McIntyre Tennis

Canada Ready to Battle Slovakia in Davis Cup Qualifiers

By Mike McIntyre

Canada is set to open their Davis Cup tie against Slovakia on Friday at 3pm local time, 9am ET. The Canadians will be putting a much younger and different looking squad on the court than we have seen in recent years as 18 year old Felix Auger Aliassime and 19 year old Denis Shapovalov will carry the load in both singles and doubles.

Gone are familiar faces like Milos Raonic who is dealing with some knee issues, Vasek Pospisil who just had spinal surgery and of course the legendary Daniel Nestor who has recently retired. It is now up to the next wave of Canadian talent to show they are ready to get the job done for team Captain Frank Dancevic and Tennis Canada.

Action begins with two best-of-three singles matches on the red clay in Bratislava. The 25th ranked Shapovalov will get the call first against 26 year old Filip Horansky who is ranked 219th on the ATP Tour. Horansky has only four ATP matches under his belt with a 1-3 record. He has never faced either of the Canadian players before.

The second match of the day will pit Auger Aliassime, ranked 106th, against the 38th ranked Martin Klizan. Klizan is the veteran amongst the singles players at 29 years old and is a lefty. He will be playing in front of his hometown fans in Brastislava that will no doubt give him some added motivation to perform well. The Slovak has never faced Auger Aliassime but does boast a 1-0 career head-to-head against Shapovalov, beating him 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 on indoor hard court last year in St. Petersburg. Klizan has six career singles titles and an overall win/loss record of 140-133.

On Saturday Auger Aliassime and Shapovalov will first team-up in doubles against Filip Polasek and Igor Zelenay and then will play reverse singles against Horansky and Klizan if needed.

While Canada does not have an abundance of success on red clay, Shapovalov did make the semifinals last year on the surface at the Madrid Masters event while Auger Aliassime played the bulk of his 2018 calendar on clay - something that is rare among Canadian players.

Team Canada is rounded-out with Peter Polansky who is currently ranked 121st in the world and Captain Frank Dancevic who has come-in clutch for Canada in past ties and could play if needed. Neither Polansky nor Dancevic is expected to play unless of an injury or if there is a dead-rubber - a meaningless match - on Saturday.

Check back with us for more coverage throughout the weekend as well as updates on our Twitter page. You can also click here for an interview from my Southpaw Slice co-host Ben Lewis who chatted with Dancevic a day ahead of the tie for his take on what we can expect from the young duo of Auger Aliassime and Shapovalov.

Canada In Davis Cup Driver's Seat

By Mike McIntyre

In what is guaranteed to be the last Davis Cup tie played this time of year on home soil, Canada gave its fans something to remember them by in the opening day of their Tie against the Netherlands. The Tennis Canada squad would secure victories in both singles rubbers with wins from Milos Raonic and Denis Shapovalov.

The first match featured Canada's No. 1 gun Raonic returning to Davis Cup action for the first time since 2015. The World No. 20 delivered a routine win as expected against World No. 236 Thiemo de Bakker. The only question for Raonic was his health, as he was injured in the last match he played a couple of weeks ago at the US Open. There were no signs of limping or limited movement from that right thigh injury and Raonic cruised 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.

It was the second singles match of the day that was predicted to be much closer and that certainly turned-out to be the case. 19 year old Denis Shapovalov brought a 1-1 career head-to-head record into the match against 31 year old Robin Haase. Shapovalov triumphed earlier this season on clay in Rome while Haase got his revenge recently in Toronto at the Rogers Cup. The match did not start well for Canada as Shapovalov was quickly down 3-6, 3-6 due to a high number of errors in comparison to the steady play from his opponent. In the third frame it appeared likely that the Dutchman was going to finish things off in straight sets. Serving at 5-5, Shapovalov somehow saved six break points against him to hold and then break Haase to take the set 7-5. Suddenly there was a glimmer of hope for the enthusiastic home crowd to latch onto. Shapovalov started connecting on his ground strokes that were now finding their mark more often than not. Haase began to tire and for the first time in his young career, Shapovalov would overcome a two set deficit to prevail 3-6, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4.

The victory now sets the stage for Vasek Pospisil and the retiring Daniel Nestor to clinch the tie against the Netherlands in their doubles match Saturday afternoon. The pair will have their work cut out for them as they face the world's No. 20 doubles player Jean-Julien Roger. Roger's partner is unknown at present time but given the four-plus hours that Haase spent on court yesterday, it would be unlikely he returns to action so soon. Instead look to Matwe Middelkoop - world No. 33  to take the spot. 

