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

Botic van de Zandschulp and Tallon Griekspoor earned singles wins for the Netherlands against the United States on Saturday to secure the Dutch team the top spot in Group D with a perfect 3-0 record.

Competing in Glasgow, van de Zandschulp scored his third singles win in as many ties with a 6-4, 7-6(3) result against World No. 13 Taylor Fritz. The Dutchman broke in the ninth game of the opening set before serving it out and breaking to open set two. Fritz would level in the second, but his comeback bid ended in the tie-break.

“We’ve had an amazing week together,” Van de Zandschulp said post-match. “Not everyone expected we would be No. 1, but we played some great tennis. I played to a really good level this week. The last couple of months I’ve had difficulty finding my level and I think it’s coming back.”

The 26-year-old’s victory clinched the tie for the Netherlands after Griekspoor’s 7-5, 7-6(3) win against Tommy Paul opened Saturday’s play. Griekspoor recorded two singles wins in three matches in Group D. In the dead doubles rubber, Rajeev Ram and Jack Sock put Team USA on the board with a 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-4 win against Wesley Koolhof and Matwe Middelkoop.

Despite the defeat, the United States advances to the quarter-final stage with a 2-1 record, good enough for second place in the group.

Coric, Gojo Keep Croatian Hopes Alive With Victory Against Argentina
Borna Coric and Borna Gojo notched Saturday singles wins against Argentina to finalise Croatia’s record at 2-1 with one more Group A tie to play on Sunday. After Gojo downed Sebastian Baez 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, Cincinnati champ Coric scored a 6-4, 7-6(6) win against Francisco Cerundolo to clinch victory. 

Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic made it a clean sweep for the Croatians with a 6-2, 7-5 doubles win against Maximo Gonzalez and Horacio Zeballos.

Croatia now sits second in Group A at 2-1, with a 5-4 match record. If Sweden (currently 1-1, with a 3-3 match record) defeats group-leaders Italy (2-0, 5-1) on Sunday, it would lead to a three-way tie atop the group, forcing tiebreak scenarios to determine which two teams advance to the quarter-finals.

Canada Clinches Progress Despite Defeat Against Serbia
One day after defeating world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in a victory for Team Canada against Spain, Felix Auger-Aliassime clinched his nation’s place in the quarter-finals with a 6-3, 6-4 win against Miomir Kecmanovic.

Serbia’s Laslo Djere defeated Gabriel Diallo in the opening singles match, before Serbia claimed the doubles point — and the tie — via an early retirement. 

Both Canada and Serbia finish Group B play at 2-1, but Canada’s superior 5-4 match record ensures a top-two finish in Valencia. A victory for Spain on Sunday against South Korea would see the host nation advance as group-winners, knocking Serbia out of the Finals. Spain would be eliminated with a loss.

France Tops Belgium For Consolation Victory
In a decisive doubles rubber, Nicolas Mahut and Arthur Rinderknech defeated Belgium’s Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen, 6-3, 7-6(6) to give France its first tie victory following tight defeats against Germany and Australia. Richard Gasquet earned France a singles point with a 6-3, 6-3 win against Michael Geerts, before David Goffin put Belgium on the board with a 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 decision against Benjamin Bonzi. 

The result sees France finish in third place in Group C, with undefeated nations Australia and Germany set to compete on Sunday for the top spot. Both Australia and Germany have already clnched progress to the quarter-final stage.

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.

Three events will make for a busy week on the ATP Tour, with ATP 250s in Metz and San Diego on the schedule in addition to the weekend’s Laver Cup, the final event of Roger Federer’s legendary career.

Debutant Daniil Medvedev leads the field at the Moselle Open in Metz, while Daniel Evans and Jenson Brooksby are the top seeds at the San Diego Open. The Laver Cup, which will be held from Friday to Sunday, will feature each of the Big Four — Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray — for the first time.  

ATPTour.com looks ahead at five things to watch from each event.

View Draws: Metz | San Diego

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN METZ
1) Medvedev’s Debut: Medvedev will make his debut in ‘The Green City’ as he bids for his second ATP Tour title of 2022 (Los Cabos). The 26-year-old will be eager for a bounce-back week after his fourth-round US Open exit ultimately cost him his No. 1 Pepperstone ATP Ranking. He enters the Metz hard courts as the World No. 4 for his first competitive action since competing in New York.

2) Returning Champ Hurkacz: World No. 10 Hubert Hurkacz did not drop a set on his way to the 2021 Metz title, including wins against Andy Murray in the quarter-finals and Pablo Carreno Busta in the final. That trophy was his third of 2021. Already a title-winner in Halle this season, Hurkacz — who also won the Metz doubles crown last year with Jan Zielinski — will hope to secure his second multiple-trophy campaign in France. After reaching the Montreal final, he went 1-2 at Cincinnati and the US Open.

3) Home Hopes: Eighth seed Adrian Mannarino leads seven Frenchman in the main draw, not including potential qualifiers. Also among the local favourites in action are Ugo Humbert, Gilles Simon, Arthur Rinderknech and Richard Gasquet. Nine of the past 12 Metz champion were French, including five straight French champions from 2009-13.

