Malaga (Spain) (AFP) – At the edge of elimination in the second singles, Australia, the outgoing finalist, qualified for the Davis Cup semi-finals by beating the Czech Republic two wins to one in the quarterfinals on Wednesday evening in Malaga.
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Thanks to the success in the doubles of the pair Matthew Ebden-Max Purcell against Jiri Lehecka-Adam Pavlasek, 6-4, 7-5, the Australians remain in the race. They will face the surprising Finns in the semifinals on Friday, who defeated the defending champion Canadians on Tuesday.
But the Australian team, led by former world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt, was almost ousted from the tournament after losing the first singles, and then going two points away from defeat in the second, at 6-4, 5-3.
Tomas Machac (78th in the world) had given the first point to the Czechs, victorious in the competition in 2012 and 2013, by beating Jordan Thompson (56th) 6-4, 7-5 after a nearly two-hour battle.
The second singles between the Czech No. 1 Jiri Lehecka (31st) and the Australian Alex de Minaur (12th) lasted more than 2h30m (4-6, 7-6 (7/2), 7-5) and lived up to all expectations.
The young 22-year-old Czech initially appeared to be the most impressive when he won the first set 6-4. After breaking early in the second, he seemed to be heading for an easy two-set victory, which would have meant qualification.
But when serving for the win at 5-4, Lehecka lost control, allowing De Minaur to reel off two love games to break back and take the lead (6-5). The two players eventually had to play a decisive tie-break in which De Minaur was much stronger to secure a third set (7/2).
In the final set, the two men remained neck and neck. De Minaur, with heroically defensive play, earned two break points. The second one was the charm. On his serve, the Australian won the victory at the net, with a final volley (7-5).
For the decisive doubles, the captain of the Czech team, Jaroslav Navratil, changed his plans by bringing Lehecka back onto the court, instead of Jakub Mensik, who was initially partnered with Adam Pavlasek.
The Australian pair Matthew Ebden-Max Purcell, victorious at Wimbledon in 2022, easily seized the first set 6-4. In a much more closely contested second set, the Australians finally made the crucial break at 5-5 before sending their team into the semifinals (7-5). The Australians, who will be strong favorites against the Finns, will try to reach the final for the second consecutive year on Friday.
Italy’s Jannik Sinner, the ATP Masters finalist against Novak Djokovic, faces the Netherlands on Thursday morning, while the world No. 1 and Serbia will face Great Britain in the afternoon. The winners of these two quarterfinals will meet in the other semifinal on Saturday.
© 2023 AFP
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