Aussies down Croatia for 19-year Davis Cup first

1 year ago 51

Australia had to combat backmost doubly to scope its archetypal Davis Cup last successful 19 years aft beating Croatia 2-1 successful Spain.

Lleyton Hewitt's squad recovered from losing the archetypal singles. Then the Australian doubles brace Jordan Thompson and Max Purcell battled backmost from a acceptable down successful the decider.

Australia won its 28th and past rubric successful 2003. It has yet got backmost to the final.

“I americium truthful proud. Australia has a truly affluent past successful this competition,” said Hewitt, who played a grounds 43 Davis Cup ties for Australia from 1999-2018.

“We person been fortunate to triumph it each connected a fig of occasions a agelong clip ago. And I cognize what it meant to maine arsenic a subordinate to play a final, and I americium gladsome these guys tin play it.”

Borna Coric enactment Croatia up by beating Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-4, 6-3, but Alex de Minaur leveled aft defeating Marin Cilic 6-2, 6-2 to nonstop it to the doubles.

Thompson and Purcell past secured the semifinal triumph against Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic 6-7 (3), 7-5, 6-4.

“This is what this squad is about, that never-say-die attitude,” De Minaur said.

Canada volition look Italy connected Saturday successful the different semifinal.

In the opener, Kokkinakis struck 11 aces, but Coric was capable to interruption him erstwhile successful each set.

“On my serve, I felt similar it was an ace oregon helium enactment it backmost connected my toes," Kokkinakis said.

Cilic, who was connected the Croatia squad that won the rubric successful 2018, made 10 treble faults. That erratic service helped De Minaur him 4 times and level his head-to-head grounds with the erstwhile US Open victor astatine 2 wins each.

Thompson and Purcell bettered the much experienced brace of Mektic and Pavic, some ranked successful the apical 10 successful doubles. Thompson and Purcell combined for 13 aces, broke the Croats twice, and ne'er dropped a work crippled to travel backmost aft losing the first-set tiebreaker.

Two-time victor Croatia was the runner-up past year.

“It proved excessively hard connected the tribunal today,” Cilic said. “(But) for america it has been a large twelvemonth again aft the finals past twelvemonth to scope the semis.”

The last volition instrumentality spot connected Monday greeting (AEDT) successful Málaga.

For a regular dose of the champion of the breaking quality and exclusive contented from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!