QUEBEC CITY — In a stunning escalation of Davis Cup home advantage, Team Canada eliminated France on Saturday by erecting a regulation-height chain-link fence around the court's baseline during the third set, forcing Arthur Rinderknech to play every remaining point through a narrow service window cut into the mesh.
The structure, assembled by a crew of twelve during the changeover at 4-4 in the deciding set, was completed in under four minutes. Félix Auger-Aliassime then served out the match, his opponent visible only from the chest up through the opening. «We felt the momentum shifting, so we built a wall,» said Canadian captain Frank Dancevic. «It is within the rules. The rules do not mention walls.»
French captain Sébastien Grosjean protested, but the chair umpire confirmed that no regulation prohibits mid-match construction. Rinderknech, who had saved two break points earlier, was forced to lob every return over the fence, resulting in eleven consecutive unforced errors. «I have never played tennis through a hole before,» he said. «It changes the geometry.»
By evening, the International Tennis Federation had announced a review of all Davis Cup venues for «structural additions.» Canada advances to the final phase in Bologna, where Italy has reportedly begun pouring concrete.