Australia advanced to the Davis Cup finals for the first time in 19 years with a 2-1 victory over Croatia on Friday in Malaga, Spain. Australia will now play either Canada or Italy in the championship match.
Australia will play either Canada or Italy in the Davis Cup finals:
In a match that was almost a replica of the Wimbledon doubles final until a last-minute player substitution, Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson defeated Mate Pavic and Nikola Mektic 6-7(3) 7-5 6-4 to secure the victory for Australia.
Moments before the match, Australia’s captain Lleyton Hewitt substituted Thompson with Matthew Ebden, who together with Purcell won the Wimbledon doubles championship by defeating Pavic and Mektic in the All England Club final.
Prior to the Czech pair stepping up and winning the tiebreaker, the first set was a closely contested affair. However, Purcell and Thompson never faltered and broke for a 6-5 lead in the second frame and held serve to force a crucial third set.
With a 4-3 advantage, Purcell and Thompson broke once more, and it was all the cushion they had to win their next two service games and advance Australia to its first final since 2003, when they won their 28th championship.
Australia’s Alex de Minaur forced the match’s decisive set when he defeated Croatia’s Borna Coric 6-2, 6-2, after the latter had given his country an early lead by defeating Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-4, 6-3.
In a match that lasted just 44 minutes, De Minaur did not encounter a single break point, while Cilic labored terribly from the service line, committing 10 double faults.
With a dominant performance against Thanasi Kokkinakis in which he blasted 18 winners against just nine unforced mistakes, Coric had set Croatia on track for a second consecutive participation in the Davis Cup final.
In a match that lasted just 44 minutes, De Minaur did not encounter a single break point, while Cilic labored terribly from the service line, committing 10 double faults.
On Saturday, Canada will play Italy, with the championship game taking place on Sunday.