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Goffin puts Belgium within one win of its first Davis Cup title
FRANCE 2, BELGIUM 2
Lille, France (Indoor Hard)
For the second year in a row, there will be a live fifth rubber in the Davis Cup Final.
David Goffin evened the tie for Belgium at 2-2, defeating France’s top-ranked player, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 7-6(5), 6-3, 6-2, in front of a raucous crowd at Stade Pierre Mauroy in Lille, France.
"I played my best tennis on Sunday," Goffin said. "It's always special to play the Davis Cup on Sunday. It's the best day with the crowd and the atmosphere on the court so it was something unbelievable to play my best tennis."
The Belgian put his country within one match of winning its first Davis Cup title.
Tsonga dominated the first set, cruising on serve while earning opportunities in almost all of Goffin’s service games. The Frenchman held six break points across three different games in the opening set, but the Belgian found his best tennis while under pressure, especially on his two-handed backhand wing.
And once Goffin sneaked out the first set in a tie-break, all the momentum was on his side. Tsonga's first-serve percentage dropped from 75 to 53 in the second set, allowing the Belgian to return more aggressively. That gave Goffin his first break point opportunities in the match, one of which he converted to claim a two-set lead.
Tsonga loosened up late in the third set once he was down two breaks, but it was too late. Goffin saved two break points at 4-1 and that was the last hurdle he would face ahead of the finish line, closing out his second win of the weekend with a serve that the Frenchman could not handle.
Goffin, who also helped his country to the Davis Cup Final in 2015, did not lose serve against Tsonga or in his first match of the tie against Lucas Pouille.
The last time that France won the Davis Cup, in 2001 (d. Australia), the tie was also decided in a fifth rubber. The French took a 2-1 lead into Sunday's play before Lleyton Hewitt forced a decisive fifth rubber, which Nicolas Escude won to claim his country's ninth trophy in the event.
France’s Pouille is scheduled to play Steve Darcis in the fifth rubber — their first meeting — with the title on the line.

Pouille defeats Darcis in a live fifth rubber
FRANCE 3, BELGIUM 2
Lille, France (Indoor Hard)
If Lucas Pouille was nervous competing in a live Davis Cup fifth rubber for the first time, he certainly didn’t show it.
Pouille clinched France’s 10th Davis Cup title with a 6-3, 6-1, 6-0 victory over Belgium’s Steve Darcis in Lille, France, giving his country a 3-2 win in the tie.
"There are no words needed," Pouille said. "Just look at the atmosphere and the emotion... I'm just so proud of my team. We really wanted this trophy and finally we got it after 16 years. I'm very happy."
The Frenchman entered the match having lost his past two Davis Cup matches, including a one-hour, 59-minute defeat at the hands of David Goffin on Friday. His opponent, Darcis, had previously been 5-0 in live fifth rubbers, including clinching Belgium’s spot in the final this year as well as in 2015.
But the decisive rubber at Stade Pierre Mauroy was all Pouille from the beginning. The 23-year-old overwhelmed Darcis with power from the baseline that the veteran had no answer for.
Pouille won 79 per cent of his service points in the match, and never faced a break point. He broke Darcis seven times, closing out the triumph when a forehand from the Belgian sailed long.
"[I'm] just so emotional right now," Pouille said. "I'm very happy and to play in front of this crowd, my family and my friends, I'm feeling from another world."
The win capped another strong season for Pouille, who will finish inside the Top 20 of the Emirates ATP Rankings for the second year in a row. He was also the only player on the ATP World Tour to win titles on all three surfaces this season. The World No. 18 entered the tie on the heels of capturing his third title of the season in Vienna, after winning on clay (Budapest) and grass (Stuttgart) earlier in 2017.
It was the second year in a row that the Davis Cup Final came down to a live fifth rubber, with Argentina defeating Croatia 3-2 last year.
Goffin evened the tie for Belgium at 2-2 earlier on Sunday, beating France’s top-ranked player, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 7-6(5), 6-3, 6-2.
"I played my best tennis on Sunday," Goffin said. "It's always special to play the Davis Cup on Sunday. It's the best day with the crowd and the atmosphere on the court so it was something unbelievable to play my best tennis."
The Belgian put his country within one match of winning its first Davis Cup title.
Tsonga dominated the first set, cruising on serve while earning opportunities in almost all of Goffin’s service games. The Frenchman held six break points across three different games in the opening set, but the Belgian found his best tennis while under pressure, especially on his two-handed backhand wing.
And once Goffin sneaked out the first set in a tie-break, all the momentum was on his side. Tsonga's first-serve percentage dropped from 75 to 53 in the second set, allowing the Belgian to return more aggressively. That gave Goffin his first break point opportunities in the match, one of which he converted to claim a two-set lead.
Tsonga loosened up late in the third set once he was down two breaks, but it was too late. Goffin saved two break points at 4-1 and that was the last hurdle he would face ahead of the finish line, closing out his second win of the weekend with a serve that the Frenchman could not handle.
Goffin, who also helped his country to the Davis Cup Final in 2015, did not lose serve against Tsonga or in his first match of the tie against Lucas Pouille.
The last time that France had won the Davis Cup, in 2001 (d. Australia), the tie was also decided in a fifth rubber. The French took a 2-1 lead into Sunday's play before Lleyton Hewitt forced a decisive fifth rubber, which Nicolas Escude won to claim his country's ninth trophy in the event.

