with wins by Shapovalov in singles and by Nestor and Pospisil in doubles, and will stay in the World Group for a seventh straight year. In 2018, the first season with new captain Frank Dancevic, Canada lost once again in the first round of the World Group by the score of 1–3 to Croatia. Borna Ćorić won the first rubber over Pospisil, and Shapovalov won the second over Viktor Galović. Despite leading 6–2, 6–3, 4–2, Nestor and Pospisil lost the crucial doubles match against Marin Čilić and Ivan Dodig in five sets. The final day, Shapovalov lost to Ćorić, meaning that Canada had to play a playoff tie in September versus Netherlands to secure its place in the World Group for 2019, which they won by a score of 3–1, through two singles wins by Raonic and one singles win by Shapovalov. 2019: First Canadian final In February 2019, following a format change in the Davis Cup, Canada played in the 2019 Davis Cup Qualifying Round versus Slovakia in order to qualify for the 2019 Davis Cup Finals later in the year. Shapovalov won his first singles match, but then Canada lost the next two matches before rallying with two straight singles match victories by Shapovalov and newcomer Félix Auger-Aliassime to win by a score of 3–2. The Canadian team fielded only two players in the 2019 Davis Cup Finals to make it to the final tie: Vasek Pospisil and Denis Shapovalov. In the group stage, Canada beat Italy by 2–1, winning both its singles matches against higher-ranked players. Pospisil beat Fabio Fognini in straight sets, and Shapovalov beat Matteo Berrettini in a nail-biter featuring three tie-breaks. The Italians won the doubles match. In their tie against the US, Pospisil beat Reilly Opelka in two tie-breaks, and Shapovalov beat Taylor Fritz, with a tie-break in the first set. The doubles match was not played. In the knock-out stage, the Canadians played Australia in the quarterfinals. Pospisil again led off by beating John Millman in the first match, but Shapovalov lost in three sets to Alex de Minaur. They recovered, however, to win the doubles match in straight sets. They next faced Russia in the semifinals. Pospisil lost his first match to Andrey Rublev, who was undefeated. But Shapovalov beat Karen Khachanov, and the pair sealed a trip to the final in the doubles match. They faced Spain in the final