It will be a difficult position for Nestor to be in despite being the sentimental favourite. The 46 year old has played with a revolving door of partners in his final season on the ATP World Tour and has not been able to develop much rhythm as he approaches retirement. He and Pospisil have also struggled in recent matches together but will hope to use the home crowd support and emotional magnitude of the moment to propel them - and Canada - to victory. 

Should the Netherlands win in doubles, it will be up to Shapovalov or Raonic to win one of their remaining singles matches on Sunday - a feat that shouldn't be a problem given their success on Friday. While we might not be seeing much Davis Cup action in Canada moving forward under the new format, at least it appears likely that Canadian tennis fans will have a positive lasting memory from the success achieved this weekend here in Toronto.

Davis Cup: Can Britain Keep Keeping Up?

 Who could forget the last year’s triumphant Davis Cup? After 79 years of thirst, the Brits finally managed to win this competition in 2015 with Andy Murray leading them to this glorious achievement. Now it’s time to prove it was more than just luck – and more than just the Scotsman – as the team is facing Serbia in the quarter finals of the World group without their best man.

There‘s a whole lot on Murray‘s hands right now – winning Wimbledon was very physically and mentally demanding, and he‘s got the Olympics, the US Open, and other competitions to think of as well. Even though this is a first tie he‘s going to miss in three years, Andy will most probably come out to support his teammates, if only from the side-lines. However, his absence does leave a considerable hole – especially in the singles event.

Now according to the TonyBet bookies, the Brits are still going into this stage as the favourites, with their odds at a win being 11/20 vs the 13/10 that Serbia got. As it is rather apparent from these odds, Novak Djokovic is also sitting this one out, which is a big plus for the British team. Instead of Murray, we will see Kyle Edmund and James Ward playing singles, and the team will be also without Dan Evans who suffered an injury.

It‘s difficult to say whether the team will be able to carry through, as Murray was responsible for 11 out of the 12 total points they managed across the triumphant run a year ago. Meanwhile Serbia is a strong team on its own, and they won the Davis Cup in 2010 and were the runners-up in 2013 – so this will be a good test for the Brits.

If Britain does manage to advance to the semi-finals, it will have been a very strong claim that their team was not, in fact, solely relying on Andy Murray. Will that prove to be true? It’s not like Serbia is an easy opponent, so they will have their work cut out for them – which will make for some excellent tennis.    

Great Britain and Belgium to Meet in Davis Cup Finals

By Mike McIntyre

While it's not quite at the "Robert Vinci in the US Open finals" level of shocking, the fact that Great Britain and Belgium have moved on to the Davis Cup Finals is quite a surprise. When Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka decided not to play for Switzerland in the opening round of 2015 we knew that there would be a different champion at the end of this season. Banking on either Great Britain or Belgium to be that country was a long shot for any knowledgeable tennis fan however.

The Brits can thank Andy Murray once again for playing the role of hero to their nation. After winning Olympic Gold and the US Open in 2012 and then Wimbledon in 2013, Murray has been relatively quiet on the ATP Tour but now has a unique opportunity to add Davis Cup champion to his resume.

Playing in Scotland against Australia in the semi-finals, Murray had to win twice in singles and once in a marathon five-set doubles match in order to secure the victory. The Aussies had more depth than the Brits with capable youngsters in Bernard Tomic and Thanasi Kokkinasis as well as veteran Sam Groth and the ultimate warrior in Lleyton Hewitt at their disposal. It was certainly the doubles match that Andy and his brother Jamie won 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-4 against Groth and Hewitt that made the difference. Poor Dan Evans, ranked 300th in the world, could not get a victory in either of his two matches (the last one being a dead rubber) but must still feel great to be a part of the advancing British squad.

In the other semi-finals, the surprising nation of Belgium squared-off against the 4th ranked Argentina. Having home-court advantage in Brussels helped the 8th seeded hosts come back from a two to one deficit against the Argentinians. Kudos to David Goffin and then Steve Darvis who won the final two singles matches to defeat their opponents with their backs up against the wall. Goffin knocked-off Diego Schwartzman in straight sets while Darcis needed four to defeat Federico Delbonis. 

The Davis Cup Finals will now take place from November 27th to the 29th in Belgium. While the Brits have the star power in Murray, Belgium has proved that their young depth is capable and content to play the role of spoiler. Neither nation is accustomed to Davis Cup glory, as the Brits have not won since 1936 and the best result for Belgium was as runner-up in 1904. 

