KAZAKHSTAN 3, ARGENTINA 2
Astana, Kazakhstan (Indoor clay)

Kazakhstan pulled off a major upset on Sunday, defeating defending Davis Cup champions Argentina 3-2. Following Saturday’s doubles rubber which put Kazakhstan in control of the tie, Mikhail Kukushkin sealed victory for his team in a tight 6-4, 6-4, 7-6(2) triumph over Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman in front of a boisterous home crowd at Astana’s National Tennis Centre. Kazakhstan handed Argentina a walkover in the tie’s final dead rubber.

Argentina, which was without recent US Open semi-finalist Juan Martin del Potro, will be relegated to Group I of the Americas Zone in 2018.

COLOMBIA 1, CROATIA 3
Bogota, Colombia (Outdoor clay)

After an epic doubles comeback on Saturday alongside Nikola Mektic, Marin Cilic led Croatia back into the Davis Cup World Group with an emphatic 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 win over Santiago Giraldo of Colombia. Cilic’s singles victory makes him Croatia’s all-time singles match-wins leader with 24 victories, eclipsing the record previously held by Ivan Ljubicic.

SWITZERLAND 3, BELARUS 2
Biel, Switzerland (Indoor hard)

2014 Davis Cup champions Switzerland secured its place back in the World Group on the back of a spirited effort in their singles rubbers. Trailing Belarus 1-2 going into Sunday’s play, Henri Laaksonen kept Switzerland alive with a 6-2, 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 win over Dzmitry Zhyrmont. Veteran Marco Chiudinelli sealed victory for the home team by beating Yaraslav Shyla 6-4, 6-3, 6-4.

NETHERLANDS 3, CZECH REPUBLIC 2
The Hague, Netherlands (Indoor clay)

Host country Netherlands pulled of an impressive comeback over three-time Davis Cup champions Czech Republic, relegating the Czechs to the zonal ties for just the second time in their Davis Cup history. Robin Haase, who has recently enjoyed a successful North American summer, levelled the tie with a 6-1, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over Jiri Vesely. Former Top 40 player Thiemo de Bakker, now ranked No. 408 in the Emirates ATP Rankings following a lengthy injury layoff, completed the unlikely victory for the Dutch in a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 decision over Lukas Rosol.

PORTUGAL 2, GERMANY 3
Lisbon, Portugal (Outdoor clay)

Led by Jan-Lennard Struff in Sunday’s play, Germany closed out hosts Portugal at the scenic Club de Ténis do Jamor in Lisboa. Struff fought off an inspired performance by Joao Sousa, saving a match point in the fourth set tie-break to win 6-0, 6-7(3), 3-6, 7-6(8), 6-4 in just over three hours.

JAPAN 2, BRAZIL 0
Osaka, Japan (Outdoor hard)

Play was once again delayed in Japan’s home tie against Brazil, with extreme rain washing out any possibility of a Sunday finish. With play to resume Monday, Japan’s two singles victories by Yuichi Sugita and Go Soeda have put the host nation in prime position to earn a berth in the Davis Cup World Group in 2018.

HUNGARY 3, RUSSIA 1
Budapest, Hungary (Outdoor clay)

Marton Fucsovics was a hero once again in Budapest, winning his third rubber of the tie to put Hungary into the World Group over Russia’s team of #NextGenATP players. Fucsovics, ranked 113 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, blasted 34 winners past #NextGenATP Karen Khachanov en route to a 7-5, 6-4, 6-4 triumph.

CANADA 2, INDIA 1
Edmonton, Canada (Indoor hard)

With Canada leading 2-1 courtesy of a hard-fought four-set doubles victory by Daniel Nestor and Vasek Pospisil on Saturday, #NextGenATP Denis Shapovalov looks to close out India as he takes on Ramkumar Ramanathan in the tie’s fourth rubber.

