MANCHESTER, England: Argentina clinched a berth in the eight-team Davis Cup Final with a tense 3-0 win over Finland on Saturday.
The Argentines have reached the quarterfinals in Malaga, Spain, in November for the first time in five years.
They had to battle in Group D in Manchester after an opening loss to 2022 champion Canada. They beat host Britain on Friday and overcame a gritty Finland, a semifinalist last year but without its best player.
Tomas Martin Etcheverry beat 703rd-ranked Eero Vasa 7-6 (5), 6-3, then Francisco Cerundolo outlasted Otto Virtanen 6-7 (4), 6-1, 6-0. Argentina needed the doubles, and Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni delivered against Patrick Kaukovalta and Harri Heliovaara 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-3.
The result forces Britain to have to beat Canada 3-0 on Sunday to advance at Canada’s expense.
In Bologna, Brazil beat Belgium 2-1 after losses to Italy and the Netherlands in Group A.
Three-set wins by Joao Fonseca and Thiago Monteiro followed by a doubles loss took more than six hours to complete on the indoor hard-court.
Brazil has a shot at advancing; the Netherlands must lose to unbeaten defending champion Italy 3-0 on Sunday.
In Zhuhai, the United States earned a seeding in the Final by beating Germany 2-1 and topping Group C unbeaten.
Both teams were already qualified for the Final but the U.S. grabbed a seeding awarded to the group winners.
Reilly Opelka saved two match points to beat Henri Squire 6-7 (4), 7-6 (9), 6-3 and Brandon Nakashima eased past Maximilian Marterer 6-4, 6-2. The Americans dropped their first point in nine matches when Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram lost to Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz 6-1, 7-6 (4).
“We have a good chance against any team there (in Malaga),” Nakashima said. “There’s a bunch of talented Americans playing really well right now.”
In Group B in Spain, a tie between teams already out of contention saw 10-time champion France beat three-time champion the Czech Republic 2-1 sealed by a doubles win.
