VANCOUVER, February 8, 2026 (Tennis Canada Media Release)

The first-round Davis Cup Qualifiers tie between Canada and Brazil concluded Saturday at Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver with Team Canada earning a 3-2 victory. With the result, the national squad advances to the second round of the 2026 Davis Cup Qualifiers to be held in Canada in September (host city to be determined).

“The fans got a true taste of David Cup coming down to the wire. It’s just an incredible weekend for us. We have an incredible team.” said captain Frank Dancevic. “There’s so much depth to our team and everybody, together, we got so far. This is why we win these matches. Because we have so much chemistry and we work well together. We’ve done miraculous things in the past, and we’re just going to see how far we can go this year.”

After the teams split the singles matches the previous day, the tie was level heading into day two, leaving the doubles match to decide the outcome. Liam Draxl (Newmarket, ON), who earned Canada’s first win on Friday, paired up with Cleeve Harper (Calgary, AB) to take on the veteran Brazilian duo of Rafael Matos (World No.34 in doubles) and Orlando Luz (No.53 in doubles).

Despite the rankings favouring Brazil, the Canadians got off to a strong start. Sharp on serve with a 93% first-serve percentage, Draxl and Harper claimed the opening set 6-3. In the second, Matos and Luz came up with a quick reply, drawing on their experience to convert two break points and save two more to even the match (6-4). The deciding set was tightly contested. The Canadians showcased their strong defensive play, saving four of five break points, but Matos and Luz ultimately secured a critical breakthrough in the 11th game to close out the match 3-6, 6-4, 7-5.

“Obviously, we would’ve liked to come out on top, but with doubles, it’s tough sometimes,” said Cleeve Harper. “With thin margins, it comes down to one or two points here or there and maybe, if a little bit of luck comes to our side, we come out on top. But it was a good performance for Liam and me. It was our first match in a while. I thought we came out strong, with good energy, and we gave it a go for the team.”

In Saturday’s second match, Gabriel Diallo (Montréal, QC) was originally slated to be up against Brazil’s no.1 João Lucas Reis da Silva, but, in a surprise late move, team captain Jaime Oncins dispatched Matheus Pucinelli de Almeida (No.297) instead.

The Brazilian took control from the get-go, jumping out to an early lead and winning the first set 6-3. In the second set, Diallo answered back with an impressive 70% of points won to even the match with a commanding 6-1. While the first two sets were over quickly (30 and 31 minutes), the third was different. The battle lasted 1:21 and nearly 98 points before going to a tiebreak. Almeida played solidly throughout, but an early double fault gave the edge to Diallo who went on to win the match 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(4).

“I think yesterday, the things that I did well, I carried them over today.” added Diallo. “I kind of wanted to play the important moments with a little bit more of conviction and I think I showcased it in the tie breaker in the third set with my game. I tried to impose myself and not let my opponent dictate. I’m very happy that I was able to do it and under a lot of pressure.”

The Canadian’s victory reignited his team’s hopes and gave his countrymen the chance to close the gap at 2–2. That meant the outcome of the tie rested on Liam Draxl, who had already played earlier in the day in doubles and needed a win against Brazil’s no.3 Gustavo Heide for Canada to move on.

The Ontario native got off to a compelling start despite a scare from an ankle injury that required a medical timeout. He soon returned to the court and continued to dictate the play, taking the first set 6-3. Draxl kept his momentum going in the second set, saving three break points and winning 80% of points on his first serve and 86% on his second. He clinched the tie for Canada and maintained his perfect record of three singles victories in Davis Cup competition.

DRAXL DELIVERS

Liam Draxl powers past Gustavo Heide 6-3, 6-4 to send Canada through to the Qualifiers 2nd Round #DavisCup @TennisCanada pic.twitter.com/a4SsoxytbW

— Davis Cup (@DavisCup) February 8, 2026

“I literally have no words,” Liam Draxl said after the match. “It’s probably one of the biggest matches I’ve ever played in my career so far, with so much on the line. When you’re a little kid, you dream of big matches like this in your professional career and playing a fifth rubber for your country is one of those super cool dreams you have as a kid. But I just went for it and I’m glad I got through. Thank you so much to everyone who came tonight.”

With its victory over Brazil, Canada advances to the second round of the 2026 Davis Cup Qualifiers to be held in Canada in September (host city to be determined). The team will find out who its next opponent is on Sunday, once the remaining ties are completed.