For those living in nations other than Belgium and Great Britain and looking for some Davis Cup news for their home country, the 2016 Davis Cup draw ceremony will be Wednesday September 23rd at 10pm GMT.

Belgium Takes Commanding Lead in Davis Cup Tie Against Canada

By Mike McIntyre

No disrespect to Frank Dancevic or Filip Peliwo, but they are no Milos and Vasek. Asking two players ranked 272nd and 491st respectively in the ATP rankings to win against much more talented and consistent opponents was likely never a realistic prospect. With Dancevic nearing the final years of his professional tennis career and Peliwo still just getting his started it was a tough position for both of them to be in today against Belgium.

Dancevic used to be Canada's go-to singles player. With a career high ranking of 65th in the world back in 2007, Dancevic's sharp serving and keen instincts at the net made Canadian tennis fans hopeful that perhaps he could crack into the top 40 in the world. Since then injuries and inconsistencies have plagued the now 30 year old and his 2015 season has not produced much to write home about. Dancevic is 0-2 in main draw ATP events, 7-5 in ATP qualifying and a mediocre 10-10 at the challenger level. While as recently as a couple of years ago I would have given Frank a good shot at Steve Darcis, there was very little chance of him winning that match as things currently stand. And that's a problem for Team Canada who really needed Frank the Tank to show up today and steal one as he did two years ago vs Marcel Granollers of Spain. Instead Darcis, ranked 76th in the world, would take the match 3-6, 6-1, 7-5, 6-3.

Peliwo was brought along to Belgium I'm assuming because a) it would be a great experience for the former junior star and b) Belgium probably didn't know a whole lot about him. Three years removed from winning the Junior Wimbledon crown and Peliwo's rise in the professional ranks has so far been a slow one. It must be tough when he looks at the early career success of Eugenie Bouchard but hopefully Peliwo isn't putting too much pressure on himself to develop at the same rate. Look at the hiccup in Bouchard's career in 2015 and perhaps taking a slower development path isn't such a bad idea for Peliwo. So far this year has seen some success for the 21 year old in the depths of the minor league's of tennis - aka Futures Events. There he has amassed a 15-8 record along with one tournament victory. At the Challenger level Peliwo is 0-2 in main draw event's and 4-3 in qualifying. He has yet to play in any main draw ATP events in 2015 and therefore his match today against world number 14 David Goffin must have seemed like quite the daunting task. Yet Peliwo hung in there for two sets before the more experienced (by three years) Goffin prevailed 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.

Now Tennis Canada turns to its long standing stalwart in Daniel Nestor, who at the ripe old age of 42 will partner with Davis Cup rookie and comparative youngster at the age of 32, Adil Shamasdin. Ranked 65th in doubles makes Shamasdin a capable partner for Nestor who has seen his own ranking fall to 24th in the world. The two are currently supposed to face the duo of Ruben Bemelmans and Kimmer Coppejans. The match would essentially be a throw-away for the Belgians who would prefer to rest Goffin and Darcis for reverse singles on Sunday where they only require one win. Still, there is the outside chance that Goffin could be subbed-in for Coppejans at the last minute if the Belgians feel there is a legitimate chance they could close out the tie in three straight matches.

Regardless of the outcome on Saturday, Canada will be hard pressed to take one, let alone two, singles matches on Sunday. While tennis fans in Canada love to say, "Anything is Pospisil" I don't think that line applies when you're missing Milos and Vasek. If things play out according to predictions there is certainly no shame for the severely depleted Canadian line-up who gave their best effort on Day 1. They will still remain a fixture in the World Group of Davis Cup and with a healthy roster in 2016 should be expected once more to compete for their first ever Davis Cup Championship.

Epic Doubles Win for Canada in Davis Cup

By Mike McIntyre

Doubles took centre stage in the tennis world on Saturday for a pivotal Davis Cup match between Canada and Italy at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre in Vancouver. Tied at one victory apiece heading into the match, the result would give a big boost to the team that emerged with the win today.

It could be argued that Team Canada captain Martin Laurendeau was taking a risk by putting Pospisil back out there after his five set singles loss to Andreas Seppi yesterday. Aside from failing to close it out after leading two sets to none, Pospisil's partnership with Nestor has also been fragile in recent matches. The two have not enjoyed much success in Davis Cup play and have lost their last three matches in a row to France, South Africa and Spain.

Laurendeau explained at the end of the day Friday that he was going to stick with the guy he described as Team Canada's "workhorse" from a key Davis Cup tie against Israel in 2011 that put Canada back into the world group. That Loyalty for Pospisil seemed to be a risky move and one that Laurendeau would certainly be second guessed for should he and Nestor be unable to secure the victory against Italy.

