Fery's Great Britain rises to first Davis Cup Finals since 2023 as Alexander Zverev returns straight from New York to propel Germany into season-ender
ATPSunday, 20 September 2026 at 19:29
Great Britain and Germany unlike the USA made it through to the final eight of the Davis Cup after heroic efforts on Sunday in their respective ties.
The former who won the tournament in 2015 faced Ecuador at the Copper Box Arena and albeit had Arthur Fery had missed many of their leading lights including Jack Draper who is still injured. Cameron Norrie too not part of the squad in what has been a real time of change for the nation.
It was in fact some of the elder statesman of the squad who rose to the occasion in Henry patten and Neal Skupski as the doubles World No.1 and the reigning Australian and US Open champion combined to beat Gonzalo Escobar and Diego Hidalgo 6-3, 6-4 in front of a jubilant crowd at the Copper Box Arena.
The former champions join Italy in the eight team draw for the season-ending spectacle which is held between November 24-29. It is the first time that they have qualified since 2023 which is quite a superb feat given that compared to then many of the leading players are retired e.g Murray and Evans or injured.
“I'm actually delighted for the guys,” said Leon Smith, captain of the side. “It's been obviously quite a few years since we've featured in the Final 8. We've been to a few places since then - Japan, Poland, Norway. So I think it's great for everyone to look forward to an end of year like that.”
Germany propelled into Bologna
It was in fact the new guard also that shone. Toby Samuel on Saturday recovered from a nervy start to take down Andres Andrade, the Ecuador No.1 4-6, 6-4, 6-1.
His opposite number, Arthur Fery also had a brilliant homecoming on his return after his epic Wimbledon semi-final run seeing off Alvaro Guillen Meza 7-5, 6-0.
This win was achieved despite Cameron Norrie not being there who had to pull out on the eve of the qualifiers due to an arm injury. He was the huge miss, but they still managed to do it.
While Germany also managed to win through. Alexander Zverev won his second Grand Slam title just last week before jetting to Halle to lead Germany and unlike his final opponent, Ben Shelton, it proved to be quite a shrewd move.
Zverev produced a sumptuous backhand valley to seal a 6-2, 6-4 win over Dino Prizmic which stopped Croatia reaching their first Davis Cup Finals since 2023. Germany now advance to the final eight in Bologna.
The foundation was laid down by Kevin Krawietz and Tim Putz that set them up as they beat Mektic and Pavic 7-5, 6-2 to propel Germany into the sky and a 2-1 lead. Prizmic had beaten Altmaier yesterday, while Zverev took down Matej Dodig 6-4, 7-6 to win the opening match of the tie.
“The Davis Cup here at home in front of the home fans was incredible,” said Zverev. “That is exactly what the Davis Cup is all about for me. We have a strong team that deserves to be at the Finals.”
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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