Minus Kyrgios, Aussies fall short in Davis Cup
TENNIS: Australia captain Lleyton Hewitt says a collarbone injury was the reason Nick Kyrgios did not play in the first singles rubber in yesterday’s Davis Cup quarter-final loss to Canada.
Australia lost 2-1, with the inspirational Vasek Pospisil the hero for the Canadians.
They will face Serbia or Russia in a semi-final today.
John Peers and Jordan Thompson lost the decisive doubles rubber 6-4, 6-4 but the biggest talking point was the shock decision to play John Millman in the opening rubber instead of Kyrgios.
“Nick woke up this morning with a problem. It was with his collarbone and he was unable to play,” Hewitt said. “John came in and did his best but we are all very disappointed to be out.”
Kyrgios was brilliant in the first two ties and earlier this week was labelled the ultimate team man by Hewitt, who revealed the 24-year-old had pulled up with the problem the day after beating Belgium’s Steve Darcis on Thursday.
After Kyrgios was unable to serve at full strength on a practice court two hours before yesterday’s match, Millman was drafted.
Pospisil admitted: “I was expecting to play Nick ... you obviously start to change my mentality in terms of how I was going to play … they’re two very different players.”
Pospisil saved two set points against Millman to take the first set in a tiebreak before winning 7-6 (9-7) 6-4.
Alex de Minaur then levelled the tie at 1-1 after coming from a set down to beat Denis Shapovalov 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 in a rematch of the 2016 junior Wimbledon final.
But former All England doubles champion Pospisil lifted Shapovalov in the decider to seal a fantastic win.
Canada have used Shapovalov and Pospisil in all their matches in Spain due to injuries to Brayden Schnur, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Milos Raonic.