Top seed Carlos Alcaraz and reigning champion Taylor Fritz both overcame challenges to progress into the third round of the Indian Wells Open on Saturday.

Alcaraz won 6-3 6-3 over Thanasi Kokkinakis in one hour and 18 minutes in his opening match of the event, which also marked his return from a fortnight out with a hamstring injury.

The Spaniard, who reached the semi-finals at Indian Wells last year, could return to the number one ranking with victory at this year's event in the absence of Novak Djokovic.

Alcaraz hit 21 winners against the 94th-ranked Australian, dropping only one point on serve in the opening frame.

Fritz went a set down against 2023 Australian Open quarter-finalist Ben Shelton but eventually prevailed 4-6 6-4 6-3 in one hour and 53 minutes.

Both players were excellent on serve throughout the contest, with Fritz earning a break in the 10th game of the second set to tie up the match, before swooping again in the sixth game of the decisive frame.

Veteran Andy Murray moved into the third round with a 6-4 6-3 win over Radu Albot, with the Briton to take on countryman Jack Draper next. Draper won 6-4 6-2 over 24th seed Daniel Evans.

Murray had been set to face 15th seed Pablo Carreno Busta in the second round, but he withdrew due to a muscle injury, allowing Albot into the draw as a lucky loser. Murray's win was his first in straight sets since October.

Seventh seed Holger Rune won 7-5 6-3 over American Mackenzie McDonald, progressing to face Stanislas Wawrinka after he toppled 26th seed Miomir Kecmanovic 7-6 (10-8) 6-4.

Ninth seed Hubert Hurkacz got past Australian Alexei Popyrin 6-3 6-3, setting up a third-round clash with 17th seed Tommy Paul who won 6-3 6-3 over Jan-Lennard Struff.

Eighth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime won 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 over Pedro Martinez, while 11th seed Jannik Sinner got past veteran Richard Gasquet 6-3 7-6 (7-2).

Last week's Mexican Open champion and 16th seed Alex de Minaur was the highest seed to be knocked out on Saturday after a 6-4 6-2 loss to Martin Fucsovics.

Novak Djokovic swept through to the quarter-finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships with ease on Wednesday, clinching a 6-2 6-3 win over Tallon Griekspoor.

The Serbian picked up his 19th consecutive victory midway through his record 378th week as world number one, settling his last-16 clash in straight sets.

Griekspoor, at a career-high position of 39th in the ATP rankings himself, proved no match for the 22-time grand slam winner, who dismantled him inside an hour and 22 minutes.

Djokovic had looked poised for a near-flawless performance, with a late lost service game at 5-1 up in the second set the only major blemish on his display.

"It's been a great evening for me," Djokovic said in his post-match interview. 

"Yesterday [against Tomas Machac], I really had to work hard to get a win. Tonight, right from the blocks, I think I was sharp. I definitely played better than I did last night.

"Maybe the last three or four games weren't the best to close the match, but I managed to find a good serve in the end.

"I'm very pleased with the performance and with the way I felt on the court, and hopefully things can go in the right direction for tomorrow."

Djokovic, who remains undefeated in 2023, is bidding to win the Dubai title for a sixth time, in what represents his first tournament since he won the Australian Open in January. 

Elsewhere, second and third seeds Andrey Rublev and Daniil Medvedev joined Djokovic in easing their way into the last eight.

The former was made to work by Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina however, recovering for a 1-6 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (7-3) win, while the latter saw off Alexander Bublik 6-4 6-2.

Fourth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime crashed out with a surprise 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 loss to Italy's Lorenzo Sonego, who is rewarded with a last-eight clash against seventh seed Alexander Zverev.

Novak Djokovic was made to work hard for his 18th consecutive victory, eventually putting away Tomas Machac in the first round of the Dubai Tennis Championships.

Djokovic, who is celebrating a record 378th week as world number one, had to rely on a third-set tie-break to finally get over the line, defeating his Czech opponent 6-3 3-6 7-6 (7-1) on Tuesday.

