By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Thursday, November 21, 2024
Matthew Ebden (left) and Jordan Thompson celebrate their 6-4, 6-4 win over Tommy Paul and Ben Shelton lifting Australia into the Davis Cup semifinals with a 2-1 win over the U.S.
Photo credit: Thomas Coex/AFP/Getty
In a clash of Davis Cup titans,Lleyton Hewitt doubled down on stalwarts.
A spirited Australian squad delivered to keep its Davis Cup dream alive.
Matthew Ebden and Jordan Thompson defeated Tommy Paul and Ben Shelton 6-4, 6-4 clinching Australia’s 2-1 victory over the United States and a semifinal return in Malaga, Spain.
Ebden and Thomspon collided in a flying Bryan-brothers style chest bump after prevailing in the 74-minute doubles duel.
Captain Hewitt bear-hugged Thompson, the best player on the court during the decisive doubles, in celebration of Australia’s third straight trip to the semifinals in Malaga.
“Incredible,” Thompson told Colin Fleming in the on-court interview. “Got the break at 4-all—I could have run over the top of the bench.
“I always wear my heart on my sleeve—bleed green and gold.”
It was the 48th meeting of the two winningest nations in Davis Cup history: U.S. owns a record 32 titles and Australia is second with 28 Davis Cup championships. The U.S. leads the all-time series 26-22.
In a dramatic opening match, world No. 77 Thanasi Kokkinakis fought off four match points in the tiebreaker subduing Davis Cup debutant Ben Shelton 6-1, 4-6, 7-6(14) for his third Davis Cup win of the season.
It was tied for the sixth longest tiebreaker in Davis Cup history.
Former Australian Open doubles champion Kokkinakis exuded toughness under duress converting his seventh match point to edge in a wild opening match that saw the pair combine for 39 aces.
World No. 4 Taylor Fritz beat Aussie No. 1 Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-4—his second win this month over the Demon following his Turin victory—to level the tie and set up the decisive doubles.
“We’ve got a bloody rich history in this competition–-over a number of years well over 100 years,” Australian captain Lleyton Hewitt said. “So these boys know all the great players that have been before them. It’s a great honor every time you get to wear the green and gold out here.
“We’ve had a very similar team—a group of six guys that have put their hand up the last three or four years know—they’ve jelled together well. We’ve had to make slight adjustments at certain times because of injuries and stuff. Just super proud of the whole team as a collective. You’ve got to come out here and find two wins out of the three matches. It’s never easy. Obviously, a bloody tough team in the States today.”
U.S. Captain Bob Bryan said he was proud of his team's effort and praised Australia for a "phenomenal" performance..
"We knew we were coming up against a tough team. Australia played phenomenal," Bob Bryan told the media in Malaga. "You know, hats off to them on what they brought out there. I'm proud of our guys for really leaving everything they had on the court.
"It was just a hard-fought tie all the way around, six hours of great tennis. You know, great stuff for the crowd. Obviously lots of energy in the building. Proud of Ben, you know, in his first Davis Cup match, to really feel that's what Davis Cup is really all about, what he showed out there.
"You know, Kokkinakis played some of the best tennis I have seen him play, and Ben was able to turn that match around, claw his way back into it and put himself in a position to win. That's all you can do. We lost that one by a hair."
Captain Bob Bryan opted to substitute Shelton and Tommy Paul in place of scheduled starters and Olympic silver medalists Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram.
In that sense, Bob Bryan, a key member of the last U.S. team to capture the Davis Cup back in 2007, favored the explosive singles players over the experienced, established doubles duo of Krajicek and Ram. At the Paris Olympic Games, Aussies Ebden and John Peers edged Krajicek and Ram, 10-8 in the match tiebreaker, to win the Olympic doubles gold medal. Ultimately, Australia thwarted American firepower with their positioning and shared movement.
"The doubles, we have great options on this team. We have an experienced doubles team in Rajeev and Austin," Bob Bryan said. "And we've got a lot of firepower from the singles lineup. It was a matchup decision in this case, and I wouldn't change a thing.
"We were hoping to catch the Aussies a little bit by surprise, but those guys rose to the occasion and served a high percentage, took care of their, you know, their shots and stepped up. You know, I'm proud of the way we competed. You know, we could have won it this year with this team. This team has the talent and the ability. It came within an inch of getting another chance in the semis."
Today, the Aussie experience was evident, particularly intercepting balls down the middle, whereas that slight indecision on the American side proved costly. Australia converted two of five break points, while Team USA managed just two break points in the match.
