Roberto Bautista Agut put Spain 1-0 ahead in their Davis Cup final against Canada with an emotional victory over Felix Auger-Aliassime in Madrid.

Bautista Agut, making a surprise return to the team following the death of his father on Thursday, beat the 19-year-old 7-6 (7-3) 6-3.

He was in tears after the win while addressing the jubilant crowd.

Spain will seal victory if world number one Rafael Nadal beats Denis Shapovalov in the second singles rubber.

Canada are in their first final, while Spain are chasing a sixth title.

The final is a best-of-three tie, where a doubles rubber would decide the outcome if the teams are level after the two singles matches.

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Bautista Agut puts aside grief to deliver for Spain

Bautista Agut rushed home on Thursday after his father was taken ill and the Spanish federation later announced the player’s dad had died.

But the world number nine returned to Madrid to watch his team-mates beat Great Britain in the semi-finals on Saturday before being recalled for the final.

The 31-year-old, whose mother died last year, pointed to the sky after claiming victory when Auger-Aliassime went wide on the first of three match points.

“It was very special feeling on the court and I just could go out and try my best, give my best,” he told Eurosport.

“I am very happy I could win the first point for Spain.”

Auger-Aliassime was playing his first match at the revamped tournament this week after an ankle injury, with Canada reaching the title-decider by using just the same two players in all of their singles and doubles matches – Shapovalov and Vasek Pospisil.

Captain Leon Smith says Great Britain can be excited about their chances of future success in the Davis Cup despite a heartbreaking semi-final defeat by a Rafael Nadal-inspired Spain in Madrid.

Doubles pair Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski lost the deciding rubber to Nadal and Feliciano Lopez in a 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (10-8) defeat.

It clinched a 2-1 win for hosts Spain, who play Canada in Sunday’s final.

“I look forward to a really positive 2020,” Smith said.

• Great Britain miss out on final after losing decisive doubles to Spain
• GB’s semi-final defeat as it happened

Britain’s five-man team of Andy Murray, Dan Evans, Kyle Edmund, Jamie Murray and Skupski reached the last four of the inaugural season-ending finals, which are the brainchild of Barcelona footballer Gerard Pique, to ensure an automatic spot in next year’s event.

Edmund, 24, was the star player for Britain, winning all three of his singles rubbers in straight sets, despite a disappointing ATP season where he has slipped to 69th in the world.

Andy Murray, 32, missed the last three matches after struggling for fitness during a sluggish three-set win over world number 179 Tallon Griekspoor in the opening victory over the Netherlands.

Evans, who won one of his four singles matches, is ranked as the British number one, while Jamie Murray and Skupski are continuing to improve as regular doubles partner.

Smith also pointed to Cameron Norrie and doubles player Joe Salisbury – Britain’s sole representative at the recent ATP Finals – to illustrate the depth at his disposal.

“Everyone’s got their different journey to go on, but I think we should be excited by what we have in British tennis,” said Smith, whose side also beat Kazakhstan and Germany.

“We’ve got so many different things going. I think it’s great, it’s positive.

“Hopefully everyone can just keep on that path and we come back here next year with an even stronger team than the strong team we have already got.”

Jamie Murray and Skupski, who had an impressive week on his Davis Cup debut, could not convert any of four second-set points against world singles number one Nadal, 32, and 38-year-old Lopez in Saturday’s semi-final.

The Spanish pair, roared on by a boisterous home crowd in the Caja Magica, swung the momentum back in their favour and converted a second match point to leave the British contingent devastated.

“The emotion is still raw,” Smith told BBC Sport.

“You’re within a couple of points of going into a deciding third set and then it’s game on. There was nothing in it. I’m proud of all of them.

“We’re hurting, but we’ve seen an amazing tie here against Spain, who are arguably the strongest team in the competition, especially with Rafa in it.

“We’ve pushed them within a couple of points to a deciding set to see who goes into the final.

“To reach semi-finals is a brilliant achievement, we have come through tough matches and tough moments.

“Everyone has stepped up and we’ll look back proudly on this.”

Canada beat Russia 6-3 3-6 7-6 (7-5) in an epic decisive doubles rubber to reach the Davis Cup final in Madrid.

The pair of Vasek Pospisil and Denis Shapovalov beat Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev in a tie-break as Canada reached the final for the first time.

They will face either Great Britain or Spain on Sunday at 15:00 GMT.

Rublev beat Pospisil 6-4 6-4 in the opening singles rubber to give Russia the lead before Shapovalov levelled with a 6-4 4-6 6-4 win over Khachanov.

