Liam Draxl Upsets Arthur Rinderknech to Give Canada Davis Cup Lead Over France
- Team Canada holds a commanding 2-0 lead over France in their Davis Cup Qualifiers second-round tie after singles victories by Liam Draxl and Félix Auger-Aliassime at the Videotron...
- 2 Liam Draxl opened the tie on Friday by securing what he called the biggest win of his career, defeating French No.
- Draxl put 78 percent of his first serves in play and won 73 percent of those points, breaking Rinderknech three times while saving all three break points he...
Team Canada holds a commanding 2-0 lead over France in their Davis Cup Qualifiers second-round tie after singles victories by Liam Draxl and Félix Auger-Aliassime at the Videotron Centre in Quebec City.
Canadian No. 2 Liam Draxl opened the tie on Friday by securing what he called the biggest win of his career, defeating French No. 1 Arthur Rinderknech in straight sets. Draxl posted a 6-2, 7-5 victory against the world No. 32 in his first-ever match against a player ranked inside the top 50 of the ATP rankings.
Draxl put 78 percent of his first serves in play and won 73 percent of those points, breaking Rinderknech three times while saving all three break points he faced. After taking the opening set 6-2, the Newmarket, Ontario native weathered a second-set push from Rinderknech before sealing the match with a big serve.
Following Draxl’s upset, Canadian No. 1 Félix Auger-Aliassime made his long-awaited home debut in Quebec City. Auger-Aliassime defeated Quentin Halys 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-3 in front of 10,633 fans to extend Canada’s lead to 2-0.
Auger-Aliassime fired 12 aces and capitalized on six double faults from Halys, including three consecutive double faults in the fourth game of the deciding set. The victory improved Auger-Aliassime’s career Davis Cup record to 14-4 and marked his 13th consecutive win in the competition.
“It’s a big relief,” Auger-Aliassime said. “There’s a lot of emotions after so much anticipation for this match over many months. It’s a great way to begin, but it’s just the start.”
Canadian captain Frank Dancevic praised Draxl’s energy and performance on the opening day, noting that the win provides valuable confidence for the player’s career. Meanwhile, French captain Paul-Henri Mathieu acknowledged the difficult position his squad faces heading into the second day of competition.
Canada needs just one more victory to secure a return to the Davis Cup Final 8, which will take place in Bologna, Italy, in November. Play continues on Saturday with the doubles match, where Auger-Aliassime is scheduled to partner with Duncan Chan against Benjamin Bonzi and Pierre-Hugues Herbert.
France must win three consecutive matches on Saturday to capture the tie and advance.
The tie marks the second round of the Davis Cup Qualifiers hosted at the Videotron Centre, bringing top-tier international men’s tennis to Quebec.