Australia established a Davis Cup semi-final matchup with reigning champions Italy after the doubles team of Matthew Ebden and Jordan Thompson secured a win against the United States on Thursday.
Olympic champions Ebden and Thompson defeated the unexpected duo of Tommy Paul and Ben Shelton with a score of 6-4 6-4, advancing Lleyton Hewitt’s team to their third consecutive semi-final in the men’s team competition.
They will now get the chance to seek revenge for last year’s final loss to Italy following world number one Jannik Sinner leading the defending champions to a 2-1 win against Argentina.
The US entered as marginal favorites in a clash between the two most successful countries in the competition’s history, but Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis defeated debutant Shelton 6-1 4-6 7-6(14) in the first singles after saving four match points.
World rank four Taylor Fritz then equalized the match by defeating Alex de Minaur 6-3 6-4, bringing the tie to the doubles stage.
American captain Bob Bryan made an unexpected choice by not sending out Olympic runners-up Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek, opting for Shelton and Paul in an effort to lead the 32-time champions to their first semi-final since 2018.
However, his strategy failed because Ebden and U.S. Open champion Thompson’s superior doubles skills were crucial.
“As a leader, you must often make difficult choices.” This was not a clear-cut choice. “It was a very narrow margin, and we decided to go with it,” Bryan stated.
Following the victory of Italy’s women in the Billie Jean King Cup in Malaga on Wednesday, the men’s team is now favored to achieve a remarkable double for the country.
Sinner, who secured victories in two of the four Grand Slams this year and triumphed at the ATP Finals last week, faced pressure after Francisco Cerundolo put Argentina ahead with a 6-4 6-1 win over Lorenzo Musetti. He countered with a resounding 6-2 6-1 win over Sebastian Baez before taking to the court again in the Martin Carpena Arena to team up with Matteo Berrettini.
The stylish Italian pair raised the intensity to defeat Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni 6-4 7-5, igniting loud celebrations from their supporters and teammates.
Italy is expected to be the favorites against Australia in Saturday’s semi-final, but Hewitt’s squad, having lost in the last two finals, will be ready for a challenge.
“We possess a profoundly rich legacy in this tournament, and these young men understand the immense privilege it is to don the green and gold,” stated former world number one Hewitt.
“We’ve had a closely-knit team of about six members who have stepped up for three or four years now; they have bonded nicely, and I’m extremely proud of the entire team.”
Hewitt stated that he was sure world number 77 Kokkinakis, who frequently excels in Davis Cup matches, would perform well against 21st-ranked Shelton.
Thus, it was demonstrated as he claimed victory in an exciting match. He outperformed Shelton in the initial set, but the strong young American reacted remarkably to take the second.
As serves started to prevail, the match inevitably reached a tiebreak that became the longest in the Davis Cup in five years.
Kokkinakis was ahead 6-4, but Shelton saved two match points with powerful serves, and as the pressure increased, both players avoided match points against them by hitting aces.
Shelton fired off consecutive aces to go ahead 14-13, but Kokkinakis fought back and won three points in a row to secure the victory.
“Watching the boys on the sidelines, noticing Lleyton, who was obviously an idol during my childhood, getting really pumped and in my ear pushing me to stay motivated, I believe it’s huge,” Kokkinakis stated.
Fritz replicated his victory against De Minaur at the ATP Finals, while Australia capitalized on the Americans’ change in doubles lineup.
The first semi-final on Friday showcases the Netherlands, who defeated Spain, facing Germany.
