MANCHESTER, England: Canada, Australia and Germany remained unbeaten in the group stage of the Davis Cup Finals after each winning their second straight match on Thursday, while Czech player Tomas Machac retired injured for the second time in two days after playing only six minutes.

Canada won 3-0 against Finland, Australia beat the Czech Republic by the same score, and Germany swept aside Chile 3-0.

Denis Shapovalov beat Eero Vasa 7-6 (2), 6-2 and Felix Auger-Aliassime followed up with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Otto Virtanen for the 2022 Davis Cup champions in Manchester, England.

There was an element of revenge after Canada lost to Finland in last year’s quarterfinals.

“Everybody’s in good spirits, so it’s very good,” Auger-Aliassime said. “Any motivation is good, but I think it’s a different year, a different time, and (last year’s loss) was behind us. This year we have a full team and everybody’s playing better than last year. Everybody’s improved.”

Auger-Aliassime was back on court soon after with Shapovalov in doubles to wrap up the tie with a 6-2, 7-5 win over Virtanen and Harri Heliovaara.

Machac’s injury was the focus as Australia marched into a 2-0 lead against the Czech Republic in Valencia, Spain.

What had seemed to be simply cramps when he retired against Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz on Wednesday proved more serious and long-lasting as Machac played just nine points in his match with Alexei Popyrin.

Machac was playing with bandages around his right calf and called for a medical timeout after Popyrin held serve in the first game, before retiring at 30-15 down in the second.

“We saw him last night, and he didn’t look too good last night, so we wish him a speedy recovery and hopefully he’s back on tour quickly,” Popyrin said.

Earlier, Thanasi Kokkinakis had given Australia the lead in the opening match by beating Jakub Mensik 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-3. Australia made it 3-0 in the doubles as Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell beat Mensik and Adam Pavlasek 6-4, 6-2.

On an indoor hard court in Zhuhai, China, Germany’s Maximilian Marterer beat Tomas Barrios Vera 6-1, 6-3, then Yannick Hanfmann defeated Alejandro Tabilo 7-5, 6-4 to clinch the tie. Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz, who have lost only one cup match, beat Barrios Vera and Matias Soto 6-1, 6-3. In no match was Germany broken. Germany has never lost to Chile, which didn’t use an ill Nicolas Jarry.

The Netherlands picked up their first win against Brazil in the only one of Thursday’s ties that was decided in doubles. Wesley Koolhof and Botic van de Zandschulp won a close match 6-4, 7-6 (5) against Brazil’s Rafael Matos and Marcelo Melo to hand Brazil its second loss in Bologna, Italy.

Brazil had led after Joao Fonseca beat van de Zandschulp 6-4, 7-6 (3) in the first match but Tallon Griekspoor leveled the tie with a 7-6 (2), 6-4 win over Thiago Monteiro.

Four groups of teams are playing in four cities this week to qualify for the eight-team Finals in Malaga, Spain, in November. The top two countries in each four-team group advance.

RIYADH: Cristiano Ronaldo celebrated reaching another milestone in his career on Friday, this time off the pitch, as the Al-Nassr star said he now has a billion followers across social media channels.

The Portuguese striker took to social media to thank his fans who made it possible.

“We’ve made history — 1 BILLION followers! This is more than just a number - it’s a testament to our shared passion, drive, and love for the game and beyond,” he wrote.

The Al-Nassr captain said he has always appreciated those who supported him during his rise to stardom.

“From the streets of Madeira to the biggest stages in the world, I’ve always played for my family and for you, and now 1 billion of us stand together.”

He shared a collage of photos depicting his career with clubs such as Manchester United, Juventus, Real Madrid, and his current side Al-Nassr. But the biggest image is that of the legend wearing the iconic ruby red jersey of Portugal, who he led to a European championship win in 2016. The artwork also includes his family and selfies with fans over the years.

“You’ve been with me every step of the way, through all the highs and the lows,” Ronaldo wrote. “This journey is our journey, and together, we’ve shown that there are no limits to what we can achieve.”

The player has 639 million followers on Instagram, 170 million on Facebook, and 113 million on X, formally known as Twitter, and 60 million on the video platform YouTube. He also has another 9 million on the Chinese network Weibo and has a presence on Kuaishou.

In August, the star shattered the YouTube record for the fastest-growing channel, achieving a milestone just hours after its launch.

“Thank you for believing in me, for your support, and for being part of my life. The best is yet to come, and we’ll keep pushing, winning, and making history together,” he wrote.

In another remarkable milestone, Ronaldo became the first player in football history to score 900 goals, for club and country combined. The player achieved the feat a week ago with a tap-in against Croatia playing in the Nations League.

The footballing legend moved to Saudi Arabia in 2022 and has made even more fans in the Kingdom after his transfer to the Riyadh-based Al-Nassr, who have embraced him as one of their own.

He broke the record for the number of goals scored in a season by a player in Saudi Arabia’s top league, netting 35 in the 2023/2024 contest.