Australia, Sweden, Canada, Netherlands open with wins at Davis Cup

Alex de Minaur needed just 67 minutes to defeat David Goffin 6-2, 6-2 and hand Australia a win over Belgium in the Davis Cup Finals group stage on Tuesday in Hamburg, Germany.

The Australians swept the Belgians 3-0 in the first match of Group C. Before de Minaur's triumph, Jason Kubler outlasted Zizou Bergs 6-4, 1-6, 6-3. Then, in the doubles match, Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell handled Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen, winning 6-1, 6-3.

The group stage is taking place from Tuesday through Sunday in four cities across Europe. The top two teams in each round-robin group will advance to the knockout stage in Malaga, Spain, Nov. 22-27.

In Group A, brothers Elias and Mikael Ymer helped Sweden beat Argentina 2-1 in Bologna, Italy.

Elias Ymer turned back Sebastian Baez 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (4) before Mikael Ymer defeated Diego Schwartzman 6-2, 6-2. Argentina scored its win in doubles, with Maximo Gonzalez and Horacio Zeballos rallying past Andre Goransson and Elias Ymer 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Canada beat South Korea in doubles to secure a 2-1 win in the Group B opener in Valencia, Spain.

Vasek Pospisil of Canada opened with a 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (5) squeaker over Korea's Seong-chan Hong. But Soonwoo Kwon responded by taking down Felix Auger-Aliassime 7-6 (5), 6-3.

Auger-Aliassime and Pospisil decided the match by beating JiSung Nam and Min-Kyu Song 7-5, 5-7, 6-3 in doubles.

In Group D, the Netherlands defeated Kazakhstan 2-1 in Glasgow, Scotland.

Tallon Griekspoor fought past Mikhail Kukushkin 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 before fellow Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp clinched the match by getting past Alexander Bublik 3-6, 6-1, 6-4. The Kazakhs got a point back in doubles when Bublik and Aleksandr Nedovyesov defeated Wesley Koolhof and Matwe Middelkoop 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.

The United States and Great Britain will face off in a Group D match on Wednesday.