Reprezentacja Francji wygrała w niedzielę po raz 10. w historii Puchar Davisa. Zaraz po zakończeniu meczu z Belgią w Lille zaczęła się mistrzowska feta. Gratulacje złożył drużynie m.in. prezydent Emmanuel Macron.


Francja pokonała Belgię 3:2. Punkty dla Trójkolorowych zdobyli w singlu Jo-Wilfried Tsonga i Lucas Pouille, zaś w deblu Pierre-Hugues Herbert i Richard Gasquet. Dla gości dwa zwycięstwa odniósł David Goffin, lecz nie miał wsparcia ze strony kolegów. Belgowie ciągle czekają na premierowy sukces w rozgrywkach Pucharu Davisa. Jak na razie trzykrotnie przegrali w wielkim finale.


Francja świętowała 10. triumf w Pucharze Davisa. Czekała na niego od 2001 roku. Szczęśliwym talizmanem okazał się kapitan Yannick Noah i on też rozpoczął niedzielną fetę w Lille. Tenisiści wspólnie z kibicami radośnie odśpiewali hymn narodowy - "Marsyliankę".



Gratulacje posypały się od innych tenisistów oraz kortowych koleżanek. Cieszył się również prezydent Emmanuel Macron, który z powodu obowiązków nie był obecny w Lille. - Gratulacje dla zwycięskiej drużyny, która dała Francuzom kolejny powód do dumy - napisał na Twitterze.


Radował się także były francuski prezydent, Nicolas Sarkozy. - Wielkie gratulacje dla francuskiej drużyny narodowej w tenisie ziemnym. To wielka radość móc oglądać wasze zwycięstwo w Pucharze Davisa po tak wielkim wysiłku i pięknych meczach. Jesteśmy z was bardzo dumni.

Tennis Canada announced on Thursday that Frank Dancevic has been named captain of the Canadian Davis Cup team, replacing Martin Laurendeau who has stepped down in order to dedicate his time to coaching Denis Shapovalov.

Dancevic made his Davis Cup debut as a player in 2002. Since then, he has posted a record of 18 wins and 22 loses in 26 appearances with the team. A native of Niagara Falls, Ontario, and current resident of La Prairie, Quebec, Dancevic played one of the best matches of his career against Spain’s Marcel Granollers, then ranked 34th in the world, defeating him by a score of 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 in the World Group first round encounter in 2013. It was that year that Canada reached the semi-finals, the best result in the nation’s Davis Cup history.

Dancevic, who will continue his career as a player — he is currently ranked world no. 361 in the ATP rankings, after having reached a career-high ranking of no. 65 in 2007 —, said he was honored by this opportunity provided to him by Tennis Canada.

“These are definitely big shoes to fill, as Martin has been an outstanding captain for our team. No one will be able to replace him,” stated Dancevic. “It is an honor for me to take on this role as the Davis Cup has always been a special and important event for me. I know all the players well, which will be an asset for me moving forward. It is certainly a great challenge, but I have tremendous confidence in this team and I am looking forward to our next tie in February.”



“Frank has played a significant role in the success of the team for almost two decades. He has seen this team evolve over time,” explained Louis Borfiga. “The players and Tennis Canada have full confidence in his ability to not only keep this team in the World Group, but to aim even higher in the coming years.”

Laurendeau has been the team captain since 2004, in addition to occupying the role of team coach for 10 years and defending the Canadian flag as a player from 1986 to 1993. Under his leadership, Canada has been present in the World Group since 2012 and reached the Davis Cup semi-finals in 2013.

