MALAGA, Spain — Germany has preserved its aspirations of claiming the Davis Cup title for the first time in over thirty years after achieving a victory over Canada in the quarterfinals held on Wednesday.
Jan-Lennard Struff showcased his resilience by coming back to defeat Denis Shapovalov with a score of 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (5), securing the decisive point in the second singles match of the contest. The match commenced with Daniel Altmaier contributing to Germany’s lead after triumphing over Gabriel Diallo with a score of 7-6 (5), 6-4.
Next up for Germany is a showdown against the Netherlands on Friday, where they will vie for a chance to reach the final. The Dutch team clinched victory over Spain with a score of 2-1 in their quarterfinal tie, which also marked Rafael Nadal’s retirement from competitive tennis.
Germany last reached the semifinals in 2021 and has not lifted the prestigious Davis Cup trophy since 1993, having claimed the title three times in total. Canada, which won its only title in 2022, faced former teammate Struff in a quarterfinal route where he also came out on top against Shapovalov in three sets.
In addition to the ongoing matches, the quarterfinals scheduled for Thursday will see the United States go up against Australia, while the defending champion Italy will be facing Argentina.
During Wednesday’s first singles match, Altmaier delivered an impressive performance with ten aces against Diallo’s nine, maintaining just one double fault compared to Diallo’s six.
“I haven’t played a Davis Cup match throughout the whole year, and then right away playing in such an important match which is to lead the tie, so I’m really happy (with) the way I could handle it mentally,” Altmaier stated.
Meanwhile, Diallo reflected on his performance, noting that he didn’t feel “as loose” as he would have liked.
“It was quite patchy. Some bits and pieces, moments where I was playing well, moments where I was a little bit more scrappy. But sometimes that’s how it goes. Sometimes the moment gets a little bit to you. Today in some moments it got to me, and I didn’t manage to find my rhythm and get my stride to secure the win,” Diallo explained.
Both teams faced the challenge of competing without their top-ranked athletes—Germany’s Alexander Zverev, currently ranked second, and Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime, ranked twenty-ninth.