Preview Davis Cup 2024: Great Britain aiming to secure qualification against a desperate Argentina

The Group Stage of the Davis Cup will feature one of the most exciting duels as Great Britain faces Argentina in a bid to secure a spot in the 2024 Finals. The team led by Leon Smith will see the return of Jack Draper as the lead singles player after his strong performance at the US Open.

The British team comes off a victory in their series against Finland, although without Draper’s presence. Dan Evans defeated Eero Vasa in the first match, followed by Billy Harris securing the win against Otto Virtanen. However, in doubles, Evans and Neal Skupski lost in straight sets to Virtanen and Harri Heliovaara.

On Argentina’s side, singles players Francisco Cerúndolo and Sebastián Báez were defeated in their matches against Canada’s Denis Shapovalov and Félix Auger-Aliassime, respectively. Argentina is now in a must-win situation against Great Britain to stay alive in the tournament.

In the first match on September 13, Dan Evans (No. 178) will face Cerúndolo (No. 31), followed by Draper’s return (No. 20) in a tough challenge against Sebastián Báez (No. 26). In doubles, Argentina’s specialists Andrés Molteni (No. 30) and Máximo González (No. 34) will face Henry Patten (No. 17) and Skupski (No. 19).

So far, Argentina leads the head-to-head Davis Cup meetings with a 4-1 advantage. Their last encounter was in the semifinals of the World Group in 2016, where former US Open champion Juan Martín Del Potro won an epic match against Andy Murray, securing the decisive point that saw Argentina advance 3-2. It was one of only three singles matches Murray has ever lost while representing his country.

It won’t be easy against Argentina, which boasts five players ranked inside the top 35 in singles or doubles. However, Great Britain may have an advantage with home-court and surface conditions, playing in Manchester on indoor hardcourts, which favours the British team, while the South Americans tend to perform better on clay.

A victory could be crucial for Great Britain’s hopes of advancing, especially with their final series against the 2022 champions Canada, whose singles players Auger-Aliassime (No. 21) and Shapovalov (No. 100) pose strong challenges. A win would automatically qualify the British team, leaving only the final series against Canada to decide the top position. A defeat could leave Argentina in a better spot, especially since their final series will be against Finland, the weakest team based on rankings.