Peter Polansky had the option of resting Sunday, but instead he crushed Dominican Republic No. 1 Victor Estrella 6-1, 6-2 to complete Canada's 5-0 shutout in the Davis Cup Americas Zone Group I tie.
Canada had already clinched a spot in Americas Zone Group I for the coming year, but the 22-year-old from Thornhill, Ont., wanted to stay hungry by playing another match.
"I really wanted to play, have a good performance and feel good about myself before going [to Asia]" said Polansky, who's ranked No. 176 in the world.
On the whole, Polansky should feel good about himself after a summer in which he knocked off No. 15 seed Jurgen Melzer in the first round of the Rogers Cup in Toronto and toppled No. 30 Juan Monaco at the U.S. Open after advancing through three rounds of qualifying.
Also feeling good about his game is Polansky's close friend Milos Raonic, also of Thornhill, who had Sunday off after enduring a 5-7, 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (3), 9-7 marathon over Estrella last Friday.
Raonic, who is ranked No. 234, has his sights set high in pursuit of future success for both him and his adopted country.
"My [ultimate goal is]in the top 10, but a career spent in the top 50 I would be happy with," Raonic said. "You can do a lot, not just for yourself and for your own wealth and fortune, but you can do a lot for the country and it's something Canada could really benefit from right now and I would like to be a big ambassador to helping out with that."
Raonic, 19, was born in Montenegro and moved to Canada in 1994 when he was 3, but it has always been his adopted home that held the most meaning for him.
"Canada is where my tennis is, where my career has developed and where my loyalties are," he said.
In the final match of the Davis Cup tie, Frank Dancevic of Niagara Falls, Ont., cruised to a 38-minute, 6-0, 6-1 victory over Luis Delgado.
Dancevic reigned as Canada's top singles player from late 2004 until back surgery after the 2009 U.S. Open brought an early end to his season. But the ensuing nine-month injury layoff has left him fifth in the country and No. 371 in the world.
However, now with health on his side, the 26-year-old, who has climbed as high as No. 65 in the world, feels it's only a matter of time before he gets back to where he feels he should be.
"If I'm healthy and I'm playing really well, I know I can get up there in the top 50," he said.
With the win, Canada remains in the Americas Zone Group I, which is one tier below the 16-country World Group, for the coming year. The Dominican Republic is now relegated to Americas Zone Group II.
Next year will offer the Canadians a chance to move up into the elite World Group.
On the world stage, Janko Tipsarevic beat Radek Stepanek on Sunday, sending Serbia to its first Davis Cup final with a 3-2 victory over the Czech Republic in Belgrade.
Tipsarevic's 6-0, 7-6 (6), 6-4 win came after Novak Djokovic had tied the best-of-five tie at 2-2 by beating Tomas Berdych 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.
After Tipsarevic had converted his third match point, the Serbian players fell into each other's arms, then dropped to the floor and formed a circle around a Serbian flag.
"Thank you, that's what we needed, you raised us from the dead," Tipsarevic told a boisterous crowd of 15,000 in Belgrade Arena.
Serbia will play host to France in the final Dec. 3 through 5. The French beat Argentina 5-0 in the other semi-final.
With files from Associated Press