Argentina qualified for the 2024 Davis Cup Final Eight on Sunday after beating Great Britain and Finland in the group stage. The men’s national tennis team captained by former world number three Guillermo Coria broke a five-year spell in which Argentina didn’t crack the quarterfinals. 

The team known as Legión will next face reigning champions Italy or the United States in the Davis Cup Finals at Málaga, Spain, between November 19 and 24.

The Argentine team — comprised of Sebastián Báez (26th ATP singles ranked) Francisco Cerúndolo (31) and Tomás Etcheverry (34) alongside doubles partners Andrés Molteni (30th ATP doubles ranked) Máximo González (34) — had a lot to play for in the final matchup on Sunday.

Coming into the final day of competition, the British faced the Canadians, while Argentina played Finland. Whoever got the best result was primed to take the second qualification spot.

A quick and easy 7-5(5), 6-3 win for Etcheverry against Eero Vasa started things on the right foot, while Cerúndolo had to battle from a set behind to beat Otto Virtanen 6-7(4), 6-1, 6-0 and secure the Argentine win.  Molteni and Gonzalez wrapped up the day, beating Harri Heliovaara and Patrick Kaukovalta by 6-7(3), 6-4 6-3.

Argentina didn’t get the best start in the group stage against Canada last Tuesday. Cerúndolo’s 7-5, 6-3 loss to Denis Shapovalov along with Báez 6-3, 6-3 defeat against Félix Auger-Aliassime meant Argentina’s only point was Molteni and Gonzalez’s win v. Shapovalov and Vasek Pospisil 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 in doubles.

However, last Friday’s results rescued Argentine hopes as Etcheverry beat British Daniel Evans 6-2, 7-5 in his debut. Cerúndolo battled 2024 US Open semi-finalist Jack Draper 7-6(4), 7-5 over two hours of play to secure the win. Despite Evans and Neal Skupski’s 6-3, 7-5 win against Machi Gonzalez and Molteni, the result was enough for both teams to remain tied 3-3 ahead of the decider.

“We are leaving with a different feeling after all this,” said Coria in the press conference after the win against Finland. “We’re going to Málaga to fight, as any Argentine does with grit and grind to face whomever we have to.” 

Coria added that comments from the outside world “hurts” the team, but also makes them “stronger and stronger,” perhaps a thinly veiled reference to the controversy that surrounded the team before the tournament relating to doubles world number one Horacio Zeballos blaming his decision not to join the team on his bad relationship with the captain.

“We gave it our all and this time the coin fell on our side; it’s no coincidence, the kids were looking for it,” Coria said.