4) Musetti, Rune, Thiem Add Intrigue: #NextGenATP stars Lorenzo Musetti and Holger Rune are seeded third and fourth, separated by just one place in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings at World No. 30 and 31, respectively. They also occupy third and fourth place in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race to Milan. Musetti is making his Metz debut, while Rune returns after reaching the quarter-finals as a qualifier one year ago. Wild card Dominic Thiem is set for his second Metz appearance after a run to the 2016 final (l. to Lucas Pouille).

5) Puetz/Venus Lead Doubles Draw: Tim Puetz and Michael Venus are the top seeds in the doubles competition, with Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara seeded second. Third seeds Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin are one of four all-French duos in the draw.

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FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN SAN DIEGO
1) Evans Returns As Top Seed: Great Britain’s Daniel Evans fell to countryman Cameron Norrie in the San Diego second round last year, but the World No. 25 is the lone representative from the United Kingdom in this year’s singles draw.

2) Americans Dot The Draw: Jenson Brooksby, Marcos Giron, Brandon Nakashima and J.J. Wolf are all seeded in San Diego, with six other Americans also in the draw, not including potential qualifiers. Brandon Holt received a wild card after his stunning progress through qualifying and into the second round on his US Open debut.

3) Spain’s Martinez Seeded Fourth: Pedro Martinez leads a host of Spanish and South American players in the field, including sixth seed Alejandro Tabilo of Chile and Colombia’s Daniel Elahi Galan. Galan will look to continue his strong form after reaching the third round of the US Open as a qualifier, stunning Stefanos Tsitsipas in the first round along the way.

4) All-Aussie Openers: Two all-Australian matchups are set for the opening round. Seventh seed James Duckworth will meet Alexei Popyrin, while Jason Kubler takes on Christopher O’Connell.

5) Lammons/Withrow Seeded Second In Doubles Draw: The pairing of Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow are one of four all-American teams in the San Diego doubles draw. One of those teams — Evan King and Denis Kudla — will face top seeds Santiago Gonzalez and Andres Molteni in the opening round.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH AT LAVER CUP
1) Federer’s Farwell: Federer announced on Thursday that this Laver Cup would be the last competitive event of his tennis career. It is a fitting finale, as the Swiss is set to team with many of his storied rivals for Team Europe, including Nadal, Djokovic and Murray. 

2) Top 10 Talent: In addition to having home-court advantage at London’s O2 Arena, Team Europe boasts four Top 10 players: US Open finalist and World No. 2 Casper Ruud, No. 3 Nadal, No. 6 Tsitsipas and No. 7 Djokovic.

3) Team Europe Puts Perfection On The Line: In addition to the pageantry surrounding Federer’s farwell, Team Europe will also be focussed on extending its perfect record in the competition. They have not lost the Laver Cup since its inception in 2017, winning the title on all four previous occasions.

4) Americans Lead Team World: In addition to World No. 12 Taylor Fritz, the highest-ranked player on captain John McEnroe’s team, Americans Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock will also play important roles for Team World. The roster also includes Felix Auger-Aliassime, Diego Schwartzman and Alex de Minaur.

5) Unique Format: The Laver Cup will be played over three days, from 23-25 September, across five sessions. Each match win is worth one point on Friday, two points on Saturday and three points on a high-stakes Sunday. The first team to reach 13 points (put of a possible 24) wins the Laver Cup.

Felix Auger-Aliassime earned one of the biggest wins of his career on Friday when he defeated new World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-2 in Davis Cup action.

The World No. 13 saved all seven break points he faced to level Canada’s tie against Spain at 1-1 after two hours and 50 minutes. Auger-Aliassime took the initiative in the match to put the recent US Open champion on the back foot, especially in the critical moments.

This was Alcaraz’s first match as the No. 1 player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. The 19-year-old fought valiantly, but was unable to close out the tie.

Roberto Bautista Agut had made a good start for Spain when he rallied past Vasek Pospisil 3-6, 6-3, 6-3. There will be a deciding doubles match in Valencia.

Berrettini & Sinner Power Italy Past Argentina
Matteo Berrettini and Jannik Sinner, both of whom competed in the 2021 Nitto ATP Finals, showed their strength on Friday to help Italy defeat Argentina.

Berrettini powered past Sebastian Baez 6-2, 6-3 to give Italy the advantage before Sinner took the court in Bologna, where he delivered a 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 victory against Miami semi-finalist Francisco Cerundolo.

Germany Squeaks By Belgium
The Belgians put forth a commendable effort, but Germany moved to 2-0 in Group C action with a 2-1 win in their tie. Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz sealed their country’s triumph with a 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(5) victory against Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen.

German Jan-Lennard Struff claimed the opening rubber against Zizou Bergs 6-4, 7-6(9) to put his country in a winning position before 2017 Nitto ATP Finals runner-up David Goffin clawed past Oscar Otte 3-6, 7-6(7), 6-3 to set the deciding doubles.

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.