Italy and Canada stand united with their teammates

As for Nestor, Laurendeau was quite frank in his press conference on Friday when he was asked if the 40 year old veteran really needed to come through for Canada.

"He sure does. Daniel is a champion, he's won a lot of things. He's won pretty much everything out there and the one thing he's lacking is a semi-final appearance in Davis Cup. He's waited a long time for this opportunity as a champion. He pretty much lost one doubles match or so in the last fifteen years and now he's lost the last three so he's looking forward to the opportunity to turn that around and contribute a point for the team. He's a great team player, he shows up at Davis cup and he's there for the team every time. It's not a good feeling when you only have one match and you don't contribute. He wants to avenge that for sure. I'm expecting a good level of play tomorrow."

Driving to the arena this morning with Italian Davis Cup legend Nicola Pietrangeli (166 Davis Cup matches, 120-44 record) I was asked by the former two time Grand Slam champion why Canada would not play Milos Raonic instead of Pospisil in the doubles. An Italian journalist who was with us mused that it was due to a personality clash between Raonic and Nestor although I've never witnessed anything to support that statement. In the end despite their recent struggles, the Nestor/Pospisil combination was still the best that Canada had to offer.

As was the case yesterday in singles, Canada jumped out to an early lead by taking the first set. With Bracciali serving at 2-3, 30-40, a hard forehand from Nestor forced a backhand error on the volley from Fognini to give the first break to the Canadians. They would hold on to win the opener 6-3.

The second set followed a similar path with Nestor and Pospisil getting a break of Fognini's serve to go ahead 3-2. The Canadians would then continue to hold their own serves to capture the set 6-4.

A two set to love lead gave Canadian fans plenty to cheer about

Being up two sets to none was a familiar position for Team Canada and especially for Pospisil who squandered the same lead a day ago in his singles match.

Unable to maintain an early break in the third set, Nestor and Pospisil allowed the Italians to break right back. Serving at 3-4, 40-A,  Pospisil would have his serve broken as a Fognini service return handcuffed the young Canuck prompting the unfortunate error. Fognini and Bracciali would take the third set 6-3 and suddenly the Italians had some life.

The French team erupts after winning the third set

Pospisil and Nestor continued to struggle in the fourth with double faults and errors seeming to mount. Was Nestor at age 40 starting to tire? Apparently he had tweaked his right calf in the recent Masters event in Miami. Or was the problem once again Pospisil's focus as he himself admitted to in his match against Seppi yesterday? Either way the match was quickly spiralling out of control for Team Canada as Italy took the fourth set 6-3. 

Nothing is imPospisil

In the fifth both teams were feeling the pressure but it was the Canadians who almost buckled first. With Nestor serving at 2-3, he and Pospisil would face two break points at 15-40. They held their ground however and managed to get the crucial hold to tie things up at 3-3.

In the end it was strong serving from Pospisil that allowed Canada to stay in the hunt. He held at love three times in a row to tie the set at 4-4, 6-6 and 8-8. Knowing that a loss of his serve would mean losing the match, Pospisil seemed like the poised veteran and continually gained some key points for Canada throughout the fifth set.

Canada had two looks at a break while Fognini was serving at 9-9, 15-40, but the Italians refused to capitulate and found a way to hold on.

Later while serving at 11-11, Fognini was called for a footfault on his first serve with the score 15-30. While the Italians won the next point, chair umpire Jake Garner had words with the line judge who made the call and then gave the Italian duo a warning for unsportsmanlike comments that it appeared Bracciali had made after the foot fault call.

Madness ensued at 12-12 when a timely challenge by Canada led to a video replay reversing an "out" call that would have given the game to the Italians. Fognini and Bracciali had to return from their team bench and play instead at deuce. The game went on for at least another ten minutes with each team having multiple chances to win it. Canada couldn't close out their two break points and so eventually Italy did hold serve. The Canadians certainly seemed to be closing in though.

Two games later on Fognini's serve the Italians quickly found themselves down 0-40 thanks to some great plays by Nestor who had been re-vitalized since halfway through the fifth set. With three break points the Canadians were not going to let-up and they finally earned the elusive break to move ahead 14-13 and send the home crowd into a frenzy.

With Pospisil continuing to serve so consistently the pair closed it out in 4 hours and 32 minutes by a final score of 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 3-6, 15-13 to move within one win of advancing to their first ever Davis Cup semi-final.

