Canada trails Spain after Pospisil edged out by Bautista Agut – Tennis Canada


Team Canada presented by Sobeys will have to mount a comeback in their second tie of the group stage at the 2022 Davis Cup Finals after Vasek Pospisil was beaten in three sets by Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut in the opening singles match.

Pospisil took the opening set but the Spaniard, buoyed by the support of the home crowd in Valencia, dug in and proved too consistent for his Canadian opponent, grinding out a 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 win.

An upset win from Félix Auger-Aliassime and a doubles victory are now necessary if Canada is to pull out a win in this tie.

Consistency was the name of the game for Bautista Agut, who was massively outgunned by Pospisil but managed to play a cleaner match. The Canadian ripped 31 winners, almost triple his opponent’s 13, but Bautista Agut committed a mere 13 unforced errors while Pospisil had 33.

Unlike his first match against Korea, Pospisil came out serving well, opening with a love hold and facing minimal danger in service games through most of the opening set. Midway through the first, the door opened on return for the Canadian as a string of strong returns gave him a love-40 advantage and he closed out the break with a smash.

Serving out the set was the first challenge Pospisil faced as he double-faulted to go down 15-40. However, Bautista Agut missed passing shots on both break points which allowed the Canadian to escape the danger and take the opening set.

Bautista Agut quickly turned the table in the second set, going ahead 15-40 for the second Pospisil service game in a row. The Canadian once again saved both, but this time a strong passing shot from the Spaniard set up a third break point and Pospisil sent a forehand long to go down a break.

Photo : Martin Sidorjak

Despite applying pressure to his opponent’s serve several times in the second, Pospisil was unable to create a break-back point as Bautista Agut forced a deciding set.

Pospisil needed a medical timeout early in the third set but nearly turned things around when he held a break point in the fourth game. He sent a backhand long and paid for it in the next game when Bautista Agut broke him to go up 3-2.

Despite throwing everything he had left at the Spaniard, Pospisil did not have an answer for Bautista Agut’s consistency. The Spaniard broke again as the Canadian serve to stay alive, clinching the first point for the home team.

In the second singles match, Félix Auger-Aliassime will look to spoil Carlos Alcaraz’s debut as world No. 1 as the 19-year-old will play his first match since taking over the top spot following his US Open victory.





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