Team Canada presented by IGA will lean on their depth this weekend in the Davis Cup Qualifiers 1st Round against Hungary, with four of the five players on the team expected to play across the five matches. The draw for the weekend’s tie was made on Friday at IGA Stadium in Montreal, the site of the qualifying encounter.
Captain Frank Dancevic nominated Gabriel Diallo and Alexis Galarneau to play singles for Canada, with veteran Vasek Pospisil and rookie Liam Draxl teaming up in the doubles. With this lineup, no Canadian is expected to play both singles and doubles.
The same cannot be said for the Hungarians, who nominated their top-ranked player, Fabian Marozsan, to play singles and doubles. Hungary stuck to their rankings with their nominations, going with Maroszan and Marton Fucsovics in singles.
On Saturday, Galarneau will open the tie against Hungarian No. 1 Marozsan, followed by Canadian No. 1 Diallo taking on Fucsovics. Draxl and Pospisil will kick off the action on Sunday in the doubles against the Hungarian pair of Marozsan and Mate Valkusz. The doubles will be followed by the battle of No. 1s, pitting Diallo against Marozsan. If necessary, Galarneau and Fucsovics could be called upon to decide the tie in the fifth and final match on Sunday.
“I’m happy to be able to set the tone, to give energy to the team, to deliver a good performance,” said Galarneau after learning he would play the opening match. “Two years ago in Italy, I played the first match. It brings motivation, an extra pressure that if it’s well-managed, is a positive. I’m excited for it.”
In fact, Galarneau played the opening match for Canada twice in Italy during the 2023 Finals Group Stage. He went 2-0, beating higher-ranked opponents both times. He has a 2-1 record overall in singles in Davis Cup.
CLICK HERE to meet the members of Team Canada.
On paper, despite Canada being the higher-ranked nation (No. 3, Hungary is No. 22), the Hungarian players hold the edge when it comes to ATP rankings. Marozsan is the highest-ranked player in the tie at No. 58 while Fucsovics is also inside the Top 100 at No. 96. Diallo is the lone Canadian inside the Top 100 at No. 85 while Galarneau is the lowest-ranked player nominated for singles at No. 176.
Diallo was asked if he felt the fact that Hungary has their two highest-ranked players, while Canada is without their top two, makes the hosts the underdog. The Montrealer disagreed, saying, “Underdog? No, I don’t think so because we’re playing at home. To me, when we play at home, we’re never the underdog. Especially in Montreal for me personally. Last year we had success here, we had a very similar team.”
Diallo has played in the No. 1 spot for Canada in five Davis Cup ties, including last year in Montreal against the Republic of Korea. He has a 4-2 record playing as the Canadian No. 1, including two wins at this stage last year.
Three of the four singles matches on the schedule after Friday’s draw will be a first meeting between the players.
CLICK HERE to meet the members of Team Hungary.
Only Galarneau and Fucsovics have met before, and that was just last week at an ATP Challenger event in Oeiras, Portugal. Galarneau defeated the Hungarian in straight sets.
“It wasn’t the best match of my career, that’s for sure,” said Fucsovics during Team Hungary’s press conference on Friday. “In the last months, I was struggling a little bit, I had a couple of injuries so I’m still trying to recover. But this week I was working very hard and spent lots of time on the court so I’m starting to feel confident again and I think I’m ready for the weekend. I’m very motivated.”
Draxl is currently the highest-ranked Canadian in the ATP doubles rankings at No. 113. He already has an ATP Challenger title to his name in 2025, having won in Oeiras last week with Cleeve Harper, and won six doubles titles in 2024. He will be making his Davis Cup debut.
Read also: Dancevic Highlights Montreal Atmosphere Ahead of Davis Cup Qualifiers
Harper is also a part of Team Canada this weekend but was not selected to play.
Draxl and Pospisil will be teaming up in doubles for the first time. They have never played a professional doubles match together before. Draxl will be Pospisil’s ninth different partner in Davis Cup competition since the British Columbian made his Team Canada debut in 2008.
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When asked how he felt about getting to team up with one of Canada’s most experienced and decorated Davis Cup players in Pospisil, Draxl said, “It’s super cool. Growing up, watching Vasek play Davis Cup, watching him win Wimbledon, it’s definitely super cool to play with such a Davis Cup legend. He’s won so many huge matches for the country. I’m really pumped to get out there and play.”
During Team Canada’s press conference, Pospisil was asked if this weekend’s tie could be his final appearance in Davis Cup competition. The veteran of 35 Davis Cup ties, including this weekend, was clear that he was not confirming that this would be his last time suiting up for Canada but did say “I’ll be making some kind of decision this year” and acknowledged that it could in fact be his final time representing Canada.
“I just want to soak it in and enjoy it. There is a high chance that this will be my last tie so I’m going to try to enjoy it the best I can,” said Pospisil. “But at the same time, I’m here to do the job and I want to contribute to the team and get the win in the doubles. That’s the main focus and try not to get too distracted with the fact that it may be the last one. But of course, it’s still in the back of my mind and I’ll just try to enjoy the week.”
Pospisil has a 17-13 career record in Davis Cup doubles matches.
Galarneau and Marozsan will get the tie underway on Saturday at 12:45 pm at IGA Stadium in Montreal.
CLICK HERE for everything you need to know about the 2025 Davis Cup Qualifiers 1st Round in Montreal.
Tickets for the Davis Cup Qualifiers 1st Round tie between Canada and Hungary are now on sale. Join us February 1 and 2 at IGA Stadium in Montreal, as the Canadian team begins their quest for the 2025 Davis Cup Final 8. To access tickets at early-bird pricing, click here.