After 4 hours and 32 minutes, the Canadians found a way to win

It was redemption for Pospisil after the way his singles match turned out a day ago and also for he and Nestor as a doubles partnership who were so desperate to get back in the win column. The victory also served as validation for captain Laurendeau's decision to keep the struggling pair together.

A hug for the winner's

Milos Raonic will now try to seal the deal on Sunday in a reverse singles match against Andreas Seppi. Will they be able to top today in terms of drama? As we've seen so far this weekend, anything can happen.

Raonic Opens Up During Davis Cup Press Conference

Following his Davis Cup victory on Friday over Fabio Fognini, Canada's Milos Raonic was able to show off his lighter side while also giving some revealing answers about his current approach to the game of tennis and his country's rise in prominence on the world stage. His facination with Canadians sports writer Tom Tebbutt gave reporters a few laughs throughout the exchange. Here's the transcript below

Q: After Vasek’s performance and obviously your win in straight sets do you feel that Canada has the momentum going into day two?

A: I don’t think. The best way to answer that is I don’t think it matters. It’s another match tomorrow and you just have to step up and win that match. Up two zero, down two zero, it doesn’t matter. It’s a match, you’ve got to go out there and win it.

Q: Even though you won’t be playing tomorrow do you consider that doubles match a pretty pivotal part of this series? Even though the doubles team hasn’t played well the last few Davis Cups, what are you expecting out of them tomorrow?

A: I don’t think it’s fair to say they didn’t play well last time. I think they did. I just think that team that they faced is a world class team – I think their number two in the world right now for a reason. I don’t think they played well against South Africa, but I think they are very capable and in these situations that that team of Danny and Vasek is very, very capable. Whatever happens tomorrow win or lose, it’s no effect on me. I know what I gotta do to bring out the best level for myself. And I know I can play better than I played today and I think that’s a good sign for me.

Q: It seemed like a very professional performance today, you controlled your emotions and executed well. How would you assess it?

A: First of all Tom Tebbutt I’d like to thank you for asking questions. I think that’s four press conferences without a question until today, so thank you, I’m honoured.

Q: Answer the goddamn question!

A: Well Tom Tebbutt – what was the question? I was actually shocked.

Q: I thought it was a very mature performance and you controlled your emotions very well.

A: Yes I did.

Q: How would you assess your performance?

A: It was good. I kept within myself. I felt I was able to control most of the time and I felt that I was putting in my terms and we were playing under “Milos can decide which way this goes.” I did slip up a little bit but I think I turned that around and I was proud of how I managed that.

Q: Is there any concern at all being sick a week ago with it having an effect?

A: Two questions. Spoiling you eh? Spoiling me. No, to tell you the truth I didn’t honestly feel the best today. I just had a scratchy throat last night. I know how to play in these situations and I know what I gotta do to bring out the best of myself. I’ve developed a routine, some are superstitious parts of the routine some are for what I gotta do to be 100% from the first point to the last point.

Q: There’s  a new member of the team, are we going to see a dance at some point?

A: Jesse?

Q: Yeah

A:  Oh they don’t invite you to the Davis Cup dinner. He had to sing the national anthem against Spain. It was a tough one but he was lucky obviously that it was in Canada and everybody else knew the anthem and could sing along. He did it like a champ. But if you want to dance you are more than welcome to step on court. You can take Tom Tebbutt with you! I heard that he has the 60s moves down.

Q: Your opponent was asked what was it that made the difference in the game and he answered that obviously it was your serve. Does that sometimes start to get on your nerves that there is so much concentration on your serve, neglecting other parts of your game?

A: No. I think that’s a good thing. My serve is something I’ve spent a lot of time on and I’m proud of the respect it gets and I think I’m getting better in other aspects of the game. I think I stepped up and I was able to break his serve at a critical moment. If my serve gets attention it means I’m putting a lot of pressure not only with my service games but also on his service games - him knowing that if I get a set I can close it out. So we can keep talking about my serve but I know the work I’m gonna put in on it and everything else.

Q: Milos is seemed after the match in your interview and even now in the press conference that you’re pretty loose and pretty playful. I don’t know if that’s because of Tom Tebbutt or is it more an indicator of just how far Canada’s come as a team over the past year and a half and where your confidence levels are as a group because of your successes?