Machac is ranked 130th in the world, but caused Djokovic plenty of problems, earning 10 break points across the match, though he was only able to convert three.

Djokovic had a 4-1 lead in the deciding set before Machac fought back to force a tie-break, but the Australian Open champion ultimately had few problems at 6-6 as he won seven of the eight points played to clinch the win.

"Tomas certainly didn't play like the No. 130 in the world today," Djokovic said of his opponent. "He was giving me all kinds of trouble. But I guess when it mattered, I found another gear."

Djokovic, who is still undefeated in 2023, will face Tallon Griekspoor in the second round.

Elsewhere, fresh off two titles in as many weeks, third seed Daniil Medvedev eased past Matteo Arnaldi 6-4 6-2 to tee up a tie with Alexander Bublik next after his opponent Alexandar Lazarov retired hurt with Bublik leading 6-1 1-0.

Felix Auger-Aliassime defeated Maxime Cressy 7-6 (7-4) 3-6 6-3, but sixth seed Karen Khachanov is out after he was beaten 7-5 6-2 by Botic van de Zandschulp.

The Dutchman will take on Mikael Ymer in the second round after his 6-2 6-3 win against Francesco Passaro, while eighth seed Borna Coric and Dan Evans played just four games before the latter retired hurt.

Christopher O'Connell set up a match against Alexander Zverev in the next round after he overcame Emil Ruusuvuori 7-5 6-4.

Andy Murray will play Daniil Medvedev in the Qatar Open final after the 35-year-old came through yet another lengthy contest in his semi-final against Jiri Lehecka.

Murray appeared to be on course for a routine win after taking the first set 6-0, but was broken early in the second, eventually losing 6-3 to take him to a fourth three-set contest in four matches this week in Doha.

Lehecka should have won a hard-fought decider when 5-4 and 40-0 up on his own serve, but Murray's trademark resilience saw him break back despite facing five match points against, before ultimately winning the tie-break 8-6.

"I don't know how I managed to turn that match around," Murray said after the win. "In the 5-4 game, I think I played most of the match points really well. He missed one bad shot on the deuce point in that game at 5-4, but I played the match points pretty well.

"It's been an amazing start to the year. I have never experienced this in my whole career, like this many matches... It was sort of looking [like it might be a quicker match] for 30 minutes and then it turned into something completely different. Yeah, just amazing that I managed to turn that around."

Murray equalled Jimmy Connors for the fifth-most ATP hard court wins in the Open Era (489), and will play Medvedev in the final after the Russian's 6-4 7-6 (9-7) win against Felix Auger-Aliassime.

The Canadian had three set points in the second set tie-break to try and force a decider, but Medvedev showed determination to turn it around and seal his place against Murray in the final.

At the Open 13 Provence, number one seed Hubert Hurkacz is through to face Alexander Bublik in the semi-finals, with both also having to come through three-set matches in a deciding tie-break.

Hurkacz was finally able to overcome Mikael Ymer 6-3 3-6 7-6 (8-6) before Bublik defeated Grigor Dimitrov 7-5 3-6 7-6 (8-6).

Third seed Alex de Minaur was shocked by Benjamin Bonzi, who broke the world number 23 four times on his way to a 6-2 6-4 victory to avenge his third-round defeat at the Australian Open.

Bonzi will meet qualifier Arthur Fils in the final four after the French 18-year-old beat former world number three Stan Wawrinka 6-2 6-3 to reach a second straight tour-level semi-final.

Andy Murray and Daniil Medvedev sealed their place in the Qatar Open semi-finals while top seed Andrey Rublev was upset 4-6 6-4 6-3 by Jiri Lehecka.

Rublev won this tournament in 2020 and looked to be on his way to the final four after a strong opening set put him ahead.

But Lehecka battled back in the second to level the match and then found a crucial break in the second game of the deciding set to seize the advantage.

