Canada to face Italy, Sweden and Chile in Davis Cup title defence

MÁLAGA, Spain — Defending champion Canada will face Italy, Sweden and Chile in the group stage of the 2023 Davis Cup men's tennis tournament.

Canada, the No. 1 country in the Davis Cup rankings, was selected as the top seed of Group A, which will play its matches at Unipol Arena in Bologna, Italy, from Sept. 12-17.

The top two teams from each group will qualify for the knockout stages (quarterfinals, semifinals, and final) in Malaga, Spain.

Canada won its first Davis Cup title when a team led by Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime, Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., and Vancouver's Vasek Pospisil defeated Australia 2-0 in last year's championship tie in Malaga.

Canada advanced to the 2022 final with a 2-1 semifinal victory over Italy.

No. 2 Australia was drawn with host Britain, France and Switzerland into Group B, which will be hosted in Manchester, England.

Third seed Spain will host Group C — Serbia, Czechia and South Korea — in Valencia.

No. 4 Croatia will host the Netherlands, the United States and Finland in Group D at a city yet to be determined.

"As we get set to launch our title defence, we expect the pressure to be on us, and we can't wait to prove to the world that we truly belong at the top," Canada captain Frank Dancevic said in a release.

"Back-to-back champions has a nice ring to it, and we will do everything we can to keep the Davis Cup trophy in Canada."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 29, 2023.