Draxl lifts Canada past Brazil in deciding match of Davis Cup qualifier

VANCOUVER — Playing on a bad ankle didn’t stop Liam Draxl from winning the deciding singles match in straight sets to give Canada a 3-2 victory over Brazil in a first-round, best-of-five Davis Cup qualifier on Saturday. Draxl, of Newmarket., Ont., moved Canada into the second round of qualifiers by defeating Gustavo Heide 6-3, 6-4 in one hour, 29 minutes. Gabriel Diallo of Montreal forced the winner-take-all final with a nail-biting 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (4) win over Mattheus Pucinelli de Almedia. The match took two hours, 27 minutes to play. In the seventh game of the opening set of the final — while holding a 4-2 lead — Draxl stumbled in the back court...