Australian Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt praised his team’s “pride and passion” after a rescue project from Alex de Minaur laid the groundwork for a quarter-final victory over the Czech Republic in Malaga to keep alive their hopes of ending 20 years of Davis Cup. Title: Living Drought.
Looking to go one better than in 2022, when Hewitt’s team was defeated in the final across Canada, Minaur’s Australian No. 1 came back from a set down to win the second singles match after Jordan Thompson lost the first in straight sets in the quarterfinal clash. .
Doubles stars Matt Ebden and Max Purcell continued their very good combined run to secure a 6-4, 7-5 victory in the decisive semi-final clash between Australia and Finland.
Wimbledon champions Ebden and Purcell have won six of their seven Davis Cups together, adding three wins in a week-long unbeaten run in Manchester in September that helped propel Australia to the final in Spain.
“So proud. Pride and passion, that’s what it’s all about,” Hewitt said after the win.
“The team spirit and the camaraderie, everyone supported each other and the guys put in a lot of effort to find something more today. “
Hewitt gave specific credits to his doubles team, who had to watch De Minaur’s comeback before they knew what he was betting on.
“To get through the ups and downs of the first two games without knowing if they would come out or not, and then combining a clinic, it was awesome,” he said.
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Knowing he needed to beat World No. 31 Jiri Lehecka to keep Australia’s hopes alive after Thompson’s loss to Jiri Lehecka, de Minaur lost the first set that took him to the “dark places” where, he said, players can simply move on to matches.
But he went to the pot, and his reputation for never giving up, to secure the momentum set in a tie-break, then a nail-biting third set at 4-6 7-6 (7-2) 7-5 triumphed to point the eliminator before their trusty doubles team sealed the deal.
“I don’t know,” an exhausted De Minaur said when asked on the field how he triumphed in the two-and-a-half-hour fight.
“At the end of the day, it’s going to be tough. You’re going to be in very dark places in matches, but maybe I have that reputation of never giving up and I’m competing until the end.
“I think it would have been pretty easy for me to turn around in those circumstances, but he’s just not the kind of player I am.
“I’ve had a lot of games like this in my career. It’s part of my identity. I’m going to give up. I’m going to fight until the end.
He, Ebden and Purcell knew they had to film after De Minaur’s emotional return.
“I’ve never noticed it like this live,” he said.
“I saw comebacks like that on TV at the time… however, what Alex did, to give us a chance to pass out and fight for the win, was incredible.
“We thought we were one game away from getting out of here. To be here, win and go through to the semi-finals is a sign of our spirit and our fighting culture.
Earlier, Thompson, who had been picked through Hewitt before Alexei Popyrin’s late decision to open the draw, had lost in straight sets to 23-year-old Tomas Machac, squandering 6-4, 7-5, a not-so-easy recovery from his teammates. .
Australia lost last year’s final, after a 20-year Davis Cup drought.
Originally released as Alex de Minaur and his doubles combo secure Australia’s victory in Spain
Alex de Minaur guided Australia to their second consecutive Davis Cup final with a 2-0 win over Finland in Malaga.
Australia could end a 20-year Davis Cup drought without betting a single home and that’s not what Lleyton Hewitt wants.