VANCOUVER – A rolled ankle couldn’t stop Liam Draxl from propelling Canada to the second round of Davis Cup qualifying.
Draxl of Newmarket, Ont., defeated Gustavo Heide 6-3, 6-4 in one hour and 29 minutes to give Canada a 3-2 win over Brazil on Saturday in a best-of-five Davis Cup first-round qualifier.
Montreal’s Gabriel Diallo forced a winner’s final with a nail-biting 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (4) victory over Mattheus Pucinelli de Almedia. The match lasted two hours and 27 minutes.
In the seventh game of the opening set of the final, Draxl – while leading 4-2 – stumbled in the back court and fell to his hands and knees. He limped off the field to have his right ankle taped.
The injury didn’t seem to hinder Draxl’s movement as he came back to win the set.
“It’s probably the biggest match of my career, the biggest pressure I’ve had,” Draxl said. “It means so much to me. To play for your flag, your country and to give all the boys a place in September, I’m just super happy.”
Draxl admitted he was “a little nervous” when he first rolled his ankle.
“I was in pain for about 30 seconds,” he said. “When the doctor and the physiotherapists did the ankle tests, I didn’t feel any pain. So that’s when I kind of realized that I was probably going to be OK.”
In a long rally in the second game of the second set, Draxl moved back and forth and answered Heide’s shots. He took the point when Heide shot a ball wide.
After winning the final game with an ace, Draxl dropped his racket, pumped his arms and was mobbed by teammates.
Canada advances to the second round of Davis Cup qualifiers at home against France or Slovakia in September. The Canadian host city has yet to be determined. Brazil will participate in the World Cup Group I in September.
Last year, Canada lost to Hungary in the first round of qualifying at Montreal’s IGA Stadium.
The day started with a great battle between Draxl and Calgary’s Cleeve Harper before succumbing to the experience and composure of Orlando Luz and Rafael Matos in a men’s doubles match. After losing the first match 3-6, the Brazilians won 6-4, 7-5.
The doubles victory gave Brazil a 2–1 lead in the tie, putting the pressure on Diallo to win his match.
Heide, ranked 253rd in the world, had upset 39th-ranked Diallo 7-6 (4), 3-6, 7-6 (3) on Friday evening. In the other opening night match, 145th-ranked Draxl defeated 207th-ranked Lucas Reis da Silva 6-3, 6-3.
Reis da Silva was initially scheduled to play against Diallo on Saturday, but Brazilian captain Jaime Oncins decided to replace him with Pucinelli de Almedia.
After losing the opening set 6-3, Diallo went to work in the second. He used his booming serve and rocket returns to easily win the second set.
In the third set, Diallo needed five deuces before winning the fourth game. As the match progressed, he had Pucinelli de Almedia chasing his shots around the pitch.
“Yesterday (Friday) I knew what things I did well and I carried that over to today,” Diallo said. “I wanted to play the important moments with a little more conviction.
“I tried to impose myself and not let my opponent dictate.”
In the opening doubles match, Harper and Draxl were not intimidated by a Brazilian duo that had lost in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open.
“We would of course have liked to come out on top,” Harper said. “Double players are sometimes difficult. There are thin margins and it comes down to one or two points here and there.
“I really felt like Liam and I were the better team for most of the match. We had a lot of chances early in the second set. Maybe we didn’t convert.”
Luz said the bond he shares with Matos off the field makes a difference.
“That also applies to difficult moments like today,” he said. “They played very well in the first set (and) we couldn’t do much. To turn this kind of match around, this connection is very necessary.”
Canadian captain Frank Dancevic said his team showed character all weekend.
“It’s not easy to come back after heavy losses,” he said. “Gabriel loses and has to come back today. There’s a lot of pressure. Give him credit. He just decided to go for it and didn’t back down.”
Dancevic also credited Draxl for shining in the decisive match, just hours after a doubles loss.
“For him to come out and play the way he did was just incredible,” he said. “He went out without any doubt that he would win the match.”
Canada tied for number 9, while Brazil is number 18.
“The fans really got a taste of the Davis Cup that’s about to happen. It’s just an incredible weekend for us. We have an incredible team,” Dancevic added. “We have done wonderful things in the past and we will see how far we can go this year.”
Also on Saturday, a ceremony was held to honor Vasek Pospisil of Vernon, B.C., the tennis veteran who recently announced his retirement.
#Draxl #guides #Canada #Brazil #deciding #match #Davis #Cup #qualifier