Finland produced a shock result to knock out defending champions Canada in the quarterfinals of the Davis Cup on Wednesday. Supported by thousands of fans in Malaga, the underdogs continued their best-ever Davis Cup run as they enter the semifinals of the competition for the first time. Otto Virtanen was the star of the show for the Finnish team.
Virtanen is currently ranked 109th in the world in the men’s singles ATP rankings, which is his career best so far. Also, the young Finnish player is ranked No. 243 in the doubles, which is again his career best. The 22-year-old is the 2nd highest-ranked Finnish player on the tour. Virtanen made his debut in Grand Slams at the US Open 2023 where he qualified for the main draw. However, his tournament ended quickly after a defeat in the Round of 128 to Tomas Martin Etcheverry of Switzerland.
During the Davis Cup, Finland needed Virtanen’s heroics after Milos Raonic gave Canada an early advantage after defeating Patrick Kaukovalta 6-3, 7-5. Virtanen faced a must-win encounter in his singles match where he faced Gabriel Diallo. The young Finnish star defeated the Canadian in straight sets, 6-4, 7-5 to level the tie.
Otto Virtanen and Harri Heliovaara then teamed up to face the Canadian duo of Alexis Galarneau and Vasek Pospisil in the decider. The Finnish duo won 7-5, 6-3, in straight sets to reach the semi-finals of the Davis Cup for the first time. Finland became the first Scandinavian country to reach the Davis Cup semi-final since Sweden in 2007.
The Davis Cup 2023 could be a breakthrough moment for Otto Virtanen. The Finnish player has worked the hard yards and won multiple ATP Challenger trophies. However, Virtanen has failed to make an impact at major tournaments. The youngster will hope to make an impact in Grand Slam tournaments soon after a disappointing debut at the US Open.
Otto Virtanen and Finland set to face Australia in the Davis Cup semi-final
Finland’s dream run at the Davis Cup will be tested when they face last year’s finalists, Australia in the semifinals. The Aussies are the second most successful team in the tournament history with 29 championship wins and look very good again this year. Australia came from behind to defeat Czech Republic 2-1 in the quarterfinals.
Finland will go into the match as the underdogs against Australia. However, all eyes will be on Virtanen to see if he can recreate his heroics from the past. The young Finnish star could potentially face Alex de Minaur of Australia in the men’s singles match, which is bound to attract a lot of interest. With more than 3000 vocal Finnish fans behind them, Finland will hope to continue their dream Davis Cup journey.