FRANCE 3, SERBIA 1
Lille, France (Outdoor Clay)

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga provided the heroics on Sunday afternoon in Lille, giving France an unassailable 3-1 lead in their Davis Cup semi-final tie against Serbia. The French No. 1 rallied past Dusan Lajovic 2-6, 6-2, 7-6(5), 6-2, claiming his 20th singles victory in his Davis Cup career.

Lajovic had stunned Lucas Pouille to open the tie on Friday, but was unable to replicate the upset. Tsonga prevailed after two hours and 48 minutes, firing 38 winners including eight aces. It was sweet revenge for Les Bleus, who were defeated by Serbia in the 2010 final.

Under the captaincy of Yannick Noah, the French squad will appear in its first final since 2014. They will bid for a 10th title against either Australia or Belgium. Should Australia prevail, the final will be contested Down Under. If Belgium wins, France are the hosts.

The French team will be looking to end a 16-year title drought, having most recently prevailed over Australia in the 2001 final, followed by runner-up finishes in 2002, 2010 and 2014.

BELGIUM 2, AUSTRALIA 2
Brussels, Belgium (Indoor Clay)

David Goffin led Belgium to the 2015 Davis Cup final and the World No. 12 is refusing to let a return trip slip through his grasp. Goffin overcame an early deficit to defeat Nick Kyrgios 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 on Sunday in Brussels.

With the Belgians facing elimination following Saturday’s doubles win by John Peers and Jordan Thompson, their No. 1 forced a deciding rubber with the win after three hours and nine minutes. Goffin sealed the victory with an ace, his 20th of the match. He overcame an 0-3 FedEx ATP Head2Head deficit vs. Kyrgios, having fallen twice this year – at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 stops in Miami and Cincinnati.

Australia is playing its first Davis Cup tie on clay since 2014 and has dropped two straight encounters against Belgium leading into their semi-final clash. They will send out John Millman to face Steve Darcis in the fifth rubber.

There are more than one billion people in China, but none are smiling as brightly as Wu Yibing. The 17 year old is redefining the Asian tennis landscape with every victory and on Sunday he notched another significant milestone, scoring his first ATP Challenger Tour title in Shanghai.

Just seven days after lifting the US Open junior trophy, Yibing made history on home soil in becoming the youngest Chinese champion on the Challenger circuit. He claimed victory when Yen-Hsun Lu was forced to retire with a right shoulder injury after the first set.

Yibing’s run to the title was as momentous as it was dominant. The Hangzhou native did not drop a set all week and is projected to rise 177 spots to a career-high No. 319 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. He is the 12th teeange winner of the year and fourth aged 17 & under, joining Denis Shapovalov, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Nicola Kuhn.

For years, China has been in search of a rising star on the ATP World Tour, as tennis continues to grow in popularity in the sporting rich nation. They hope the search ends with Yibing, who is fast becoming a household name. According to the South China Morning Post, the 17-year-old’s victory in New York received 43 seconds of coverage on Xinwen Lianbo, China’s flagship news programme. In comparison, basketball legend Yao Ming’s retirement earned 53 seconds and the only individual sporting success to garner more than a minute was WTA star Li Na’s victory at Roland Garros.

Yibing is the fourth player in the last five years to win a junior Grand Slam title and ATP Challenger Tour crown in the same season. He joins Nick Kyrgios (2013), Alexander Zverev (2014) and Taylor Fritz (2015).

The Chinese teen will introduce himself to the ATP World Tour when he makes his debut at the Chengdu Open. He is also set to compete in his first Masters 1000 main draw at the Shanghai Rolex Masters, earning a wild card with his run to the title this week.

Wu Yibing has a special message for his fans after clinching his maiden #ATPChallenger title in Shanghai. pic.twitter.com/LJA1Bn0vTY

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) September 17, 2017

Yibing spoke to ATPWorldTour.com following his victory on Sunday…

How does it feel to win your first Challenger title?
For sure I am happy with my performance this week. Not only because of the title, but I am also satisfied with the way I played. I am proud of that.