A: I think it’s a group thing. It’s a great thing. And I think also I’ve learned within myself that I’m going to play my best tennis when I’m happy. Sometimes I feel like I stress like I need to practice, like I need to get this many hours in, but at the end of the day if things when things aren’t going well on court I’ve got to scrap, I’ve got to fight and I’ll do that best when I’m happy. Honestly I’m happy with everything on the court, off the court I feel at peace and I think that allows me to play my best tennis. I think Tom Tebbutt, hey I’m gonna give you a good one, one that you’re gonna smile about – Tom Tebbutt had that happiness when he lost at O and O (?) in San Jose.

First of all walking in shorts to a press conference in the freezing rain is not a good idea. Sarah Grossman.

(Sarah) I told you it was raining before going out.

You told me after I had already left the locker room.

Q: I don’t know where to go from here!

A: Let’s go home!

Q: One more. Growing up, and maybe Tom can speak about this too, not many successes like this for Team Canada obviously on the international scene. What does it mean for you to bring Davis Cup back to something meaningful here in Canada for kids growing up and for tennis enthusiasts at large?

A: I think success is the best way to promote the sport. I think if I do personally well week out and week in through the tour it’s a great thing and it will help to get more kids wanting to play tennis. But I think if you can show that we have a group of four, five or six that can win at the international stage then it makes it a bit more convincing, not only to the kids but to the families, to the parents you’ll say as a Canadian that you can really succeed in tennis, let’s give this a shout. It’s the same kind of belief that we have with hockey and many winter sports. I think that we’ve got to get that belief in tennis.

Seppi Defeats Pospisil in Gruelling Five Set Davis Cup Opener in Vancouver

By Mike McIntyre

While Milos Raonic rightly captures much of Canadian media and fan attention, other players on Team Canada are proving to be able to carry their own as well when it comes to Davis Cup competition. 

In February it was Frank Dancevic who came up with an unexpected win to help propel Canada into their first ever World Group quarter-final. Today in Vancouver it was Vasek Pospisil who was aiming to fill the role of the underdog who could deliver when counted on.

Taking on the 18th ranked player in the world, Andreas Seppi, was no easy task for Pospisil who is currently only ranked 140th on the ATP World Tour. The two had split their earlier career encounters with Seppi winning 7-5, 7-6 back in the fall of 2011 in St. Petersburg and Pospisil evening the score with a victory last summer in Toronto at the Rogers Cup where he prevailed 4-6, 6-4, 7-6.

Prior to the match the teams were introduced on court followed by the playing of both the Italian and Canadian national anthems. I found it interesting to note that Pospisil was the only player on Team Canada who was not singing along. Intensely focused or consumed with pre-match jitters...only time would tell.

Pospisil preparing mentally prior to the match

Initially it appeared that the magnitude of the moment might have gotten the better of the 22 year old Canadian, as he quickly found himself down a break at 0-2. Pospisil managed to recover however and ran off three games in a row to get the match back on serve.

Things progressed rather evenly from there until Seppi was serving at 5-6. Pospisil came running out of his chair after the tv break, pumping himself up as if he were Rafael Nadal. The fans at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre sensed Seppi was feeling the pressure and did as best they could to add to his self-doubt with thunderous chanting and applause after each and every point. Seppi was up 40-15 at this important juncture of the game but double-faulted and then a cross-court forehand into the net to quickly even things up at deuce. The Italian then sent a shot long to hand Pospisil the only set point he would need to gain the upper hand. What followed was the longest rally of the match that concluded when Pospisil made one of only a few forays into the net to close out the first set 7-5.

The pair stayed on serve again until the late stages of the second set with Pospisil showing no signs of letting his higher-ranked and more experienced opponent into the match. Seppi didn't seem to have the ability to hurt Pospisil with his game despite the Italian being in the midst of a career twelve month period that has seen him reach his all-time high ranking. Late in the set with Seppi serving at 4-5 nerves once again got the better of him as he found himself quickly down 15-40 in the game. Pospisil wouldn't let him get his footing back and the Canadian hung on to take the second set 6-4.

How do you say, "Time for Plan B" in Italian?

While Canada could afford to lose the opening match and still have decent odds of emerging victorious in this quarter-final tie, the Italians would have some serious trouble maintaining their hopes if they were to have their number one singles player lose to Pospisil. You have to figure that Raonic is going to be nearly impossible to beat on a hard court against the Italians. 

Seppi must have realized this too and picked it up a notch in the third set. He wasted little time in breaking Pospisil to go ahead 2-1 and did not let go from there. Pospisil let his foot off the gas peddle just enough to let his opponent get back into the match. Serving later at 5-4, Seppi momentarily looked as if he might let nerves get the better of him once again, but he was able to maintain his composure and hang out to take the set 6-4.

