World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz ensured Spain advanced to the Davis Cup Finals knock-out stage on Sunday, when he defeated Soonwoo Kwon 6-4, 7-6(1) to move the former champion into a 2-0 lead against South Korea in Valencia.

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The 19-year-old, who captured his maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open last week, lost against Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime on Friday. However, Alcaraz saved all three break points he faced against Kwon to bounce back after one hour and 49 minutes.

In the first match of the tie, Roberto Bautista Agut downed Seong-chan Hong 6-1, 6-3 in 73 minutes. The result sees Spain finish top in Group B, with Canada qualifying in second.

Germany Maintains Perfect Record
Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz delivered once again to secure Germany top spot in Group C with a perfect 3-0 record. Having won their previous two doubles rubbers, Krawietz and Puetz overcame Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell 6-4, 6-4 to clinch a 2-1 win for Germany against Australia.

In the opening clash of the tie, Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff downed Purcell 6-1, 7-5, before Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis defeated Oscar Otte 7-6(6), 6-1. The result means Germany qualifies in first and Australia advances in second.

Italy Defeats Sweden

Italy moved past Sweden 2-1 to finish top of Group A in Bologna. Matteo Berrettini defeated Elias Ymer 6-4, 6-4 to give the Italians a 1-0 lead before Mikael Ymer battled past Jannik Sinner 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 to keep Sweden’s qualification chances alive.

However, Fabio Fognini and Simone Bolelli ended those hopes, defeating Andre Goransson and Dragos Nicolae Madaras 7-6(1), 6-2 in the deciding doubles match. Italy finishes the group in top spot, holding a 3-0 record. Sweden misses out on qualification, placing third.

Great Britain Finishes With Win
Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski defeated Alexander Bublik and Aleksandr Nedovyesov 7-6(2), 6-7(9), 7-6(4) to ensure Great Britain finished Group D with a victory.

In the decisive match of the tie, Salisbury and Skupski saved all four break points and fired nine aces to secure the former champion a 2-1 win against Kazakhstan in a tie between two teams that were already eliminated. In the first match, Andy Murray cruised past Dmitry Popko 6-4, 6-3. Alexander Bublik then downed Cameron Norrie 6-4, 6-3 to level.

The Netherlands and the United States had already secured qualification from Group D in Glasgow on Saturday.

What is the format for the 2022 Davis Cup Finals?
The group stage of the 2022 Davis Cup by Rakuten Finals will take place across four cities — Bologna, Glasgow, Hamburg and Valencia — from 13-18 September. The 16 nations will compete in four round-robin groups of four teams. The top two teams in each group will advance to the knock-out stage. The knock-out stage will take place in Malaga from 22-27 November.

Less than two months before the Nitto ATP Finals, tennis is already in the spotlight in Turin. In preparation for the year-end event, to be held at the Pala Alpitour stadium from 13-20 November, six parks and iconic locations will be the venues for “Tennis in Piazza” during September and October.

Organised by the Italian Tennis Federation in collaboration with the Municipality of Turin and the Piedmont Regional Schools Directorate, this activation will span across six different events and invites members of the public to familiarise themselves with a sport that is experiencing a moment of extraordinary popularity in Italy.

Following the success of the 2021 edition of “Tennis in Piazza”, this year’s event returns with an avant-garde setup, keeping with the style of the Nitto ATP Finals. Each venue will have a 10×16-metre court, with teachers and supervisors from the Istituto Superiore di Formazione “Roberto Lombardi” (ISF) on hand to assist children and young aspiring players as well as adolescents and adults who want to take the first step toward learning the sport of tennis. Thanks to the collaboration between the ISF, the City of Turin and the Schools Directorate of Piedmont, this initiative has already seen 30 schools confirm their participation.

This year, “Tennis in Piazza” will also offer participants the opportunity to practise another racket sport: table tennis. Next to each tennis court, a further four playing areas will be set up with reduced-size tables specially designed for players in the preliminary stages of the sport. This activation was made possible by the support of technical experts of the Federation and in collaboration with the Piedmont Regional Committee and the Italian Table Tennis Federation.

Each of the six events of the 2022 edition of “Tennis in Piazza” will be organised over three days, from Friday through Sunday. The first day will be dedicated to children from primary schools, the second day to secondary-school students, and the third day to adolescents and adults of any age.

The series, with the patronage of the Municipality of Turin, will start the week 16 September at Parco del Valentino and will continue with the following calendar:

23 – 25 September: Parco Ruffini
30 September – 2 October: Piazza d’Armi 
7 – 9 October: Parco della Confluenza
14 – 16 October: Parco Dora
28 – 30 October: Piazza Castello