Draper’s defeat hands Argentina Davis Cup victory: Who will secure qualification?

Argentina defeated Great Britain in the Davis Cup, leaving uncertainty in Group D. The South American team had lost their first tie against Canada 2-1, but thanks to Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Francisco Cerundolo, they surprised Dan Evans and Jack Draper with straight-set victories.

A closely contested series was expected, considering that all three Argentine singles players are ranked in the top 35, while the Europeans placed their hopes on an inspired Draper, who played his first match after reaching the Davis Cup semifinals.

The first tie in Group D saw Canada defeat Argentina and Great Britain beat Finland, both by 2-1. This time, the Europeans had the chance to secure their spot in the Davis Cup Finals but were caught off guard, creating uncertainty ahead of the final group stage match to determine the finalists.

Canada had nearly guaranteed their qualification after defeating Finland 3-0, leading the group with a 2-0 record in ties and 5-1 in matches. The Finns were eliminated with a 0-2 record in ties and 1-5 in matches.

Great Britain needed two wins today against the South Americans to qualify alongside Canada and approach the final day with more confidence. In the first match, Dan Evans (No. 178) faced Tomas Martin Etcheverry (No. 26), and the South American won comfortably 6-2, 7-5.

In the second match, the pressure was on Draper (No. 20), who was returning for his first match since the US Open, having missed the tie against Canada. He faced an inspired Francisco Cerundolo (No. 31), who played his best tennis to win in straight sets.

The Brits managed to pull one back in doubles, where Evans and former doubles world No. 1 Neal Skupski defeated doubles specialists Andres Molteni and Máximo Gonzalez 6-3, 7-5—a much-needed win to improve their chances for the final match. However, Argentina still seems to have better odds in the last ties, though a triple tie between Britain, Argentina, and Canada remains possible.

For this to happen, Great Britain would need to beat Canada, and Argentina must defeat Finland, creating a 2-1 tie in matches. In that case, the number of matches won will be counted, or if still tied, sets or even games may determine the outcome. Both Argentina and Great Britain are under pressure to win their final tie to qualify.