Did Pospisil let the first two sets go to his head?

Pospisil's confidence quickly seemed to be disappearing as Seppi broke right away to start the fourth set. Suddenly there was quite the different vibe in the building as it became clear the Italian was starting to find his groove. He took the fourth set 6-3 to even the match. 

Two hours and forty two minutes to get to a fifth and decisive set between Seppi and Pospisil. It was only the second match that the Canadian has ever played that has gone five sets with his last one being during his Davis Cup heroics against Israel in late 2011.

A repeat was not to be in order on this day unfortunately for the Canadian as Seppi broke early yet again in the set to go ahead 3-1. He would not let Pospisil get any looks on his service games the rest of the way and would finish with a 5-7, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 victory.

The players shake hands after 3 hours and 15 minutes of battle

While Pospisil gave a valiant effort, perhaps better than most expected, he was not able to close the match out when he had the chance up two sets to none. It will now be up to Raonic to even things up this evening in his singles match against Fabio Fognini.

Regardless of the opening result, Canadian fans will continue to propel their players towards their best tennis

Canada vs Italy Davis Cup Preview

By Mike McIntyre

Canada finds itself in unfamiliar territory as they play in their first ever Davis Cup quarter-final on Friday against Italy. Even more surprising is perhaps the fact that they will be considered by many to be the favourite in this match-up.

Led by rising star and current world number 16 Milos Raonic, the Canadian team will be hoping to use their home crowd and home surface to advance to the semi-finals in September.

The Thunderbird Arena on the University of British Columbia campus in Vancouver might have a tennis court instead of an ice surface on the floor but it will definitely feel more like a hockey game thanks to the increased level of support a home crowd is expected to provide during Davis Cup play. Warning: this is not your typical tennis environment.

The hard court surface has been chosen yet again and this should come as no surprise given the extra pop it will give Raonic on his ATP World Tour leading serve. While I do not have any statistical evidence to support the ferociousness of his serve, ask anyone on the tour right now whose serve they would most like to avoid and I guaranteed Milos gets the bulk of the votes.

The hard court being used will also put Team Italy at their most vulnerable given that most of their players prefer to play on the red clay that is more commonly associated with tennis back in Europe. The Italians used such clay to defeat the Croatians in their opening round victory back in February.

The team rosters and schedule of play was just released today and revealed one change from each team from what was previously expected. For the Canadians it will be Vasek Pospisil and not Frank Dancevic who will join Raonic as our second singles player. Dancevic was a late scratch due to pain he was experiencing in his left knee. Pospisil is currently ranked 140th in the world and while it was Dancevic who gave the Canucks the extra win they needed to dispatch Spain two months ago, the younger Pospisil is also quite capable of coming through in Davis Cup play. It was his heroics in Israel late in 2011 that allowed Canada to jump back into the world group of the Davis Cup.

For Italy, doubles specialist Simone Bolelli has been forced to bow out due to a wrist injury he sustained recently. Instead of playing doubles with his regular partner Fabio Fognini, the Italians have opted to go with the duo of Paolo Lorenzi and Daniele Bracciali. They will face-off against Canadian legend Daniel Nestor and Pospisil.

Pospisil will in fact kick-off the tie against Italy on Friday against world number 18 Andreas Seppi. The two have played each other before with Pospisil scoring the upset last summer in Toronto at the Rogers Cup and Seppi winning their first encounter in 2011 in St. Petersburg by a close scoreline of 7-5, 7-6. Despite the large gap in their rankings, expect Pospisil to give Seppi a good challenge with either player capable of scoring the initial victory.

Raonic will play second against the flamboyant but often enigmatic Fabio Fognini. More known for his clay court prowess, this match on paper should be a routine win for Canada's top gun. Raonic says he is 100% ready to go after having to withdraw from the Masters 1000 event in Miami two week's ago due to strep throat. The 25 year old Fognini is currently ranked 31st in the world rankings but will have to play the match of his life in order to score the upset in this one. I remember Fognini arriving to play the Rogers Cup a couple of summers ago and he only had his clay court shoes with him. While I don't think he'll make that mistake this time around, I wouldn't expect it would make much of a difference against Raonic anyway.

With Raonic the overwhelming favourite in both of his singles matches and Pospisil in theory the underdog, the result in Vancouver may likely be determined by the doubles match on the second day of competition. For all of his past doubles glory, including victories at the Olympics and all four of the Grand Slams, Daniel Nestor needs to step up and overcome some recent Davis Cup struggles to get the win on Saturday. Nestor has looked ordinary of late and has never really established a huge rapport with Pospisil as his partner.