It was a lead he would not relinquish, holding his nerve despite watching a pair of match points come and go to clinch victory and knock out the world number five.

Lehecka will meet Murray in the semi-finals after the Brit came from a set down to see off Alexandre Muller 4-6 6-1 6-2 and keep his hopes of winning the Qatar Open for a third time alive after back-to-back titles in 2008 and 2009.

A tough opener had Murray facing a deficit against the world number 170, but a typically gutsy display saw him pull off the comeback and reach his first tour-level semi-final since June 2022, when he lost in the Stuttgart Open final to Matteo Berrettini.

Medvedev sealed his place in the final four with a hard-fought 6-2 4-6 7-5 win over Christopher O'Connell.

The world number eight triumphed for the seventh straight match, but did not have it all his own way against his Australian opponent, needing a crucial break with the final set tied at five games each to put himself back into the ascendancy.

Felix Auger-Aliassime awaits Medvedev in the next round after prevailing over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in straight sets.

The world number nine out-aced his opponent eight to two to author a 6-4 7-6 (7-5) victory after one hour and 48 minutes, and he will look to improve on his dismal record against Medvedev on Friday, having lost all five of his meetings against the Russian.

At the Open 13 Provence, top seed Hubert Hurkacz reached the quarter-final after rallying from a set down to see off Leandro Riedi 4-6 6-3 6-2.

Second seed Jannik Sinner was forced to withdraw through illness, sending wildcard Frenchman Arthur Fils into the final eight, where he will meet Stan Wawrinka.

Alex De Minaur teed up a clash with Benjamin Bonzi by cruising past Alexander Ritschard 6-3 6-3, while world number 25 Grigor Dimitrov will play Alexander Bublik on Friday after beating Gijs Brouwer in straight sets.

Andrey Rublev and Andy Murray battled to outlast their opponents at the Qatar Open, while Daniil Medvedev breezed into the quarter-finals.

Top seed Rublev, who won this tournament in 2020, responded to a first-set setback to rally to a 1-6 6-1 7-6 (8-6) win over Tallon Griekspoor on Wednesday.

The world number five was staring at a fourth opening-round defeat in five appearances this year but saved three match points en route to fighting back from 5-2 down in the decider.

Murray and fourth seed Alexander Zverev played out another three-set thriller in the Middle East, with the former world number one triumphing 7-6 (7-5) 2-6 7-5.

That clash lasted three hours and three minutes in another marathon match for Murray after defeating Italian Lorenzo Sonego in a final-set tie-break in the first round.

Medvedev (3) had no such difficulty in a comfortable 6-4 6-3 victory over world number 147 Liam Broady.

Second seed Felix Auger-Aliassime had to regain his composure during his debut in Doha, but ultimately prevailed 4-6 6-1 6-4 against Jason Kubler.

World number eight Auger-Aliassime had lost his only previous meeting with Kubler, and an upset was on the cards after the Canadian was broken in the third game and was unable to recover.

Yet he found his form with a blistering second set, reeling off five straight games to restore parity and keeping his cool in the decider.

That victory teed up a last-eight meeting with seventh seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who downed Kwon Soon-woo 6-3 6-2.

Jiri Lehecka will meet favourite Rublev after beating Emil Ruusuvuori 6-2 7-6 (7-2), while Botic Van De Zandschulp was shocked by world number 170 Alexandre Muller in a straight-sets defeat.

Elsewhere at the Open 13 Provence, fifth seed Maxime Cressy fell to a surprise second-round elimination after a 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-3 loss to home favourite Benjamin Bonzi.

There was no such luck for the other Frenchmen in Marseille as Alexander Bublik eased past Gregoire Barrere, while Stan Wawrinka beat Richard Gasquet 4-6 7-5 6-2 to reach the last eight.

Daniil Medvedev was at his brilliant best as he ended Felix Auger-Aliassime's title defence at the Rotterdam Open.