In the doubles, a final long backhand from Rublev sent Shapovalov and Pospisil leaping into the air and into each other’s arms.

Both Canada and Russia have only used two players during the competition, with Russia relying on Khachanov and Rublev after the withdrawal through fatigue of Daniil Medvedev.

Canada have benched Shapovalov’s Junior Davis Cup-winning team-mate Felix Auger-Aliassime following an ankle problem and were without Milos Raonic completely because of injury.

Rublev’s singles victory over world number 150 Pospisil, who had not lost a singles match in the tournament, put the pressure on world number 15 Shapovalov.

The Canadian number one rose to the challenge, fighting back from 1-4 down to win the first set. He then recovered from 0-40 to serve out the match against Khachanov.

Khachanov and Rublev had beaten Serbia’s Novak Djokovic and Viktor Troicki in a dramatic doubles rubber on Friday, saving three match points, but they could not repeat that feat on Saturday, with Pospisil and Shapovalov coming from 4-2 down in the tie-break and taking their second match point for victory.

It was their third Davis Cup semi-final, after previous last-four defeats in 1913 and 2013.

Andy Murray will not play in Great Britain’s Davis Cup semi-final against Spain on Saturday.

Captain Leon Smith is sticking with the team which beat Germany in Friday’s quarter-final, with Kyle Edmund and British number one Dan Evans playing the singles matches.

Murray, 32, was not picked against Germany after being rested for Thursday’s group win over Kazakhstan which booked their last-eight spot.

GB face Spain in Madrid at 16:30 GMT.

Evans won his first match of the tournament on Friday, beating Jan-Lennard Struff in the second singles rubber to seal GB’s place in the semi-finals.

Smith said before the Germany tie that whether to recall Murray would be one of his “more difficult decisions”.

The Scot won his singles match in the group opener against the Netherlands but had looked sluggish as he laboured to a three-set victory over Dutch world number 179 Tallon Griekspoor on Wednesday.

Murray admitted afterwards he was still “a couple of kilos” heavier than he would have liked after gaining weight while taking time off with his newborn son and family.

Great Britain’s semi-final sees Edmund taking on world number 34 Pablo Carreno Busta before Evans faces Rafael Nadal.

If the best-of-three tie goes to a decisive doubles rubber, Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski will play Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez, although Nadal could replace Lopez as he did in the quarter-final victory over Argentina.

Andy Murray has offered to try to get tickets for Great Britain fans in Madrid who want to watch the team’s Davis Cup semi-final on Saturday.

Britain will play Spain or Argentina in the Spanish capital at 16:30 GMT.

Dan Evans and Kyle Edmund booked Britain’s place in the last four with victory over Germany on Friday.

“We will try to sort out as many tickets as possible for anyone who wants to come [and] support,” Scot Murray, 32, posted on Instagram.

It was not clear whether Murray’s offer was to increase Great Britain’s paid-for allocation or to try to secure free tickets for fans.

Murray did not feature in the quarter-final after captain Leon Smith decided not to recall the former world number one, who also missed the match against Kazakhstan after a laboured performance in the opening win over the Netherlands.

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The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), British tennis’ governing body, said it was talking to tournament organisers about how many tickets would be available for British fans in the 12,500-capacity Manolo Santana Court at the Caja Magica.

Britain were backed by around 1,000 fans in their opening two group matches against the Netherlands and Kazakhstan, with that number thought to be slightly lower for the quarter-final against the Germans.

Shortly after Britain completed their win, and before the outcome of Spain’s tie against Argentina, the ticket portal on the Davis Cup finals website was showing about 300 were still available for the general public to buy.

“I don’t know how many Brits are in Madrid. There could be quite a few,” British captain Leon Smith said.

“If we do have an allocation that isn’t sold out, then obviously we’d like as many people to come and watch.

“One, for the atmosphere; and two, to keep supporting the event.”

Kyle Edmund delivered again in Andy Murray’s absence to start Great Britain’s Davis Cup quarter-final against Germany with a win.

Edmund, 24, repaid the faith shown in him by captain Leon Smith to win 6-3 7-5 against Philipp Kohlschreiber.

Former world number one Murray, 32, was left out for the second tie in a row.

British number one Dan Evans, winless so far in the Madrid finals, will put his team into the last four if he beats Jan-Lennard Struff later on Friday.

If Evans loses to the German world number 35, Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski would have to win the final doubles rubber to send Britain through in the best-of-three tie – as the pair crucially managed to do in each of the two group-stage matches.

Hosts Spain, led by 19-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal, or an Argentina side without the injured Juan Martin del Potro, would be Britain’s opponents in a potential semi-final on Saturday.

