Alex de Minaur and Alexei Popyrin on Friday put Australia back into the Davis Cup final for a second straight year after winning their singles matches in a 2-0 victory over Finland.
Popyrin gave Australia a 1-0 lead in the semi-final encounter by beating Otto Virtanen 7-6 (7/5), 6-2. De Minaur then finished off Finland by beating Emil Ruusuvuori 6-4, 6-3.
“No Davis Cup match is easy and you don’t take anything for granted, rankings get thrown out the window,” Australia captain Lleyton Hewitt said. “We knew they were going to be tough opponents. I’m really proud of the boys.”
Photo: AP
Popyrin edged Virtanen in the first set, saving a set point when trailing 6-5 and forcing a tiebreaker that he clinched when his opponent slapped a forehand long.
Virtanen was Finland’s hero in their upset of defending champions Canada on Tuesday, winning his singles and doubles matches.
However, his serve let him down against Popyrin in the second set when his fifth double-fault cost him a break.
That was “probably the biggest win of my career so far,” Popyrin said. “To win a match that means so much for us is an honor and something I will never forget.”
De Minaur converted five of 18 break chances against Ruusuvuori. He ended the match by landing a backhand winner on the sideline.
Australia have the second-most Davis Cup titles, with 28 to 32 for the US, but their most-recent success was in 2003.
Novak Djokovic’s Serbia were playing Jannik Sinner’s Italy at press time last night in the other semi-final on the indoor hard court at the Martin Carpena Arena in Malaga, Spain.
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