Former world number one Medvedev committed just five unforced errors in a 6-2 6-4 win on Friday that saw him progress to the semi-finals.

"Today was my best match of the week, but I have to build on this," Medvedev said afterwards.

"Usually, the best weeks you play, many times you're going to play your best tennis in the last match, so that's definitely a goal.

"But I'm happy with my level today, beating someone like Felix in straight sets."

He will next face Grigor Dimitrov, who needed three sets to see off Alex de Minaur.

Dimitrov saved two match points in claiming a 6-3 3-6 7-6 (8-6) victory but seemingly has an uphill challenge having lost four of his six matches against Medvedev.

"I kind of know the plan for the game,” Medvedev added of his clash with Dimitrov. "The thing is, he is going to try to do the same, to make up a good plan. If we take the last two matches, it's 1-1. So I always say a new match is a new match, no matter the head to head. 

"I'm preparing for a tough one tomorrow, he's such a great player and today was a great match from him, a great comeback actually. So I'm ready for the tough fight tomorrow."

Jannik Sinner was just as impressive as Medvedev, cruising to a 6-1 6-3 victory over three-time grand slam champion Stan Wawrinka.

Sinner, who won the Open Sud de France last week and has already dumped out top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, will face Tallon Griekspoor after the Dutchman's win over fellow home hope Gijs Brouwer.

Defending champion Felix Auger-Aliassime must overcome a dismal record against Daniil Medvedev to go any further at the Rotterdam Open after both won on Thursday to set up a heavyweight quarter-final, while Stefanos Tsitsipas crashed out.

Third seed Auger-Aliassime beat French qualifier Gregoire Barrere 6-4 6-3, while Medvedev earned a 6-2 6-2 victory against Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp.

Despite being the higher-ranked of the two at present, Canadian Auger-Aliassime has a 0-4 career record against Russian Medvedev.

Those losses include a painful defeat from two sets up in the 2022 Australian Open quarter-finals, and a US Open semi-final knockout blow in the previous season.

It is a record that is all the more surprising considering Auger-Aliassime has wins over Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Carlos Alcaraz to his name.

Auger-Aliassime sits eighth on the ATP ranking list, three places clear of former number one Medvedev, who is relishing their clash on Friday.

Medvedev said on Amazon Prime: "Felix is a top player. He won here last year and played amazing at the end of last season. I'm looking forward to a tough match, and hopefully I can be at my best.

"He's going to take his opportunities. He's going to go for it when he has the chance. So I will need to be at my best and everything has to be better."

Top seed and Australian Open runner-up Tsitsipas was beaten 6-4 6-3 by Jannik Sinner, with last week's Open Sud de France champion winning in an hour and 21 minutes to set up a quarter-final against Stan Wawrinka.

It was Sinner's first career win over a top-three opponent. The Italian held a 0-8 record against such opponents coming into this match.

Fourth seed Holger Rune is also out after retiring hurt while 6-4 4-0 down to Dutch wildcard Gijs Brouwer, who advances to play compatriot Tallon Griekspoor.

Australian Alex de Minaur advanced to the final eight with a 7-5 3-6 6-3 win over American Maxime Cressy, earning a shot at Grigor Dimitrov next.

Rotterdam Open top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas and defending champion Felix Auger-Aliassime were joined by Daniil Medvedev in progressing through their first-round ties.

Auger-Aliassime won his first Tour-level title at the event last year and went from strength to strength in 2022, winning another three singles trophies.

The world number eight, seeded third, started his title defence with a convincing 6-2 6-3 defeat of Italy's Lorenzo Sonego on Tuesday.

"Of course, I was hoping to win and get through, but 6-2, 6-3 is a great performance against a player that is tricky like he is... it's a great way to start the week," said Auger-Aliassime, who needed just 82 minutes to clinch victory and set up a last-16 meeting with qualifier Gregoire Barrere.

The Canadian is relishing his title defence, and feels he is a stronger competitor than this time last year in a warning shot to his rivals.

