LYNCHBURG, Va. – Ángel Véliz, a freshman on the Liberty Men's Tennis team, will represent Ecuador in the Davis Cup this weekend, facing Great Britain in London. He is among nine teenagers participating in the competition, including four players aged 18 or younger.
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The matches will take place on September 19-20 on indoor hard courts. The winning team will advance to the Final Eight in November for a chance at the world title. Great Britain will feature players Cameron Norrie (ATP No. 35), Arthur Ferry (No. 37), Henry Patten (No. 1 in doubles), and Lloyd Glasspool (No. 13 in doubles).
Véliz earned his spot on the Ecuadorian team by winning four matches at the Davis Cup Qualifier in July. He triumphed over Lucas Yúnez 6-1, 6-1 and defeated Emilio Camacho after his opponent retired due to a blister on his right foot. In the semifinals, Véliz beat Felipe Rivadeneira 6-3, 6-3 and wrapped up the qualification by winning against Camacho again, this time 6-3, 6-2.
At 18 years old, Véliz will be the youngest member of Team Ecuador, with a significant age gap between him and the oldest player, Gonzalo Escobar (ATP No. 93). Véliz joins a team that includes Andrés Andrade (No. 203), Álvaro Guillen Meza (No. 293), and Diego Hidalgo (No. 91).
Ecuador aims to build on its recent success after achieving a notable upset by eliminating Australia 3-1 in the first round of the Davis Cup Qualifiers. Currently, Ecuador is the lowest-ranked team remaining in the tournament.
This summer, Véliz has been active in competition since signing with Liberty in April. He has competed in three M15 events in Quito, achieving a 5-2 record in singles. Notably, he reached the semifinals in the M15 Quito event held from April 20-26, where he secured a significant victory against No. 687 Nicolas Villalon.