Alexei Popyrin has been entrusted with the important thing position of launching Australia’s bid for glory as they search to convey dwelling the Davis Cup for the primary time in 20 years in Malaga.
Popyrin, a late alternative within the squad following harm to Thanasi Kokkinakis, rose to the event when captain Lleyton Hewitt thrust him into his first Davis Cup tie for 2 years within the semi-final towards Finland.
But after overcoming nearly crippling nerves to win that rubber towards the large younger expertise Otto Virtanen on Friday, Hewitt had no hesitation about throwing him into Sunday’s (Monday AEDT) opening singles of the ultimate towards Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi at a teeming Palacio de Deportes Martin Carpena.
It appears a tricky one to name with world No.44 Arnaldi ranked solely 4 locations behind Sydneysider Popyrin and with the pair degree at 1-1 of their head-to-heads this yr, with Popyrin beating the Italian within the semi-final en path to his second ATP tour title in Croatia in July.
Arnaldi was left massively deflated after his defeat within the quarter-final towards Dutchman Botic van der Zandschulp, however has been given one other probability with the higher-ranked Lorenzo Musetti struggling for health after his semi-final singles loss.
The second rubber will, as anticipated, characteristic the respective nationwide No.1s, Aussie Alex de Minaur and Italy’s Jannik Sinner, who was presumably nonetheless on a dizzy excessive after beating Serbian nice Novak Djokovic – not as soon as however twice within the area of four-and-a-half hours – in Saturday’s semi-final.
More stress is heaped on Popyrin, figuring out that world No.4 Sinner has an ideal 5-0 document towards No.12 de Minaur in a match-up that bodes ailing for Australia.
If the ultimate comes right down to a deciding doubles, Australia’s 2022 Wimbledon champions Max Purcell and Matt Ebden are pencilled in to face Simone Bolelli and Lorenzo Sonego, however, health allowing, Sinner will once more nearly definitely be parachuted in to interchange Bolelli ought to that occur.
So far this week, Sinner has performed singles and doubles in each the quarter-final and semi-finals, successful all 4 rubbers.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
