Ace Action at the Davis Cup Finals and moving up a gear in UCI Track Champions League

2022 Davis Cup Finals

Malaga will become the new Wimbledon as the Davis Cup Finals descend on the city next week in what is set to be an exhilarating end to the tournament where eight countries – Australia, Canada, Croatia, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain and the United States - will battle it out for glory in the famous knock-out style format. Who will take the advantage and ace their season? And whose performance will leave them out of the top spot? Read on to find out.

Before we discuss who will be the players to watch, let’s first take a look at which countries missed the mark, specifically the team representing Great Britain. The composition of team GB certainly caused a stir among players and fans alike, as veteran Andy Murray was selected, despite no longer being the best singles player. It is rumoured that Murray was only selected because the event was held in Glasgow. Could this poor choice have affected GB’s chances of making it to the Finals?

Prior to World number one Carlos Alcaraz’s injury, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that he would serve Spain their seventh Davis Cup victory. However, with a cloud of injury now looming over his head, coupled with the fact that world number two Rafael Nadal was not named in the team, it is doubtful that Spain will get a look in.

The United States are certainly in a strong position to be claiming some silverware in this competition. The team is headed up by world number nine Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe, who just two months ago gained victory in London as they defeated Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in the doubles match of the Laver Cup. If they needed any more confidence for the impending Finals, at the US open Tiafoe reached the semi-finals on home soil after beating the legendary Nadal.

A particular match that you won’t want to miss is the Germany and Canada doubles which is due to take place on Thursday 24th November. In fact, the first match between the two countries – a singles match - will almost seem like a warmup if the previous group stages are anything to go by. The strong German side, fronted by Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz are now undefeated in eight matches in the Davis Cup, and whichever hero combination of Canadian players show up on the day will be guaranteed to give us a match to remember.

UCI Track Champions League

After last week’s thrilling start to the UCI Track Champions League in Palma, where the two favourites most certainly made their mark on the competition, this week we are heading off to the Velodrom Berlin, where 6,000 fans will eagerly await more of the action.

Unsurprisingly, and as we predicted last week, world champion Harrie Lavreysen won his first Men’s Sprint of the competition in Palma. In fact, he is considered almost unbeatable. It was clear that the young Australian Matthew Richardson had a game plan to try and push the Dutchman right up until the end, but he remained calm and with a lap to go he made his move to claim the keirin victory. Despite Lavreysen taking the win, even from this first stage, it is clear to see that he will come to face tough competition in the tournament.

In the Men’s Endurance category, the current leader is Britain’s Mark Stewart, who is not only a track cyclist, but also regularly competes in road cycling at World Tour level. 

The British cyclist admitted that he would “happily upset the odds”, after he took the men’s scratch event in Palma. This was made even more entertaining by the fact that Stewart beat the home favourite Sebastian Mora, who was chased by Stewart and who eventually had to settle for third place.

The women’s race, although more difficult to predict, will be sure to provide an entertaining watch. Olympic champion Jennifer Valente powered herself towards an early lead in the endurance category, coming third in the scratch race and second in the elimination race.

In the keirin race, shock and elation overcame the crowd as the Colombian Martha Bayona came in first place. She beat not only Kelsey Mitchell, the Olympic sprint champion, but also the world champion, Lea Friedrich. This really goes to show that anything can happen, and you cannot take your eyes off the screen for a second!

Do you think Harrie Lavreysen and Martha Bayona will continue their strong run of form or will an underdog prevail? Be sure to tune in to find out!