Finland booked their place in the semi-finals of the 2023 Davis Cup after coming from behind to beat reigning champions Canada in the best-of-three encounter in Malaga, Spain.
In the opening match of the quarter-finals, Milos Raonic overcame Patrick Kaukovalta in straight sets to give Canada the lead.
Raonic, playing in his first Davis Cup Finals since 2018, dominated on the serve to beat his Finnish counterpart 6-3 7-5.
“I took care of my serve and I created quite a few opportunities,” Raonic said after the match. “Just kept putting myself in good positions and it worked out pretty well.”
The 32-year-old struck 18 aces and didn’t face a single break point during the match which lasted just over an hour.
Four of those aces came in the first game as Raonic laid down an early marker. A powerful forehand winner helped him gain the first break of the contest to go 5-3 up before closing out the first set for the loss of just a single point on the serve.
The second was much tighter and went all the way to 5-5 before the Canadian eventually broke his 24-year-old opponent for 6-5.
Raonic finished the match how he started it, displaying his devastating serving to wrap up the second set and give Canada the advantage.
But Finland hit back through Otto Virtanen in match two to send the contest into a decider.
The 22-year-old, who is ranked 179th in the world, was similarly dominant behind his serve in a straight-sets victory over Gabriel Diallo.
Virtanen hit 14 aces to Diallo’s two across the match that lasted 94 minutes. The Finn broke serve in the third game and saved immediate break-back points before wrapping up the first set.
And like the opening contest of the tie, the second set went with serve until 5-5 when Virtanen secured a crucial break and completed a 6-4 7-5 victory.
Virtanen then returned for the decisive doubles match, teaming up with Harri Heliovaara to take on Alexis Galarneau and Vasek Pospisil.
The Finnish duo struck first to take a 3-1 lead but were pegged back by the Canadians, who drew level at 4-4.
At 6-5, the Finns made their move, earning two set points and clinching it at the second time of asking to snatch the early advantage.
Team Canada were immediately on the back foot again at the beginning of the second but remarkably saved six break points before holding serve to level at 1-1.
They then missed a chance of their own in the fifth game which would prove costly when Virtanen and Heliovaara broke to move 5-3 clear and then served it out to love to move into the last four where they will meet either the Czech Republic or Australia.
The other two quarter-finals will see Italy face the Netherlands and Great Britain take on Serbia.
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