Australia, Canada among Day 1 winners at ATP Cup

Australia and Canada are expected to be two of the titans at the inaugural ATP Cup and nothing has changed following Day 1.

Host nation Australia kicked off the proceedings with a 3-0 victory over Germany on Friday. In singles, Nick Kyrgios defeated Jan-Lennard Struff 6-4, 7-6(4) and Alex de Minaur overcame Alexander Zverev 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-2. Having already clinched the overall match, the Aussies still produced a victory in doubles as John Peers and Chris Guccione beat Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies 6-3, 6-4.

“It was a very good match to start the year, start the new season,” de Minaur assured. “It’s never easy. You got the added nerves of just a new year, and you’re playing for your country, so all of that together made it a bit more nerve wracking. So I’m [glad] I was able to settle the nerves and get a win for myself and for Australia.”

“First match of the year is always going to be tough,” Kyrgios commented. “To be honest, I was actually pretty happy with my performance. Obviously I served well in crucial moments.”

Felix Auger-Aliassime got the Canadians started on the right foot with an expected 6-1, 6-3 rout of Michail Pervolarakis. In perhaps the biggest match of the entire day, Denis Shapovalov upset Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6(6), 7-6(4). Auger-Aliassime and Shapovalov then teamed up in doubles to knock off Tsitsipas and Pervolarakis 6-2, 6-3.

“It’s always amazing to be part of the team and have kind of a team feeling,” said Shapovalov, who just led his country to a runner-up finish at the 2019 Davis Cup. “It’s pretty rare on the tour, so I definitely love it and I always feel like I thrive off that atmosphere. So, yeah, I’m really happy, happy with the result today.”