He added: "Last year was an amazing year, but this year is a different one. I think I'm a better player overall.

"Of course, the best thing I can do compared to last year is win again, so hopefully I can do that. The draw is really strong, but I'm confident if I can keep playing the way I did today I'll get my chances and then we'll see."

Auger-Aliassime might be the reigning champion, but world number three Tsitsipas is the favourite.

Emil Ruusuvuori was no match for Australian Open runner-up, who prevailed 7-5 6-1 and has a 13-1 record for the season.

"The process that you get to repeat these things over and over again, it gives you tremendous understanding of how things actually work," Tsitsipas said. 

"I think being able to get in these moments more and more often on the Tour helps you understand, makes you wiser when you're trying to deal with all these problems."

Tsitsipas, who could face Open Sud de France champion Jannik Sinner in the next round, ensured there would be no curse of the top seed in Rotterdam, where the favourite had lost their first match in two of the last three editions.

On both occasions (2020 and 2021), that was Medvedev, but the former world number one fought from a set down to beat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 4-6 6-2 6-2.

World number 10 Hubert Hurkacz also had to battle against a Spaniard in the form of Roberto Bautista Agut. The fifth seed needed three hours to win 7-5 6-7 (7-9) 7-6 (7-4) and tee up an encounter with Grigor Dimitrov. 

Alexander Zverev defeated Soonwoo Kwon in straight sets to book his progress, while Gijs Brouwer got the better of Marc-Andrea Huesler.

Jiri Lehecka had not anticipated still being in the Australian Open at this point but his latest victory against a seeded player saw him advance to the quarter-finals on Sunday.

The Czech youngster produced another impressive showing to beat number six seed Felix Auger-Aliassime 4-6 6-3 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (7-3) in the fourth round.

Despite having never won a main draw match at a grand slam prior to this tournament, Lehecka has now defeated three seeds, having also dispatched of Borna Coric (21) and Cameron Norrie (11) during his passage to the last eight.

"Honestly, it feels amazing," he said after the victory. "To be in the quarters, I wouldn't believe it if somebody told me this when I was on my way over here.

"I'm super excited for everything that will come next. Of course, I'll try to do my best to recover well and to show my best tennis again in my next match."

While his Canadian opponent utilised his serve well, hitting 20 aces, it was on net points where Lehecka thrived, winning 33 of 41 while Auger-Aliassime managed just 11 of 26.

The 21-year-old has another big test next as he faces third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, having lost to the Greek in their one previous meeting in Rotterdam in February despite winning the first set.

"I'll be super excited [to face Tsitsipas]," Lehecka said. "I will go for that revenge, for sure. I know that he will remember how we played last year in Rotterdam. One set I was the better player on the court. Then he overtook the match. But I think that he will remember, and he will know what my strengths are.

"He will feel that I can get him under pressure. At the same time, I know that he's a great player. I mean, he's number four in the world.

"I know how to play against him."

For the first time in 20 years, four or fewer of the top eight seeds in the men's singles will progress to the fourth round of the Australian Open.

Daniil Medvedev's defeat to Sebastian Korda on Friday meant he joined Casper Ruud, Taylor Fritz and defending champion Rafael Nadal in heading home early from the season's first grand slam.

According to Opta, it is the first time since 2003 that the round of 16 in Melbourne will include four or fewer of the top eight players in the competition.  

Nine-time champion Novak Djokovic, meanwhile, is struggling with injury ahead of his third-round tie with Grigor Dimitrov on Saturday, while world number six and fifth seed Andrey Rublev faces a tough test against Dan Evans.

Stefanos Tsitsipas is sure of his place in round four after the Greek third seed beat Tallon Griekspoor in straight sets. Felix Auger-Aliassime will go up against Jiri Lehecka for a place in the last eight.

Vasek Pospisil has backed Novak Djokovic to win the Australian Open a year after the Serbian was unable to compete.