“For sure we were expecting sort of the other pair. We knew they’ve got incredible players who can play doubles,” Ebden said. “We were ready. Slight adjustment, obviously, it’s sort of more huge-serving singles players than the doubles craft maybe.
“But it was just a big as challenge as any. Out here, final live match, just to play with Jordan was real fun. Following what Kokk did, unfortunately Alex went down, but what a day. So fun. So happy.”
The 2022-23 Davis Cup finalists Australia will face either defending champion Italy or Argentina in Saturday’s semifinals. A Jannik Sinner-led Italian squad defeated Australia, 2-0, in the 2023 final.
The winner of that top-half semifinal will play either The Netherlands or Germany in Sunday’s Davis Cup final.
In a bold move, Captain Hewitt opted to start Kokkinakis over higher-ranked teammates including Alexei Popyrin, who upset Novak Djokovic at the US Open, and Jordan Thompson, reigning US Open doubles champion.
Kokkinakis fulfilled his captain’s faith with a gutsy effort.
In a wildly tense, topsy-turvy tiebreaker, Kokkinakis fought off four match points. Across the net, Shelton saved six match points, pumping several heavy serves when down match point.
Shelton held a third match point at 12-11. Standing his ground, Kokkinakis cracked a forehand strike to save it.
The left-handed Shelton smacked successive aces saving a sixth match point and taking a 14-13 lead.
Showing courage, Kokkinakis denied a fourth match point firing a forehand winner.
Finally, Kokkinakis converted his seventh match point when Shelton sent a backhand long on the 14th shot of the rally to seal a pulsating victory and stake the green-and-gold to a 1-0 lead.
“That was crazy!” Kokkinakis said. “The last two years we’ve made it to the Finals, I haven’t been able to play and that was disappointing. But Lleyton showed a lot of faith in me and I tried to fight until the end.”
Hewitt said Kokkinakis’ clutch performance in Valencia, Spain that helped propel Australia to this Davis Cup Final 8 in Malaga convinced him to “unleash” Kokkinakis today.
“Obviously always making selections is never easy. Thanasi played two incredible matches in Valencia for us only a couple of months ago,” Hewitt said. “We kind of put him on ice pretty much until now and let him unleashed today.
“He fully paid us. That was fantastic. I kind of know how to work Thanasi, which is nice.”
Taylor Fritz played fantastic against Alex. He’s very confident at the moment, coming off an incredible year, world No. 4 so that was a tough one. The boys had to come out and light it up in the live doubles which is never easy. Doubles at the best of time, best of three set doubles, can hang on one or two points per set. These boys came up clutch when I needed them to.”
A fired-up Fritz reeled off eight of the first nine points breaking de Minaur in his opening service game. Fritz won three of the first nine games at love building a one-set lead.
De Minaur drew a netted error to earn a second break point in the second game of the second set.
Attacking behind an inside-out forehand, de Minaur knocked off the high forehand volley to break for a 2-0 second-set lead.
Fifty-five minutes into the match, Fritz rocketed a forehand return for triple break point. De Minaur erased all three break points drawing even at deuce. The Aussie held for 4-3.
Undeterred, Fritz came right back in the ninth game to earn two more break points. On his second break point, Fritz’s determined defense paid off as de Minaur sailed a forehand. Fritz had the break for 5-4 after one hour, 15 minutes.
The US Open finalist blocked a backhand volley to close his seventh Davis Cup win in style and forced the decisive doubles match.
“Taylor Fritz played fantastic against Alex. He’s very confident at the moment, coming off an incredible year, world No. 4 so that was a tough one,” Hewitt said. “The boys had to come out and light it up in the live doubles which is never easy.
“Doubles at the best of time, best of three set doubles, can hang on one or two points per set. These boys came up clutch when I needed them to.”
The U.S. Davis Cup team awaits its draw for the 2025 Qualifying round, held the week of January 27, 2025. The Qualifying round will feature a traditional home-and-away tie with the winner advancing to a new home-and-away round in September.
Davis Cup Quarterfinals—Australia 2, USA 1
Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS) d. Ben Shelton (USA), 6-1, 4-6, 7-6(14)
Taylor Fritz (USA) d. Alex de Minaur (AUS), 6-3, 6-4
Matthew Ebden / Jordan Thompson (AUS) d. Tommy Paul / Ben Shelton (USA), 6-4, 6-4