Australia advance to semi-finals of Davis Cup after stunning Jordan Thompson and Alex de Minaur fightbacks

Australia advanced to the semi-finals of the Davis Cup in Malaga at the expense of the Netherlands thanks to Jordan Thompson and Alex de Minaur’s singles wins over their respective Dutch opponents, Tallon Griekspoor and Botic Van de Zandschulp.

The Aussie pair both had to fight hard over three sets to take their wins, with both coming from a set down too.

With captain Lleyton Hewitt on the bench – so combative himself as a player – Thompson and de Minaur seemed to take inspiration from his influence.

For Thompson, who won 4-6 7-5 6-3, his singles rubber represented his first in his country’s colours in two-and-a-half years, and came as he was picked ahead of Thanasi Kokkinakis.

Speaking afterwards, Thompson said: “Of course, I’d missed the Davis Cup, and I was extremely honoured [that I’d been picked]. I’d do anything to win in the green and gold and I hadn’t played since March 2020.

“Me and Alex, we looked up to Lleyton. I think probably for both of us, [he was] our tennis idol. So to see him on the side of the court and having his same fighting spirit is something I’m sure he loves to see.

“When he’s on the sideline, I couldn’t feel more comfortable.”

De Minaur – who played second at the Malaga indoor venue – added that he had been inspired by Thompson’s heroics.

“It feels great. It was a hell of a fight,” de Minaur said on his 5-7 6-3 6-4 victory. “Jordan played his heart out and it really inspired me.

“I just fought to the end, a never-say-die attitude.”

Australia will face either Spain or Croatia in the semi-finals – Hewitt’s team’s first appearance at that stage of the competition in five years – with those two nations in action on Wednesday (November 23).

The event’s other quarter-finals – Italy vs USA and Germany vs Canada – will be played on Thursday (November 24).

– – –