2020 ATP Cup kicks off with Denis Shapovalov win
Denis Shapovalov
DenisShapovalovwon thebattleof the up-and-comers against Greek StefanosTsitsipasto clinch Canada's opening tie in the inauguralATPCupmen's team event in Brisbane on Friday.
The baby-faced left-hander, 20, handed Canada an unassailable 2-0 lead in the tie with a 7-6(6) 7-6(4) victory in the second rubber against world number sixTsitsipasat the Patrick Rafter Arena.
Canada went up 1-0 when Felix Auger-Aliassime claimed a breezy 6-1-6-3 victory over Michail Pervolarakis for the first win in the $15 millionATPCup, which features 24 nations contesting in Perth, Brisbane and Sydney over 10 days.
The participating teams for the event have been determined by the singles ranking of their best player. Six of the top seven players in the world, barring Swiss great Roger Federer, have arrived in Australia.
The event, however, did not get off to the best possible start with the organisers playing a wrong national anthem for Moldova ahead of their tie against Belgium in Sydney.
Belgium's number two singles player and captain Steve Darcis won the rubber with a 6-4 6-7(4) 7-5 win against Alexander Cozbinov before world number 11 David Goffin settled the tie in the team's favour by defeating Radu Albot 6-4 6-1.
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
National Handloom Day 2026: From Alia Bhatt to Samantha Ruth Prabhu; Actresses who celebrated India's textile heritage as brides
)
The Royals enter the Doctor Who universe: King Charles and Queen Camilla beam into Commonwealth Games in TARDIS
)
Unitree Robotics targets $9 billion valuation in landmark IPO backed by DeepSeek and Tencent
)
India names 27 sites in Arunachal Pradesh
)
Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata OTT: When will Kangana Ranaut's film stream online?
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
How many soldiers operate one S-400 battery?
)
Shakib Al Hasan ready to return to Bangladesh—under one condition
)
‘Fake news’: MEA rejects report claiming India sought defence pact with Israel after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey deal
)
Rockstar to unveil GTA 6 extended look ahead of November launch
)
Russia forms Ukrainian Volunteer Spetsnaz Brigade to fight Ukraine
)
Drug-resistant fungus that hides in hair and enters bloodstream reported in 23 US states
)
Technology transfer deal boosts India's defence manufacturing ambitions
)
Border row erupts in Europe after Ceuta crossings, Spain imposes border controls on Italy
)
Morale plummets on USS Abraham Lincoln: Are US sailors reaching a breaking point? | GRAVITAS
)
'Security can't be bought with Pakistan, Turkey deal': Iran tells Saudi Arabia
)
Baba Vanga's 2026 prophecy: 2 predictions 'already came true', 3 terrifying ones remain. Details inside
)
Colombia’s new president Abelardo de la Espriella vows to ‘defeat narco-terrorists’, signals hardline shift
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
New Friday OTT releases (August 7, 2026): Operation Safed Sagar, Vadhandhi, Main Vaapis Aaunga- 6 movies and TV shows on Netflix, Prime Video and more
)
Squadron Leader Bhawana Kanth scripts history as Indian Air Force gets its first woman ‘Top Gun’ pilot
)
RSS says Gen Z protests reflect genuine distress
)
Trump says Iranian school bombing photos could be AI-generated - 'I don’t think...'
)
IAF officer held for sharing sensitive information in 'honey trap' case, booked under Official Secrets Act
)
Stray Kids under scrutiny? Fans react to Grammy submission silence after BTS boycott
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the Su-30MKI doesn't need external fuel tanks to fly vast distances
)
Jugal Hansraj reunites with Shekhar Kapur after 40 years for Masoom: The Next Generation
)
New speed limits, automatic challans: Big traffic change coming to Delhi-Meerut Expressway. All you need to know
)
India officially names 27 places in Arunachal to counter China's renaming claims
)
Trump calls White House ballroom ruling a 'national disgrace' as court says Congress approval needed
)
US sanctions Iran’s crypto network after Strait of Hormuz attacks, offers $15m bounty for intel on IRGC finance
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the Su-30MKI is one of the heaviest fighters ever built
)
Uttarakhand young innovator builds India's own flying vehicle, conducts first test flight: WATCH
)
Chilling video shows students take cover as teen opens fire at Thai school
)
Reese Witherspoon's father hospitalised after poolside incident in Nashville: Report
"At the start of the Moldova vs Belgium match we mistakenly played the wrong national anthem for Moldova," the organisers said on the official Twitter handle for theATPCup. "We are sincerely sorry and have apologised personally to Team Moldova."
The 21-year-oldTsitsipaswas considered the favourite going into the match againstShapovalovhaving defeated Roger Federer and Dominic Thiem to win theATPFinals in November.
ButShapovalov, who played brilliantly to lead Canada to its first DavisCupfinal in November where they eventually went down to Rafael Nadal's Spain, was the better player on the big points against the Greek.
After more than two hours of power-hitting from two of theATP's most excitingnextgeneration players in a match in which there was no break of serves,Shapovalovconverted his first matchpoint whenTsitsipasdouble faulted on his serve.
"It's definitely a huge win for me,"Shapovalovsaid in an on-court interview. "Obviously, he had an unbelievable end to the season and he's definitely one of the top players in the world right now. He's got a great game.
"So to beat a guy like this in the first match of the year, it's really special for me. It means a lot.
"I think today it was just a couple points here and there, just tried to keep playing my game, keep playing every single point and wait for my chances and I just think that I took advantage really well in the tie-breaks."