Australia will win the Davis Cup for the first time in 20 years. There is still not one victory in a great victory – but it is difficult to beat two potential opponents.
Only the captain is happy: Leighton Hewitt (left) hugs Alex De Minaur who recently won.
Getty Images for ITF
Australia qualified for their first Davis Cup final this year. Australia, led by former world number one Leighton Hewitt, beat Finland 2-0 in Friday’s semi-final. First Alexei Popyrin won 7:6 (7:5), 6:2 against Otto Virtanen, then Alex de Minaur won 6:4, 6:3 against Emil Ruusuvuori. The scheduled double was no longer played.
In the second semi-final, the much-anticipated clash between Italy and Serbia starts at 12 noon on Saturday. The Serbian team is led by 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic, while Italy rely on world number four Janic Sinner. The two leading stars faced each other in the ATP Finals final in Turin last Sunday – with Djokovic getting the better of the result.
Australia had already made it to the finals last year, but missed out on a win against Canada. The proud tennis nation, successive winners of the 50s and 60s, has been waiting for its next Davis Cup win since 2003. However, regardless of the outcome of Saturday’s semi-final – the final will favor an opponent from Europe.
“Friend of animals everywhere. Web guru. Organizer. Food geek. Amateur tv fanatic. Coffee trailblazer. Alcohol junkie.”
More Stories
Airplane noise in Australia: Man complains 21,000 times
First arrest in Britain under Rwanda plot
UK public sector productivity is deteriorating, ONS data shows