Canada secured a spot in the 2026 Davis Cup Qualifiers following a 4-0 victory against Israel in a best-of-five match held in an empty arena in Halifax amid protests. In the initial match on Saturday, Liam Draxl from Newmarket, Ont., and Cleeve Harper from Calgary overcame a set deficit to defeat Jordan Hasson and Ofek Shimanov 5-7, 6-0, 6-4.
Earlier wins in singles matches by Draxl and Montreal’s Gabriel Diallo paved the way for Canada’s progression from the World Group 1 stage to the qualifiers for the main Davis Cup tournament next year. With their advancement assured, Canada opted to substitute Diallo, ranked 35th globally, with Harper for a singles match against Orel Kimhi. Harper, in his debut Davis Cup appearance, completed the Canadian sweep with a 6-3, 7-6 (3) victory.
Although Draxl was set to play against Daniel Cukierman if needed, the match did not take place. Tennis Canada decided to host the matches at Scotiabank Centre without spectators or media due to safety concerns raised by local authorities and national security agencies, including Halifax Regional Police, the RCMP, and CSIS.
Protests outside the venue saw streets surrounding Halifax Common park temporarily closed as demonstrators voiced opposition to Israel’s actions in Gaza and the West Bank. Among the protesters were individuals displaying a banner reading “Don’t play ball” made from a tennis net. Criticism was also directed at Halifax Mayor Andy Fillmore for permitting the event. The decision to proceed with the matches had been challenged by approximately 400 Canadian athletes and academics, including Olympic runner Moh Ahmed.
While the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs expressed disappointment over the closure of the event to fans, referring to the protesters as extremists, a declaration of famine in Gaza City by the leading authority on food crises and accusations of genocide in Gaza by a prominent organization of genocide scholars have further heightened tensions surrounding the event.