, 6-2 win over Evgeniya Levashova. Charlotte Robillard-Millette then secured Canada the bronze medal with a 6-3, 7-5 victory opposite Olesya Pervushina. In the doubles match, Vanessa Wong and Andreescu teamed to give Canada the sweep, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 against Elena Rybakina and Levashova.
The Junior Davis Cup and Fed Cup by BNP Paribas is the international tennis team competition for the under-16 age category. A total of 168 teams from 94 countries took part in regional qualifying in 2015, with the top 15 teams and host Spain making it to this week’s Junior Davis Cup and Fed Cup finals. The finals were played on clay at La Caja Magica, home of the combined ATP World Tour Masters 1000 and WTA Premier Mandatory Madrid Open.