Djokovic was denied a place in last year's tournament when his refusal to have a COVID-19 vaccine led to him being detained in a Melbourne immigration centre and later deported.

With vaccination status no longer a condition of entry to the country, the nine-time Australian Open champion is back for this year's tournament, which begins on Monday.

Djokovic played doubles with Pospisil in his first match back in Australia earlier this month at the Adelaide International 1, and speaking to Stats Perform, the Canadian tipped his close friend to go all the way in Melbourne.

"I hope he wins it. I would consider him the favourite, absolutely," Pospisil said. "If you have to pick a favourite, it's hard to pick someone else.

"Having said that, obviously there are so many great players and incredible talents put together for one week, anything can happen, right? That's sport, but I would definitely put him as the favourite and if I had a choice if someone's winning other than myself, obviously, I would put him as the hopeful for the title.

"Also, given he had a tough, tough year obviously with what happened in the past."

Pospisil denied that the frustration of missing out last year would be a factor in Djokovic's motivation to do well this time, though.

"I think he's so motivated already with his ambitions in the sport and just in life in general," he added. "He's obviously a very driven individual, which is not something you need to hear from me to know, you can see that. I don't think it will necessarily be extra motivation.

"I feel like every time he's playing a grand slam, he's maximumly motivated. I do think he's going to have a great year and I don't think that anything that happened recently will affect him in a negative way.

"I think he showed that with how he played at Wimbledon last year [beating Nick Kyrgios in the final] just speaks volumes of his character and how strong he is an as an individual. It's very, very impressive that he was able to bounce back like that."

Pospisil, ranked 94th in the world, is also confident about his own prospects at the Australian Open, saying: "I'm actually feeling good. I had a really strong finish last year.

"The last couple of months, I took a bit [of time] coming back from an injury, so it took a bit to kind of get rolling, but I'm entering with confidence, getting my ranking back up slowly and had a really good preparation. [I am] training really hard, eating well and I feel like I'm ready to go."

The 32-year-old has been drawn against countryman Felix Auger Aliassime in the first round and appreciates the task at hand against the number six seed, who won three of his four ATP titles in 2022 in October before winning the Davis Cup alongside Pospisil in November.

"I would say arguably he was the most in-form player at the end of last year," Pospisil said. "Four or five tournaments in a row and beat the top players in the world. So obviously, extremely talented young player, very physical.

"I know his game quite well. I mean, I've known him for many years. He's a fellow Canadian and Davis Cup team-mate.

"I have a lot of confidence in my abilities, so I feel like if I'm playing well, then I can beat anybody on any given day. It's going to be a tough ask just because he's playing so well these days."

Novak Djokovic was beaten in his first match back in Australia but did at least receive a warm reception from the crowd at the Adelaide International.

Djokovic – who saw a three-year visa ban lifted in November – was playing with Vasek Pospisil in the doubles, and the duo lost 4-6 6-3 10-5 to Tomislav Brkic and Gonzalo Escobar on Monday, but the fans in attendance chanted "Novak" as they welcomed him back following his absence from last year's Australian Open.

The Serbian will face Constant Lestienne in the first round of the men's singles, but second seed Felix Auger-Aliassime is already out after he lost to Alexei Popyrin.

Auger-Aliassime struggled throughout as his Australian opponent, ranked 120th in the world, put in a crowd-pleasing performance to go through 6-4 7-6 (7-5).

Another young star, Holger Rune, is also out after the fifth seed was beaten 2-6 6-4 6-4 by Yoshihito Nishioka.

Quentin Halys set up a potential second-round clash with Djokovic after beating Jordan Thompson in straight sets, while Miomir Kecmanovic, Jack Draper, Roman Safiullin and Thanasi Kokkinakis all progressed.

It was also a bad day for seeds at the Maharashtra Open in Pune, with Alex Molcan beaten 6-2 6-4 by Laslo Djere and Jaume Munar losing 6-4 7-5 to Tallon Griekspoor.

