The Australian Davis Cup team should be bolstered by the return of world No.11 Alex de Minaur for a third straight shot at the title having secured passage November’s eight-team showdown despite a final round loss to Spain in Valencia.
Captain Lleyton Hewitt’s team has been Davis Cup runners-up for the past two years, beaten by Canada in the final in 2022 and Italy last year, and will get the chance to turn the tables.
Australia won its opening two ties in Valencia against first France and the Czech Republic, as did Spain.
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With both sides’ place in the finals already safely booked, Alexei Popyrin recorded Australia’s only win in the 2-1 loss to Spain, as captain Hewitt gave Jordon Thompson his first taste of singles, replacing Thanasi Kokkinakis.
Spain rested superstar Carlos Alcaraz at Pabellon Fuente de San Luis, and Thompson served for the match in the opening rubber, only to go down 2-6 6-2 7-6 (7-3) to veteran Spanish substitute, the much lower ranked Pablo Carreno Busta.
But Popyrin, who lost his match in the French tie, and was given a walkover against Czechia, flexed his muscles against Pedro Martinez with a comprehensive 6-4 6-4 victory to set up a doubles decider.
Unbeaten in the tie to that point, Aussie pair Matt Ebden and Max Purcell won the opening set but then succumbed to the fired-up home team in front of a vocal crowd.
Led by Spain’s 38-year-old world doubles No.1 Marcel Granollers, playing with Martinez, the duo rallied to record a remarkable 5-7 6-4 6-4 win to close out the tie.
The draw for November’s finals will be held on Thursday.
Source Agencies
