Australia edge France in doubles decider, Canada and Germany win in Davis Cup Finals

Australia narrowly defeated France in the highlight match of the opening day of the Davis Cup Finals group stage on Tuesday, with Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell securing the decisive doubles victory in their Group B encounter in Valencia.

Canada also commenced their campaign with confidence, as singles victories from Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger-Aliassime guaranteed them a win in their initial Group D match against Argentina in Manchester.

Germany achieved a comprehensive 3-0 triumph over Slovakia in Zhuhai, China, which is hosting the Group C competitions.

Australia, the 28-time champions of the Davis Cup who were runners-up to Italy last year, received a strong start when Thanasi Kokkinakis fought back to secure a 7-6(4) 7-6(3) victory over the higher-seeded Arthur Fils, overcoming a 2-4 deficit in the second set.

France responded with their top player, Ugo Humbert, who defeated Alexei Popyrin with a score of 6-3 6-2.

However, Australia clinched the match as Ebden and Purcell collaborated to overcome the seasoned French pair of Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Edouard Roger-Vasselin with a scoreline of 7-5 5-7 6-3.

This marked the third consecutive year that Lleyton Hewitt's Australian team triumphed over France in the group stage of the Davis Cup Finals.

Canada, the champions of the 2022 Davis Cup, secured a 2-1 victory against Argentina after left-handed player Shapovalov, despite a drop in rankings, defeated the 31st-ranked Francisco Cerundolo with a score of 7-5 6-3.

"I feel great," Shapovalov remarked. "The last time I participated in the Davis Cup, we emerged victorious, so it is wonderful to return and compete at such a high level."

Auger-Aliassime then followed suit with a convincing 6-3 6-3 win over Sebastian Baez, putting Canada ahead 2-0.

Argentina managed to get on the board in the doubles.

Germany demonstrated their superiority over Slovakia, with Maximilian Marterer defeating Lukas Klein with a score of 6-4, 7-5. Following this, Yannick Hanfmann triumphed over Jozef Kovalik, winning 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(3). Tim Puetz and Kevin Krawietz then finalized the victory with a win in the doubles match.

A total of sixteen nations are participating in four groups located in Manchester, Bologna, Valencia, and Zhuhai, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the Davis Cup Final 8 Knockout Stage, scheduled to take place in Malaga, Spain, in November.

In another match of the day, Belgium emerged victorious against the Netherlands, winning 2-1 in Group A, which is being held in Bologna.

The reigning champions, Italy, will commence their campaign in Group A on Wednesday against Brazil, although they will be without the newly crowned US Open champion, Jannik Sinner.