Korea, Finland make history as they qualify for Davis Cup Finals
The 12 qualified teams will join last year’s winners, runners-up and wildcards Spain and Italy in the group stages of the Finals in September
Zuma / Panoramic
Korea and Finland will be mixing it with the big boys later this year after they won through to the 16-nation Davis Cup finals later this year.
Korea produced a major shock as they upended Belgium 3-2 in a qualifying tie while Finland upset Argentina 3-1 to qualify for the group stages of the Finals, which will be played in September, for the first time.
Soonwoo Kwon’s three-set win over David Goffin was the key while Seong-chan Hong beat Zizou Bergs to seal victory for the Koreans over the No 8 seeds.
Great Britain, France (who edged past Hungary 3-2), Serbia, Sweden, Switzerland and USA secured their spots with wins on Saturday.
The Netherlands, Chile, Croatia and Czech Republic completed the 12 qualifiers from the weekend. They join holders Canada, runners-up Australia and wildcards Italy and Spain in the 16-nation Finals.
The group stage will be played across four venues from September 12 to 17, while the top eight teams will compere in the Final 8 in Malaga from November 21 to 26.
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