Tebbutt: Dutch doubles ends Canadian hopes

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The chances have been stacked towards Canada – in its Davis Cup tie towards the Netherlands in addition to in Saturday’s doubles match – and that’s how issues lastly performed out.

With the 7-5, 6-3 victory by Dutchmen Wesley Koolhof and Matwe Middlekoop over Peter Polansky and Brayden Schnur, the Netherlands workforce prevailed 3-0 within the best-of-five match Qualifier in The Hague.

The match was aggressive proper up till the ultimate recreation of the primary set. Polansky and Schnur survived 4 break factors within the second recreation on Schnur’s serve and 7 total earlier than Koolhof and Middlekoop lastly transformed on the eighth at 30-40 within the 12^th recreation on the Polansky serve. However even that time wasn’t straightforward for them – Polansky hit a wonderful serve to Middlekoop’s forehand and he slammed an absolute cracker return down the road to finish the 52-minute first set.

Koolhof and Middlekoop broke the Schnur serve within the second recreation of the second set and made it maintain up for the win.

Koolhof (above) was the primary star of the match, serving with precision – the Dutch workforce gained 94 per cent of first-serve factors within the opening set – and returning with creativity in addition to volleying effectively. It was solely logical that together with his No. 18 ATP doubles rating and Middlekoop at No. 28, they have been prohibitive favourites over Polansky at No. 175 and Schnur at 381.

In a manner the destiny of the tie was within the playing cards effectively earlier than it even started – not solely was the Dutch workforce taking part in at dwelling and capable of choose the floor (crimson clay) that will be least favoured by the visiting Canadian gamers, however there was the obvious absence of world No. 9 Félix Auger-Aliassime, No. 13 Denis Shapovalov and No. 139 Vasek Pospisil for the guests.

It was unlucky the three elected to not play however, with the unrelenting calls for of the worldwide professional tour, gamers need to make decisions. The BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells begins on Tuesday (qualifying), so it was all the time going to be tough, particularly for Auger-Aliassime and Shapovalov, to play indoors on clay simply days earlier than having to start out a Masters 1000 occasion outdoor on laborious courts.

On the eve of the Canada – Netherlands match-up, Dutch captain Paul Haarhuis, the previous world No. 1 in doubles and himself a participant in 27 Davis Cup ties as a participant, gave his evaluation of the match-up.

“With the strongest doable workforce (i.e. Auger-Aliassime and Shapovalov) for the Canadians – we have been removed from being favourites, we might be very a lot the underdog,” Haarhuis stated. “However now the state of affairs is totally (turned) round and we’re the favourites and the Canadians are by far the underdogs.

“The road-up actually adjustments the way it appears with the rankings. Let’s say the Canadians would include Félix and with Shapo, we might nonetheless assume it’s doable. And if we play effectively we have now a shot in each match – to win three matches certain. It might be very tough, however we imagine we might try this.

“And I’d assume that the Canadians are in the identical place now ‘okay it’s going to be very tough, however every match we have now a shot at it, so it’s doable.’”

Captain Frank Dancevic’s squad did have their photographs – No. 332-ranked Alexis Galarneau (under) was proper in each units of his 7-5, 7-6(9) loss to world No. 48 Botic van de Zandschulp within the first match on Friday and No. 294 Steven Diez had moments when he threatened No. 54 Tallon Griekspoor in his 6-4, 6-4 defeat.

Within the fourth match after the Dutch took an insurmountable 3-0 lead within the tie on the Sportcampus Zuiderpark, veteran Robin Haase defeated Diez 6-1, 6-2.

“We knew it will be a tough activity coming into this weekend towards the Netherlands,” Dancevic summed up. “We had a couple of moments the place the momentum might have turned our manner however sadly, it wasn’t meant to be. The Dutch performed very effectively and deserved the victory. Thanks to all our Canadian followers for all of the help! We are going to regroup and are available again stronger for the following tie in September.”

With the loss, Canada won’t be within the prime group of Davis Cup for the primary time since 2011, the yr it made the elite 16-nation World Group when a tireless Vasek Pospisil led his workforce to a 3-2 victory over Israel in Ramat Hasharon.

So a decade – 2012 to 2021 – involves an finish.

Now Canada will play in a World Group I Playoff the weekend of September 16-17 in a match-up at dwelling or away nonetheless to be decided. A win there’ll earn Canada a spot in the identical Qualifiers as this weekend subsequent yr, vying for a spot within the 2023 Davis Cup Finals.

A loss in September would imply being relegated to World Group II in 2023 with the earliest it might once more play within the Davis Cup Finals being in 2024.

There was a second of levity earlier than the Diez – Haase match when Galarneau needed to bear the normal Davis Cup workforce rookie initiation. In his case, it was to run across the courtroom shirtless draped in a Canadian flag. He additionally took half within the pre-match coin toss on the internet earlier than Diez – Haase started – with even the Dutch gamers in on the enjoyable.