Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
Otto Virtanen helped his native Finland rally to defeat Canada 2-1 in the Davis Cup quarterfinals on Tuesday in Malaga, Spain, knocking the defending champion out of the tournament.
Finland and Canada were two of eight countries to advance to the single-elimination finals bracket after group-stage play earlier this year. Canada won Group A while Finland took second place in Group D, eliminating the United States in the process.
Finland has never won the Davis Cup; this was the country’s first time even reaching the quarterfinals.
Canada opened Tuesday’s match with Milos Raonic’s 6-3, 7-5 win over Finland’s Patrick Kaukovalta. But Virtanen evened things up by beating Canadian Gabriel Diallo 6-4, 7-5.
In the deciding doubles match, Virtanen and Harri Heliovaara took down Canadians Vasek Pospisil and Alexis Galarneau 7-5, 6-3. The Finns held a 9-1 edge in aces and won an overwhelming 81.8 percent (27 of 33) of their first-service points in the doubles match.
Finland will play in the semifinals Friday against either Australia or the Czech Republic. Those nations are scheduled for a quarterfinal showdown Wednesday.
–Field Level Media