Alcaraz Leads Spain To Davis Cup Qualification

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.