I'm still going to go with Canada in this one due to their home crowd, choice of surface and the fact that they seem to have such an emerging team camaraderie as they begin to truly believe that they belong amongst some of the top tennis countries in the world right now.

Check back with us here at Pro Tennis Fan for updates throughout the event and feel free to follow us on Twitter as well for timely observations on each day of competition.

France Defeats Raonic-Less Canada in Davis Cup Action

By Mike McIntyre

It was not the end Canadian tennis fans had envisioned for their opening round Davis Cup tie against France. Instead of watching the highly anticipated singles match between world No. 6 Jo Wilfried Tsonga and big-serving Milos Raonic, there was an initial sigh of disbelief when it was announced Frank Dancevic would be playing for Canada in the crucial fourth match.

It turns out that Raonic had developed a pain in his knee that worsened during his doubles match with Daniel Nestor on Saturday. He made the decision only this morning to abdicate his position in favour of Dancevic, who at 178^th in the ATP World Tour rankings did not present nearly the same amount of firepower Canada required to level the Davis Cup tie at two apiece.

Raonic’s decision was nothing short of controversial and had the press buzzing at the Thunderbird Sports Centre in Vancouver. The way the news leaked was through Raonic’s agent Graham Cross who gave a short prepared statement on behalf of his protégé to Tennis Canada less than an hour prior to the match itself. Even more distressing was the fact that Raonic would apparently not be made available at all today to answer any questions about the decision to withdraw.

Fortunately cooler heads prevailed and Raonic did face the media for a very brief Q&A following the conclusion of the match between Tsonga and Dancevic. Raonic was not spared from answering tough questions about the decision.

First he was asked whether his sponsorship by SAP played any part in the decision to pull-out, since they are also the title sponsors at the tournament in San Jose that starts tomorrow where Raonic is the defending champion. Could it be that his duties to appear there trumped his willingness to test the knee in action today?

Raonic certainly would not concede to that suggestion and instead levelled that it was merely a case of not wanting to cause further harm to his body at this stage of his young career. I chose to take his answer at face value given the amount of time he missed last year with a serious hip injury.

Raonic was further queried about the manner in which he revealed his withdrawal from game-play today without initially speaking to the press. Couldn’t he have found a more professional and transparent way to address the situation?

His response was that he decided to place the Canadian team first and be supportive of Dancevic as he prepared for his big match today. I suppose Raonic failed to foresee the distraction his silence would spark.

Chalk it up to a young player who at the age of twenty-one still has a lot to learn about the way that professional sports and its media coverage operates. One might however wonder if he is being properly advised by his agent, Cross, who also happens to represent American tennis player Andy Roddick – himself not exactly a known charmer with the media.

Either way, there was in fact a tennis match that was played outside of this small debacle. It even ended up being quite an entertaining match at that.

The twenty-seven year old Dancevic relied on his previous Davis Cup experience to at least make a game of it today against his much higher ranked and more talented opponent.

Despite falling behind quickly to 0-4 in the opening set, Dancevic got one break of serve back from the powerful Tsonga and narrowed the gap to 4-3 in favour of the Frenchman.

Though Dancevic would lose the set 6-4, he seemed to be gaining momentum from the ever-raucous crowd that began a steady “Frank the Tank” chant to support their man.

The second set saw some fantastic tennis and an elevated number of winners from both players. That being said, even though he maintained the score at 4-4 and kept it close, Dancevic rarely threatened to break Tsonga’s rock-solid serve. The Canadian would let the set slip by another score of 6-4.

By the third frame, Dancevic was clearly starting to loose his stamina while Tsonga continued his strong play. France would take the match 6-4, 6-4, 6-1 and with it the all-important third and deciding victory to clinch the tie against Canada.  

Dancevic should be proud of the way he battled, especially since he was thrust into the spotlight on short notice. He played hard and gave Tsonga a bit more of a challenge than the Frenchman likely expected when he realized it was not going to be the 6’5’’ Raonic across the net from him on this day.

For Milos, it was hopefully a learning experience on how to handle a tough situation like this one in the future. As the emerging face of tennis in Canada he will certainly have other opportunities on the world stage to prove his worth and ability.

For Canada, it was a three day celebration of the wonderful sport of tennis and how it can galvanize a nation. The crowds in Vancouver were top-notch and cheered for their players with the type of fervour normally reserved for a Stanley Cup hockey game. They remained respectful of the French team while simultaneously pumping-up their players in the search for a victory that was unfortunately just not meant to be.