Great Britain have been eliminated from the Davis Cup after Dan Evans was defeated 6-0, 7-5 by Denis Shapovalov in the first match of their final group-stage contest against Canada.
Britain needed to win all three of Sunday’s games in order to progress to the knockout stage in November but Evans succumbed in straight sets to world No. 100 Shapovalov.
The first set was almost a formality as the Canadian didn’t drop a game, before Evans settled in the second, forcing his opponent to save several break points.
However, the set remained on serve until its final game, where an under-hit Evans backhand hit the net to end Great Britain’s hopes for another year.
Jack Draper takes on Felix Auger-Aliassime in the second match of the contest, before a doubles match which sees Evans partner with Neal Skupski against Shapovalov and Auger-Aliassime.
The last time Draper and Auger-Aliassime faced off ended in controversy in the round of 16 at the Cincinnati Open, as the Brit won the match despite the ball appearing to touch the floor before going over the net on match point.
Canada advance to the next stage along with Argentina from Britain’s group. Leon Smith’s team’s only win came against Finland.