Canada advanced to the 2026 Davis Cup Qualifiers after taking a 3-0 lead over Israel in a best-of-five tie played in an empty Halifax stadium amid protests.
Liam Draxl of Newmarket, Ont., and Cleeve Harper of Calgary came back from a set down to defeat Jordan Hasson and Ofek Shimanov 5-7, 6-0, 6-4 in Saturday’s first match.
Singles wins by Draxl and Montreal’s Gabriel Diallo on Friday meant the doubles victory sealed Canada’s advancement out of the World Group 1 stage and into next year’s qualifiers for the main Davis Cup tournament.
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With victory assured, Canada elected to replace world No. 35 Diallo with Harper for a singles match with Orel Kimhi. Draxl was scheduled to cap the tie with a match against Daniel Cukierman.
Tennis Canada made the call earlier this week to hold the matches without spectators or media present, citing safety concerns it said were flagged by local authorities and security agencies.
About 400 demonstrators opposing Israel’s actions in Gaza and the West Bank held peaceful protests during Friday’s matches.
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