MADRID, 5 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The qualifying round for the group stage of the 2024 Davis Cup Finals ended this Sunday with the surprise of the elimination of Serbia and Croatia, within the 12 series in search of joining Australia and Italy, the two finalists of 2023 , and the guests Great Britain and Spain.
The group stage of the 2024 Davis Cup Finals, with a total of 16 nations, will take place from September 10 to 15 in four cities pending official announcement. The Final 8, where the candidates to lift the Salad Bowl will gather, will be held again in Malaga from November 19 to 24.
Serbia, second seed in the qualifying round, fell with a crash (0-4) against Slovakia, undoubtedly missing Novak Djokovic. The champion of 24 'greats', who last year was left wanting to lift the Davis Cup when he lost against Italy in the semifinals, will have no option this season to fight for the Tennis World Cup again.
Meanwhile, Croatia, third seed, was also surprised at home by Belgium (1-3). The defeat in the doubles by Ivan Dodig and Mate Pavic presaged a bad fate for the Croatians.
The other surprise of the 'Qualifiers' was Brazil's victory in Sweden to reach the Finals for the first time. The South American team eliminated one of the favorites 1-3 thanks to its best player, Thiago Monteiro, with a great comeback victory over Elias Ymer (4-6, 6-4, 6-2).
On the other hand, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, Czechia, United States, Finland, France and Argentina advanced, eliminating South Korea (3-1), Hungary (2-3), Switzerland (3-2), Israel (4 -0), Ukraine (0-4), Portugal (3-1), Chinese Taipei (0-4) and Kazakhstan (3-2), respectively. Chile and Peru compete in the only series to finish.