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Edmund steps in to deliver again

Although British captain Smith had said whether to recall Andy Murray was likely to be one of his “most difficult” decisions, the absence of the three-time Grand Slam champion was still a major surprise when the team was announced an hour before the quarter-final tie.

Murray, 32, produced a laboured performance in his victory over Dutch world number 179 Tallon Griekspoor in the opening group match on Wednesday, admitting afterwards he was still a couple of kilograms heavier than he would like to be.

Whether down to a lack of sharpness or something else, his absence again meant Britain are relying on Edmund and Evans to deliver against the Germans.

Edmund, like he did against Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin in Thursday’s must-win group tie, fulfilled his role spectacularly, producing one his finest matches of a year where he has struggled for victories on the ATP Tour.

Despite slipping to 69th in the world, Edmund has rediscovered his most potent weapon – blistering clean forehands – and improved his weaker backhand side at exactly the right time for his country.

The Yorkshireman hit 10 winners, compared to just six unforced errors, in a first set wrapped up in 32 minutes thanks to two breaks of serve and without facing a break point himself.

When 36-year-old Kohlschreiber did take his first chance at the third attempt in the fourth game of the second set, Edmund responded instantly to stop any momentum the German hoped to garner.

Showing a resilience and confidence often lacking this year, Edmund broke back with a forehand winner down the line, seconds after he chose the wrong side with a backhand which allowed the German to return at the net.

Two backhand winners down the line laid the platform for Edmund to break again for 6-5 and the opportunity to serve for the match, a chance he took with a hold to love sealed by a long Kohlschreiber return.

Edmund, usually so placid, revealed the emotions stirred by representing his nation in the Davis Cup by swinging a forearm high into the air after sealing a dominant win, embracing both Smith and Murray courtside before returning to the middle again to soak up the acclaim of the British fans.

While there appeared to be fewer Britons on a half-full court than at the two group ties against the Netherlands and Kazakhstan, those still in the Spanish capital provided sterling vocal support as they outnumbered their German counterparts.

“We have the best away fans here 100%, it feels like a home tie playing here,” Edmund said.

“We appreciate the efforts and we really feel it.”

Novak Djokovic’s Serbia missed out on the Davis Cup semi-finals as he and partner Viktor Troicki lost the decisive doubles against Russia despite having three match points.

The 16-time Grand Slam champion had levelled the tie by beating Karen Khachanov 6-3 6-3 after Andrey Rublev won 6-1 6-2 against Filip Krajinovic.

But Djokovic and Troicki lost 6-4 4-6 7-6 (10-8) to Khachanov and Rublev in the doubles as Russia took the tie 2-1.

“I let my team down,” Troicki said.

At an emotional news conference, the 33-year-old – who sent a straightforward volley long to squander Serbia’s final match point – added: “I never experienced such a moment in my career, in my life.

“We were up in the tiebreak. We had chances to finish it – we didn’t do it. I messed up in the crucial moments.

“God gave me once to be the hero, maybe to win the Davis Cup in the deciding rubber. Now he took it away. I’m really disappointed with myself.

“At the end there was one point that decided it. And I’m really, really disappointed in myself that I couldn’t hold my focus till the end and finish.”

Russia face Canada in Saturday’s semi-finals.

Great Britain are seeking to join Russia in the last four, with their tie against Germany under way.

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Andy Murray will not play in Great Britain’s Davis Cup quarter-final against Germany on Friday with captain Leon Smith opting to stick with the team who beat Kazakhstan.

Smith had previously said the decision over whether to recall Murray would be one of his “more difficult decisions”.

Murray, 32, was rested for Thursday’s Group E victory over Kazakhstan which booked their last-eight spot in Madrid.

He won his singles match in the opening group match against the Netherlands.

But former world number one Murray had looked sluggish as he laboured to a three-set win over Dutch world number 179 Tallon Griekspoor on Wednesday, admitting afterwards he was still “a couple of kilos” heavier than he would have liked after gaining weight while taking time off with his newborn son and family.

In the Scot’s absence, Kyle Edmund played one of his finest matches of the year to beat Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin before Dan Evans was overpowered by Alexander Bublik in three sets.

British number one Evans, 29, is yet to win in the Madrid finals, although Smith is backing the 29-year-old to “find a way” to win.

Great Britain’s quarter-final starts at 16:30 GMT, with Edmund taking on Philipp Kohlschreiber before Evans faces Jan-Lennard Struff. If the best-of-three tie goes to a decisive doubles rubber, Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski will play Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies.

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