Aussies scrap way to semis
De Minaur, Thompson fight it out
ALEX de Minaur says he’ll leave “nothing on the court” when Australia plays its first Davis Cup semi-final since 2017 after he mustered every ounce of effort to secure his team’s passage with victory over the Netherlands.
After late call-up Jordan Thompson vindicated a tough decision from Australian captain Lleyton Hewitt to play him by staging a comeback to win the opening singles match, de Minaur took out the second to set up a shot at winning the event for the first time since 2003.
Both Aussies had to come from a set down to secure three-set wins, and de Minaur said fight and belief were driving the Australian team.
“I’m going to leave nothing on the court because that’s what this team is about,” de Minaur said after his 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 win over Botic Van De Zandschulp in Malaga, Spain.
“Every single one of us would have done the same. I fought to the end, never-saydie attitude and I managed to scrape through.
“We have a lot of belief … any one of us can step out and deliver.
“We’ve managed to sneak through in two matches and the grind continues. We’re in it to win it, that’s for sure.”
Leading the team in the absence of Australia’s top-ranked player, Nick Kyrgios, world No.24 de Minaur had to turn the momentum in his own game.
“It was a hell of a fight. Jordan Thompson played his heart out, he really inspired me to go out there and leave it all out there,” de Minaur said. “I’m so proud to be part of this team, we have an amazing team, every single one of the players here has each other’s back.
“You’re playing for your country, for more than just yourself.”
Thompson was only added to the Australian team on the eve of the clash with the Netherlands and was given the nod by Hewitt to play the first singles game instead of Thanasi Kokkinakis.
It looked a bad call when Thompson went a set down against Tallon Griekspoor.
But Thompson’s match fitness paid off and he fought back to take a 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory after nearly three hours of battle, putting him in the box seat to front up in the singles again in Friday’s semi-final.
The winners of the tie will face either six-times champions and hosts Spain or Croatia for a place in Sunday’s final.
In the other quarter-finals, Italy takes on the United States while Germany faces Canada.