GOFFIN, DARCIS HELP BELGIUM BEAT AUSSIES, ENTER FINAL
BRUSSELS: David Goffin and Steve Darcis staged a thrilling comeback on Sunday to take Belgium into their second Davis Cup final in three years with a 3-2 victory over Australia.
World number 12 Goffin, playing some of the best tennis of his career, defeated world number 20 Nick Kyrgios 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 on the clay, weathering some blistering serves from the Australian that neared the 230kph mark.
“It’s incredible... It was the match of my career in the Davis Cup so far,” an elated Goffin told reporters after levelling the match 2-2.
Darcis, a Davis Cup hero in Belgium, clinched the victory with a 6-4 7-5 6-2 win over late replacement Jordan Thompson to put his side into November’s final against France, who completed a 3-1 win over Serbia earlier on Sunday.
“It’s a big week for me but it was an unbelievable win for David, I’ve never seen him play that good,” said Darcis, who has won four out of his five Davis Cup singles in the run to the final. Australia started the final day 2-1 up after winning Saturday’s doubles and Kyrgios looked the favourite, silencing the Belgian crowd by hitting 10 aces in the first set and winning the tiebreak. Goffin, whose knee injury at the US Open initially put his semi-final appearance in doubt, quickly found his way back, converting backhand service returns into winners and eventually frustrating the unpredictable Kyrgios.