SYDNEY, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- The ATP Cup got underway in Australia on Friday, with 12 countries taking part in day one of the competition and an early upset for Greek fans.
Canada got the better of Greece in Brisbane with Denis Shapovalov upsetting world No. 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6(6), 7-6 (4), to give Canada a 2-0 lead.
Tsitsipas was the hot favourite having clinched the ATP Finals as recently as November, however the Canadian's power proved too much for the Greek youngster, serving 12 aces to Tsitsipas' two.
Meanwhile in Sydney, Belgium took a 2-0 lead over Moldova, with the latter fighting hard despite having the wrong anthem played at the beginning of the match.
The ATP Cup runs from January 3 to 12, with the group stage matches to be played across three cities - Perth, Brisbane and Sydney - and the finals to be played in Sydney alone.
Teams from 24 countries will battle through the group stage - versing each country in their pool in two singles and a doubles match - to reach the final eight teams, in a format similar to that of the football World Cup.
Australia's ongoing bushfire crisis was not far from the minds of players and organisers on Friday with the hosts promising to pledge 100 Australian dollars for every ace served during the tournament.
With an expected 1,500 aces to served across all singles and doubles competitions, relief organisations can expect around 150 thousand Australian (104 thousand U.S.) dollars in additional funding.
Hometown stars Nick Kyrgios, John Millman and Alex de Minaur showed compassion for their fire affected nation by also promising personal donations for every ace they serve.
Big names, world No. 1 Rafael Nadal will take to the court in Perth on Saturday evening, and No. 2 Novak Djokovic will also play on Saturday evening in Brisbane.