You did not drop a set entering the final and just beat the top seed. What went right for you?
I think mentally I am doing really well, because I just traveled back to Shanghai from New York. The jet lag issue from my body did not effect my match. My team also gave me lots of positive energy. They all believe I can do this and I actually did.

What did you take from the match against Lu at the Chengdu Challenger that helped you today?
I absorbed lots of things from that match, not only confidence. For today, I felt I could read his serve better. He served many aces the last time. In the beginning, I thought I was not patient enough from the baseline. But I kept myself clam and got back to the match after being 3-5 down in first set.

What did you enjoy most about playing in Shanghai? How nice is it to win at home?
The most enjoyable thing is I got so many fans to come on site and support me. It gave me extra strength to do better. I didn’t think too much about winning this title in Shanghai. I just hope from now on, there will be more to come.

This is just your fifth Challenger main draw. Did you expect success to come so quickly?
I believe if I do every step right and work hard, good the results will come along.

Do you hope your success inspires others to pick up a racquet in China?
I actually thought about this the other day. I hope with my good performance, I will show the right path for young Chinese players how to turn pro. Hopefully they will have more parents encourage kids to pick up raquets and try to become a professional tennis player.

You joined Denis Shapovalov, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Nicola Kuhn as the only 17 year old winners this year. How much has their success driven you?
Yes it has. And I’m actually close to Felix. He won the US Open title at 16, that’s so impressive. We played a couple times in juniors. I think from the baseline we are at a similar level. But he is way better on serve and sometimes I feel hopeless when we play together just because his serve is so strong. But he has shown why he is doing so well this year. I am not going to just imitate him. I would prefer to just focus on myself and find my own path.

What are your goals for the rest of the year?
I will keep my original goal which is get into the Top 300 [of the Emirates ATP Rankings]. I don’t want to rush into anything just because I played well this week. Step by step.

How exciting is it to make your ATP World Tour debut at the Chengdu Open and then compete at the Shanghai Rolex Masters?
I am very excited to play in Chengdu. That will be my first ATP World Tour main draw match. I am grateful for this opportunity. I want to learn from the best. I am looking forward to play in my first Masters 1000.

Success is coming sooner than Wu Yibang expected. The 17-year-old Chinese prospect only won the US Open junior singles and doubles titles less than two weeks ago in New York.

Now he stands one match away from landing his maiden ATP Challenger Tour title on home soil in Shanghai. Top seed, Chinese Taipei’s Yen-Hsun Lu, is his final hurdle.

And Wu realises how great a hurdle that is, with Lu’s 28-title haul making him all-time Challenger leader. Lu holds a 20-3 record in Challenger finals since 2008.

“I played him last month in the Chengdu semi-finals, lost to him in the final set,” Wu said. “I know he is better than me, especially from the baseline but in that match, my serve and return were performing really well. I will get my mind prepared for the final, focus on my game. If he thinks he needs to change thing against me, maybe that will be my chance.”

As the youngest Asian-born Challenger finalist since Kei Nishikori in 2007 (Carson, USA), Wu is already wary of expectations mounting. This week he took down second-seeded Canadian Peter Polansky and Japan’s No. 5 seed Hiroki Moriya en route to the semi-finals where he defeated experienced German Matthias Bachinger 7-5, 7-5 for a place in the final.

“I am more focused on tennis now. That’s why I am playing better than before,” he said. “I also can feel the support from all the fans, lots of them come here to cheer for me. 

“That gave me extra strength to do better. To be honest, this is the toughest day for me since I got back to China [from the United States]. I am still fighting the jet leg, can barely sleep at night, but luckily it didn’t affect my matches.”

Win or lose Sunday’s final, Wu is set to make his ATP World Tour debut at next week’s Chengdu Open. And as the best-finishing Chinese player in the Shanghai Challenger he has earned a wild card into the Shanghai Rolex Masters.

“I am very excited to play in Chengdu,” he said. “That will be my first ATP World Tour main draw match, but right now I will focus on [the] final.”