Canada and Spain will clash in a tasty ATP Cup final in Sydney on Sunday as Roberto Bautista Agut takes on Felix Auger-Aliassime and Pablo Carreno Busta clashes with Denis Shapovalov. It’s a rematch of the 2019 Davis Cup final.
Roberto Bautista Agut vs. Felix Auger-Aliassime
The last time Roberto Bautista Agut and Felix Auger-Aliassime met, the fans at the U.S. Open were treated to a gritty five-setter. The Canadian edged Bautista Agut and went on to make the semifinals. Auger-Aliassime currently holds a 2-1 head-to-head edge over the Spaniard.
This is a new year, however, and Bautista Agut has come out firing. As Spain’s top seeded player in the tournament, the world No. 19 has been the anchor of the squad with wins over Cristian Garin, Casper Ruud, Dusan Lajovic, and Hubert Hurkacz. Auger-Aliassime, conversely, has not been perfect in Sydney. While he posted one of his best wins yet over Alexander Zverev, he lost his rubber against American Taylor Fritz.
The Canadian is generally the more aggressive player, although it would appear that his recent work with Toni Nadal has taught the world No. 11 more patience and better point construction. This one has “three sets” written all over it. Expect a grinder with Spain just barely snagging the win.
Cheryl pick: Bautista Agut in 3
Ricky pick: Bautista Agut in 3
Pablo Carreno Busta vs. Denis Shapovalov
Denis Shapovalov has also lost one of his matches this week. The world No. 14 fell in straight sets to Dan Evans, but the rest of team Canada picked up the slack to dispatch the British team. Unfortunately for Shapovalov, final opponent Pablo Carreno Busta is a player against whom he has performed poorly.
Carreno Busta holds a commanding 4-1 record in the head-to-head series. The only match the Spaniard lost to Shapovalov came on the clay courts of Rome back in 2019. Their other four matches were hard-court encounters and went the Carreno Busta’s way (although not without a fight from the lefty).
When everything comes together Shapovalov is a real force to be reckoned with, but faced with a patient hard-courter as PCB is the Canadian is often lured into going for too much too soon at the important moments.
Cheryl pick: Carreno Busta in 3
Ricky pick: Carreno Busta in 3
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