Dutchman Griekspoor will now play Marco Cecchinato after the Italian overcame Nikoloz Basilashvili, and Roberto Carballes Baena set up a last-16 clash against top seed Marin Cilic by defeating fellow Spaniard Bernabe Zapata Miralles.

Filip Krajinovic did make it through a tussle with home favourite Sumit Nagal to set up a meeting with Michael Mmoh, while Benjamin Bonzi will face third seed Emil Ruusuvuori after beating Tseng Chun-hsin.

Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov steered Canada to Davis Cup glory in Sunday's final against Australia in Malaga, earning the country their first title in the competition.

Canada were runners-up three years ago in Madrid, when a 19-year-old Auger-Aliassime and 20-year-old Shapovalov lost their respective singles clashes with Roberto Bautista Agut and Rafael Nadal.

Three years older and three years wiser, this time the Canadians dominated the trophy match at the expense of 28-time champions Australia.

Shapovalov got Canada off to a flying start by crushing Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-2 6-4, setting up the chance for Auger-Aliassime to clinch victory without the need for the contest to go down to a doubles decider.

World number six Auger-Aliassime made no mistake as he fended off Alex de Minaur 6-3 6-4, adding Davis Cup glory to the four singles titles he has gathered this year.

Auger-Aliassime saved three break points in the sixth game of the second set, from 0-40, when a trailing De Minaur was looking to hit back. He then sealed Canada's victory minutes later with a forehand into the corner that his opponent could only return out of court, before being mobbed by team-mates.

Each of Auger-Aliassime's 2022 titles came at indoor hard court events, and he has thrived again in those conditions this week, winning all three of his singles rubbers and a doubles tussle on Saturday against Italy alongside the experienced Vasek Pospisil.

The Canadian pair got the job done just minutes before kick-off time in their country's World Cup game against Croatia.

"The emotions are hard to describe," said Auger-Aliassime. "All of us here, we've dreamt of this moment.

"These guys around me, except Vasek, he's a little bit older than me, we grew up together from the ages of seven, eight years old in Canada dreaming about being on this stage, winning these types of matches, winning a Davis Cup.

"It's really a dream come true, for me personally and I think for all the team. It was a great moment for myself and the country."

Felix Auger-Aliassime is eager to cap a "special year" by leading Canada to Davis Cup glory on Sunday after playing a pivotal role in the semi-final win over Italy.

Standing in the way of Canada, who were runners-up in 2019 but have never won the event, are 28-time champions Australia after Lleyton Hewitt's team beat Croatia on Friday.

The Australians have had a day to recover from their efforts, while Canada's success came on Saturday and they must look to carry momentum into the title match in Malaga.

Lorenzo Sonego gave Italy a 1-0 lead over Canada by beating Denis Shapovalov 7-6 (7-4) 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 in an opening clash that lasted three hours and 14 minutes.

That piled pressure on Auger-Aliassime in the next rubber, as he took on Lorenzo Musetti, but it did not show as he powered to a 6-3 6-4 victory to tie the overall match and set up a decisive doubles contest.

Canada captain Frank Dancevic chose Auger-Aliassime over Shapovalov to partner Vasek Pospisil against Matteo Berrettini and Fabio Fognini, and the decision paid off as they earned a 7-6 (7-2) 7-5 win.

It has been a super 2022 already for Auger-Aliassime, who has won his first four singles titles on the ATP Tour and climbed to number six in the rankings, and the year could be crowned from his perspective with the most prized team trophy in men's tennis.

"It's been a special journey, special year," said Auger-Aliassime. "I think this is the most complete team that we have had in the history of Canadian tennis. I feel we deserve to be in that position now.

"I have said it many times throughout the years, this is one of the goals I think for all the guys to go far and to win it all.

"I'm really proud of everybody's effort. It's been a great journey. It's the last day tomorrow of Davis Cup for this year, so we're ready to give it all."