GB's Evans to face teenager in Davis Cup opener
| Davis Cup: Canada v Great Britain |
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| Venue: TD Place Arena, Ottawa Dates: 3-5 Feb Time: 20:00 GMT on Friday |
| Friday’s coverage: Watch live on BBC Red Button, Connected TV and online from 20:00 and BBC Two from 23:05, plus follow text updates on the BBC Sport website. |
Dan Evans will play 17-year-old Denis Shapovalov in the opening rubber of Great Britain’s Davis Cup first-round tie against Canada in Ottawa.
Friday’s second singles rubber will be between Kyle Edmund and Vasek Pospisil.
Jamie Murray and Dom Inglot will contest Saturday’s doubles rubber against Daniel Nestor and Pospisil.
Captain Leon Smith has confirmed world number one Andy Murray will not compete for Great Britain this weekend, saying it is the “right thing for him to do”.
- BBC coverage: Davis Cup TV and online times
“We all miss Andy because he is such a great influence on the team both on and off the court,” said Smith.
“Like we saw last year [in the match against Serbia when he watched as a spectator], he puts a lot of interest and care into this team.”
World number three Milos Raonic pulled out of the Canadian team with an injury, meaning the hosts are without a top-100 singles player.
Analysis
BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller in Ottawa:
The draw was conducted at the home of the Canadian Parliament by the Speaker of the House. The match court is about three miles from Parliament, and it is nearly possible to make the entire journey on skates as the Rideau Canal is frozen solid and open to skaters.
The absence of Milos Raonic hits Canada very hard. Denis Shapovalov won last year’s junior Wimbledon and is an exciting prospect, but it is a huge ask for him to win a five-set match at the age of 17.
Kyle Edmund will also start favourite against Vasek Pospisil, although the Canadian was a top 40 player this time last year.