Victories keep Canada alive at ATP Cup

Canadian Denis Shapovalov picked up his second win against a top-10 player with a 6-2, 6-2 thumping of Germany’s Alexander Zverev at the inaugural ATP Cup team event in Brisbane on Tuesday.

The German continued to struggle with his serve ahead of this month’s Australian Open.

Shapovalov, 20, needed just 70 minutes to brush aside world No. 7 Zverev, who lost his third straight singles match before the year’s first Grand Slam starting in Melbourne on Jan. 20.

Shapovalov, who beat world No. 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas in his opening match of the ATP Cup, returned with teammate Felix Auger- Aliassime to win the deciding doubles rubber against Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies 6- 3, 7- 6( 4), earning Canada a 2-1 win over the Germans in the tiebreaker to keep them in the hunt for the quarter-finals.

Later, Australian Nick Kyrgios outlasted Tsitsipas 7- 6( 7), 6-7( 3), 7- 6( 5) after an intense duel to seal the tie for the hosts against Greece.

Kyrgios slammed a backhand winner on match point and fell on his back to celebrate his second win in as many meetings against the ATP Finals champion as the Pat Rafter Arena crowd roared on.

His win ensured Australia will go to the knockout stage having won all of its ties in the $ 15- million ATP Cup, which features 24 nations competing in Perth, Brisbane and Sydney over 10 days.

Kyrgios had missed the tiebreaker against Canada with a back problem and on Tuesday he replaced Australia’s Alex de Minaur, who sat out with an abdominal strain.

For Kyrgios, who has been placed on probation by the governing body of men’s tennis over his behaviour, losing his cool on the court is not surprising, but it was Tsitsipas who was docked a point for hitting a ball at the Greek Team Zone.

All six group winners and the two best second- placed teams will advance to the final eight in Sydney. Besides the host, Serbia, Britain and Russia have already qualified.