Germany defeats Slovakia in Davis Cup opener, Canada beats Argentina

Valencia: Even without world No. 2 Alexander Zverev, Germany defeated Slovakia 3-0 on Tuesday and Canada beat Argentina as the group stage of the Davis Cup Finals kicked off.

Four groups will play across four cities this week to qualify for the Final 8 knockout stage to be held in Malaga, Spain, in November. The top two in each four-team group will advance.

Germany and Slovakia were the first teams in action on Tuesday playing in China in Group C, which also includes the United States. The U.S. plays China on Wednesday.