“After 15 years as captain, I have decided to step away from Davis Cup. It has been the highest honor to represent my country in all of the different roles that I have held over the last 34 years,” stated Laurendeau. “Davis Cup is very intense and energy consuming. Combining the captaincy and full-time coaching on the ATP Tour made for a relentlessly busy calendar. Thus, I have decided to step down and provide someone else with the opportunity to lead our Canadian team. Frank is one of Canada’s most experienced Davis Cup players, which will certainly serve him well in his new role. I am delighted to hand the torch to a former pupil, especially to one with whom I have shared many memories on the court. I wish all the best to Frank and the team. I will continue to follow Davis Cup very closely!”

“Martin’s professionalism, leadership and integrity have helped this team succeed in recent years. He evolved with the team and was able to adjust according to the challenges that presented themselves,” said Borfiga. “He will be missed, but his contribution to Canadian tennis has not ended.”

Canada’s Davis Cup team will face Croatia in the World Group first round from February 2 to 4, 2018.

Team Slovenia will start into the season with a new Davis Cup captain. After 12 years of running the men’s team Blaz Trupej will be replaced by Miha Mlakar. This was announced during the season ending event at the SiTi Teater in Ljubljana.

“The goal is to get into the Group I Division,” Trupej told. “If the entire team is fit and we do not have to deal with injuries, we will have a good chance to do so.”

Slovenia was represented by Tomislav Ternar, Mike Urbanija, recently retired Grega Zemlja and Tilen Zitnik in April this year and will host Poland from 3-4 February 2018 for the first round Group II Europe/Africa Division tie.

Andraz Bedene will also join the team as co-captain. His twin brother and current World No. 49, Aljaz, is still considering switching his allegiance back to Slovenia. The 28-year-old became a British citizen in 2015 but has been unable to overturn a ban preventing him from representing Great Britain in the Davis Cup.

“Aljaž has to arrange things with the British Tennis Association, but he would definitely like to play for Slovenia again,” Andraz said. The country’s currently best ranked male player is Blaz Kavcic, ranked World No. 97.

W 2018 roku w Pucharze Davisa zadebiutuje wyspa Guam. Tenisiści z terytorium zależnego od USA zagrają w Grupie IV Strefy Azja/Oceania.
W sezonie 2018 tenisiści z Guamu będą mieli zaszczyt zagrać po raz pierwszy w Pucharze Davisa. Jest to wyspa w południowej części archipelagu Marianów w Mikronezji, zależna od USA.
- Kilka lat temu występ w Pucharze Davisa pod flagą Guamu był tylko marzeniem, ale nadszedł w końcu czas, by się spełniło. To naprawdę ekscytująca sprawa - powiedział dla "Pacific Daily News" Torgun Smith, prezes Federacji Tenisowej Guamu, który jednocześnie będzie pełnił funkcję kapitana drużyny narodowej.
Guam zawsze był narodem klasy C w Międzynarodowej Federacji Tenisowej (ITF) i tenisiści z tej wyspy mogli grać w Pucharze Davisa tylko rywalizując o selekcję z najlepszymi w regionie o miejsce w zespole Pacyfiku i Oceanii (obecnie Grupa III). W 2016 roku status Guamu został podniesiony do klasy B.

W dniach 29 stycznia - 3 lutego 2018 roku w Omanie odbędzie się turniej Grupy IV. Obok Guamu i reprezentacji gospodarzy wezmą w nim udział Bahrajn, Bangladesz, Irak, Kirgistan, Mongolia, Mjanma, Singapur, Tadżykistan, Turkmenistan i Zjednoczone Emiraty Arabskie. Awans do Grupy III wywalczą dwie najlepsze drużyny.

W drużynie Guamu zagrają Danny Llarenas, Christopher Cajigan, Jean Pierre Huynh i Mason Caldwell. Tylko ten pierwszy miał szansę wystąpić w Pucharze Davisa. Razem z Brettem Baudinetem (Wyspy Cooka) stworzyli najlepszą deblową parę ekipy Pacyfiku i Oceanii (bilans gier 11-2).

W 2017 roku w Pucharze Davisa na różnych szczeblach zagrało 125 reprezentacji. W przyszłym sezonie będzie ich o siedem więcej. Tytułu bronić będzie Francja, która pod koniec listopada w Lille pokonała Belgię i triumfowała w rozgrywkach po raz pierwszy od 16 lat. Drużynowe mistrzostwa świata mężczyzn rozgrywane są od 1900 roku.